HAGUBEYKALUN the first known reference to the Maldivian defenders dates back prior to the reign of Sultan Al-Gazi Mohamed Thakurufaan. Here the three bearers of high office designated as Maafaiy, Faamuladheyri, and Dhaharaadha were responsible for organising the security of the country.

Sultan Al-Gazi Mohamed Thakurufaan reorganised the existing security force at that time and appointed a Dhoshimeynaa Wazir (a Minister) as the head of the security force.

The origin of the current security force can be traced from the initiatives of Sultan Ibrahim Nooraddeen Iskandhar who reigned from 1888 to 1892. The Sultan was impressed by a group of young men practicing marching in step while they were at the Sultans Palace to learn a traditional form of martial arts. The Sultan gave his blessings to their new drill and facilitated their training. The group of men thereafter began to accompany the Sultan on his ceremonial processions.

During Sultan Ibrahim Nooraddeen Iskandhars brief reign, he enlisted selected youths and taught them Hevikan (a Maldivian form of martial arts) and made them participate in royal ceremonies. On 21 April 1892, a new security force was established by a royal decree. The sultan became the Commander-in-Chief of the security force. This new force was authorised to carry arms and the Palace afforded special privileges to them.

The first known headquarters of the security force was located at the fortress known as Aakoattay. Later, the headquarters was shifted to the building known commonly as Boduge in front of the Sultans Palace (now Sultan Park). In late 1975, the headquarters of the security force was relocated at Bandeyrige Building, where it remains to the present day.

Since the establishment of a security force, it has served as a combined force except for two brief periods. A police force was formed on 29 March 1933, during the reign of Sultan Mohamed Shamsuddeen III, but it was soon disbanded. The police force was re-established on 13 March 1972, as a branch of the security force, which was then known as National Guards, functioning under the Ministry of Public Safety.

On 10 January 1979, after years of evolution and progress, the Ministry of Public Safety and the National Guards were re-named as the Ministry of Defence and National Security and the National Security Service (NSS) respectively. The police remained as an integral part of it until it was declared a civil body under Ministry of Home Affairs and renamed as the Maldives Police Service on 1 September 2004.

The National Security Service (NSS) remained a multi-functional force, directly under the command, direction and supervision of the Minister of Defence and National Security. The President was the Commander-in-Chief of the NSS and the Minister of Defence and National Security was the Deputy Commander-in-Chief.

Since 11 November 1978, major changes in government policy have led to the reform and restructuring of the security force, increasing the professionalism of the NSS. Most importantly, the security policy and strategy were reformulated and management was reorganized. Educated young people were recruited into the NSS and were sent abroad to train at renowned institutions. This greatly influenced and assisted the present reforms and changes that have vastly transformed the organization.

Since the reorganization, the NSS as a combined service was more effective and functionally more balanced, capable of conducting a variety of operations ranging from defence and security of land and sea, maintaining law and order, emergency operations, search and rescue operations to public welfare support activities.

It is an undoubted fact that NSS accomplished and achieved much in the 1980s and 1990s in the service of the nation.

On 18 November 1962, a public announcement was made requesting women to join the security force. Although a number of young women responded favourably to the call, plans to induct women into the service were aborted.

In the aftermath of the armed aggression against the Maldives on 3 November 1988, importance was given to increasing the strength of the NSS. In this context, both men and women were recruited into the service. The first batch of women joined the NSS on 1 March 1989.

In recent years, women in the uniforms have been making an important contribution in all areas of the service.

As the role of women in the service has expanded, the enthusiasm of women joining the force has increased.

With the separation of police as a civil body, the mission and duties of the NSS had to be revised. This revision envisaged a totally different turn for the organization. Hence, to carryout the newly derived mission and tasks, whole of its structure had to be modified and redesigned. All these new implementations created more of an infantry organization and renamed it the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), on its 114th anniversary, on 21 April 2006.