Units from the Dutch Caribbean existed in the Royal Netherlands Army even before 1814.

The first is the "Troops of the Colonial Authorities on Curaçao", whose task was to defend Curaçao and Dependencies (later known as the Netherlands Antilles); the second is the "Colonial Forces in Suriname", whose task was to protect Suriname.

[1] In 1939, the Surinamese Militia [nl] was formed, which was a voluntary army of the people living in Suriname.

The 2,000 American troops stationed in Suriname during World War II to protect the bauxite industry and to guard against a Vichy French invasion, were placed under the command of the militia.

[1] Following the declaration of Suriname's independence on 25 November 1975, the Colonial Forces were disbanded and many members of these units joined the newly created Surinamese Armed Forces (renamed the Suriname National Army in 1980).