<P> A militia / mɪˈlɪʃə / is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers , citizens of a nation , or subjects of a state , who can be called upon for military service during a time of need , as opposed to a professional force of regular , full - time military personnel , or historically , members of a warrior nobility class ( e.g. , knights or samurai ) . Generally unable to hold ground against regular forces , it is common for militias to be used for aiding regular troops by skirmishing , holding fortifications , or irregular warfare , instead of being used in offensive campaigns by themselves . Militia are often limited by local civilian laws to serve only in their home region , and to be serve only for a limited time ; this further reduces their use in long military campaigns . </P>
<P> A militia / mɪˈlɪʃə / is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers , citizens of a nation , or subjects of a state , who can be called upon for military service during a time of need , as opposed to a professional force of regular , full - time military personnel , or historically , members of a warrior nobility class ( e.g. , knights or samurai ) . Generally unable to hold ground against regular forces , it is common for militias to be used for aiding regular troops by skirmishing , holding fortifications , or irregular warfare , instead of being used in offensive campaigns by themselves . Militia are often limited by local civilian laws to serve only in their home region , and to be serve only for a limited time ; this further reduces their use in long military campaigns . </P>
ordinary citizens called out to fight in an emergency were part of what was known as the
ordinary citizens called out to fight in an emergency were part of what was known as the
militia
militia