The Armed Forces of Malta is the name given to the combined armed services of Malta. The AFM is a brigade sized organisation consisting of a headquarters and three separate battalions, with minimal air and naval forces. Since Malta is the guardian of the European Union's southernmost border, the AFM has an active role in border control.
Armed Forces of Malta AgustaWestland AW139 AS1428 at the 2015 Malta International Airshow
Protector-class patrol boats on anti-piracy training mission in 2011
Malta armed forces ships
Image: Land Rover Defender Netherlands Marine Corps Flickr Joost J. Bakker I Jmuiden
Royal Malta Fencible Regiment
The Royal Malta Fencible Regiment was an infantry battalion of the British Army which existed from 1815 to 1861 in Malta, then a British colony. The regiment was recruited and organised by Francesco Rivarola in 1815; Rivarola had proved himself loyal to the British Crown in fighting France. In 1861 the regiment was disbanded as an infantry unit and designated as a coastal artillery defence regiment, becoming the Royal Malta Fencible Artillery.
Leandro Preziosi, Portrait photo of Walter Sciortino, Royal Malta Fencible Artillery, ca. 1860
Leandro Preziosi, Officer in the Royal Malta Fencible Artillery