| South Vietnamese Popular Force | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Popular Self-Defence Forces deploy to inspect possible Viet Cong infiltration during the Tet Offensive | |
| Active | 1955 – 1975 |
| Country |  South Vietnam |
| Branch |  Army of the Republic of Vietnam |
| Type | Militia |
| Size | 227,950 (1972 authorized strength) |
| Nickname(s) | Ruff-Puffs (used by American Forces) |
| Engagements | Vietnam War |
The South Vietnamese Popular Force (Vietnamese: nghĩa quân, PF) (originally the Self-Defense Corps) was a part-time local militia of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) during the Vietnam War. The South Vietnamese Popular Force mainly protected homes and villages in South Vietnam from attacks by the Viet Cong (VC) and later the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN).
The Popular Force resembled the Local Force and village-guerrilla level component of the VC, while the Regional Force was a full-time force available for operations within a province.[1] The Popular Force was initially very poorly-trained and equipped, but often bore the brunt of PAVN/VC attacks.[2] PF and Regional Force units were responsible for inflicting an estimated 30% of the total PAVN/VC casualties throughout the war, and were much more capable of fulfilling ambush and small-unit movement, reconnaissance and detection roles than larger, slow-moving conventional forces.[1]: 49 [3][4]
- ^ a b Wiest, Andrew (October 2009). Vietnam's Forgotten Army: Heroism and Betrayal in the ARVN. NYU Press. pp. 73–77. ISBN 978-0-8147-9467-8.
- ^ Frankum, Ronald B. Jr. (2011-06-10). Historical Dictionary of the War in Vietnam. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-7956-0.
- ^ Krepinevich, Andrew F. (1986-05-01). The army and Vietnam. Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 219–222. ISBN 978-0-8018-2863-8.
- ^ Emerson, Gloria (1970-08-16). "'Ruff Puffs,' Vietnamese Militia, Hunt Enemy by Night". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-05-28.