NationStates Jolt Archive

ooc: Um, would it be acceptable for a nation of my size to support armed forces totalling 9,000,000? This is about 2.26% of my population. I need to know, for fighting insurgents, and possibly Credonia, etc. If there is anyone who could offer some guidance, it would be greatly appreciated.

ooc: Well, Dra-pol has designs on 4% military recruitment and more than 20% reserve mobilisation, based on but actually in many areas more modest than the DPRK model. This is the end result of many generations preparation, however, and requires the isolation and fantastic indoctrination of the populace, as well as a (shambolic) communist economy and Juche-like self-sufficient infrastructure. This means we've some utter crap in service, and our air force and tanks have been picked apart in the War of Unification.
I know that none of this answers your question, but I thought I'd put forth some aspects visible from one end of the scale. People who run around with 5% militiaries brandishing top notch western equipment and/or claiming capitalist economies or democratic governments may as well be claiming their people are paperclip monsters or something equally abstract. 2.26% is attainable for many nations under pretty serious wartime conditions, certainly, but will likely bring on some degree of social change and probably not be sustainable for more than a few years.


...In my absolutely amature opinion :)

OOC:

Rule of thumb if your want your military reasonably equipped is 1-2% peace time, 3-5% war time. Once you get upwards of 3% you start to feel the effects of it economically.

OOC: I'm no expert since there are others who have written extensively on it (The Evil Overlord, Clan Smoke Jaguar, Guiness Extra Cold, Santa Barbara) but remember that whatever % you have doesn't mean that translates into front-line troops - no matter how much cash you have. I have about 0.8 percent of my total population [20 800 000] in the military with 1.2% as reserves; working from 2.6 billion as a base. But only a fraction of the 20 million plus are front-line troops with a significant (perhaps insane) amount in logistical support.

I'll try to find you some links shortly but I would say take a perusal of the relevant stickies.

OOC: The percentage is acceptable for your pop size, but mobilising and effectively using 9,000,000 men?! :shock: good luck!

Right now I've got a total pop of 9 million and I'm only using 5,000 soldiers max, and even that may be godmodding (despite an all-consuming economy and due to the lack of a mandatory draft.)