In most countries the armed forces are divided into three or four Armed Services (also called branches): an army, a navy, and an air force. Gendarmeries (including equivalents such as Internal Troops, Paramilitary Forces, etc.) are an internal security service common in most of the world but are uncommon in Anglo-Saxon countries. This is particularly in contrast to the United States whose armed forces are prohibited from enforcing the law.
Many countries have a variation on the standard model of three or four basic Armed Services. Some nations also organize their marines, special forces or strategic missile forces as independent armed services. A nation's coast guard may also be an independent armed service of its military, although in many nations the coast guard is a law enforcement or civil agency. A number of countries have no navy, for geographical reasons, and some other variations include:
* People's Republic of China: army, navy, air force, strategic missile force
* South Africa: army, navy, air force, military health service
* Egypt: army, navy, air force, air defense
* Hungary: army, air force
* The Netherlands: army, navy, air force, military police
* United States: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard
* Italy: army, navy, air force, military police
* Canada: Canadian Forces
* Republic of China (Taiwan): Army, Navy, Air Force and Military Police
* Poland: army, navy, air force
In Germany, the defense part of the Bundeswehr consists of the Army (Heer), Navy (Marine), Air Force (Luftwaffe), Joint Support Service (Streitkräftebasis), and Central Medical Services (Zentraler Sanitätsdienst).
In larger armed forces the culture between the different Armed Services of the armed forces can be quite different.
Most smaller countries have a single organization that encompasses all armed forces employed by the country in question. Third-world armies tend to consist primarily of infantry, while first-world armies tend to have larger units manning expensive equipment and only a fraction of personnel in infantry units.
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