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
Military history of The Gambia the Sierra Leone Militia, and from the Royal African Corps. They sailed for The Gambia in HMS "Plumper", a brig, and the "Parmilia" transport. On 9 November they arrived in The Gambia and found Fort Bullen still in the hands of the natives. Fortunately, they had confined themselves to making demonstrations rather than taking Bathurst, which lay entirely at their mercy.On 11 November, Stewart's force landed at Barra Point, consisting of 451 of all ranks. They were supported with heavy cover fire from the "Plumper" (under Lieutenant Cresey), the "Parmilia", and an armed colonial schooner. The Mandinkas were estimated at