Defense or defence may refer to:
Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups
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Defense (military)
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily Weapon, armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable ...
, forces primarily intended for warfare
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Civil defense
Civil defense or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from human-made and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency management: Risk management, prevention, mitigation, prepara ...
, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks
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Defense industry, industry which manufactures and sells weapons and military technology
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Self-defense
Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of Force (law), ...
, the use of force to defend oneself
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Haganah
Haganah ( , ) was the main Zionist political violence, Zionist paramilitary organization that operated for the Yishuv in the Mandatory Palestine, British Mandate for Palestine. It was founded in 1920 to defend the Yishuv's presence in the reg ...
(Hebrew for "The Defence"), a paramilitary organization in British Palestine
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National security
National security, or national defence (national defense in American English), is the security and Defence (military), defence of a sovereign state, including its Citizenship, citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of ...
, security of a nation state, its citizens, economy, and institutions, as a duty of government
** Defence diplomacy, pursuit of foreign policy objectives through the peaceful employment of defence resources
** Ministry of defence or department of defense, a part of government which regulates the armed forces
** Defence minister, a cabinet position in charge of a ministry of defense
* International security, measures taken by states and international organizations to ensure mutual survival and safety
Sports
* Defense (sports), the action of preventing an opponent from scoring
** Defender (association football), an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposing team from scoring goals
** Defenceman (ice hockey), a player, other than the goaltender, in a defensive position
** Batting (cricket)#Defensive shot, Defensive batting, a method of avoiding being out in cricket
Law
* Defense (legal), an attempt to avoid criminal or civil liability
* Defence of property, argument that a defendant should not be held liable for any loss caused while acting to protect their property
* Right of self-defense, the right for people to use reasonable force to defend themselves
Places
* Defence, Karachi, a neighbourhood located within Clifton Cantonment of Karachi, Pakistan
* La Défense, a business district near Paris
** The Grande Arche, commonly known as Arche de la Défense, near Paris
Other uses
* The Defence (TV series), ''The Defence'' (TV series), a 2018 Polish television series
* Defense (chess), a chess opening by Black
* Defence (ship), ''Defence'' (ship), name of several ships
** HMS Defence, HMS ''Defence'', Royal Navy ships of this name
* Thesis defense, oral examination required for certain advanced degrees
* Defence mechanisms, unconscious psychological mechanisms that reduce anxiety
* "The Defence", a song by Black Midi from ''Hellfire (Black Midi album), Hellfire''
See also
* Defender (disambiguation)
* Biological defense (disambiguation)
* National defense (disambiguation)
* Protection (disambiguation)
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