Gambia Armed Forces defence and security in The Gambia was the responsibility of the Field Force. The Field Force was a paramilitary unit of the police, consisting of roughly 140 men at independence and rising to around 500 in 1980. It has been formed in 1958 following the disbandment of the Gambia Regiment, part of the British Army. There was little concern about security in The Gambia due to its small size and the safety provided by being totally surrounded by Senegal, with which it had signed a mutual defence pact in 1965. This lax attitude to defence changed following the 1981 coup
Women in the military by country women an equitable share of the leadership positions in the military. In 2011 almost 26.6% of the uniformed services of the South African National Defence Force consisted of women. Military of the Gambia have no gender conscription and women are free to volunteer for the armed forces. In 2011 the first female army general was decorated in the Gambia. Mandatory Military Service is required for all Tunisian women since March 2003. Tunisia is the first Arab country to conscript women. All roles in the Australian Defence Force are open to women. The first women became involved with the Australian armed