NationStates Jolt Archive

Me assistsez-vous. Vite.

First you need to calculate your peacetime military.

You can have up to 5% of your national population, as indicated on your nation page, in the armed forces of your nation. In peacetime this number is usually lower, though in war it can be raised to around 6 or 7% at the highest. Any more than this will damage your economy to such an extent that it will begin to impact on your capacity to produce military equipment.

Personally, I took 2.2% of my population to work out my entire army. My air force and navy are not large enough to bring the percentage to 5%, and in any case are in my opinion far more dull to create.

Once you have decided on a number to work with, you should divide your military into formations. Large formations are made of smaller formations, with an additional unit attached to represent the commanding officer, his own squad, and his staff.

The numbers in each formation may vary between nations. These numbers are in accordance with my own army.

Example
Fire Team = 4 men, led by a Corporal.
Section = 2 Fire Teams, led by a Sergeant (8 men).
Platoon = 3 Sections + Command Section, led by a 1st or 2nd Lieutenant (32 men).
Company = 3 Platoons + Command Section, led by a Captain or Major (104 men).
Battalion = 6 Companies + Command Section, led by a Lieutenant-Colonel or Colonel (632)

Using a calculator, divide your total number of military personnel by the number of men in a single battalion to get the number of battalions in your army. If the number has a decimal, round it up or down.

Divide your army into troop types.

Example troop types are;

Light Infantry - Infantrymen on foot carrying sidearms, assault rifles, grenades, man-portable anti-tank weaponry and anti-aircraft weaponry.

Mechanised/Motorised Infantry - Infantry transported entirely by vehicles. Mechanised infantry use Infantry Fighting Vehicles and Armoured Personnel Carriers, while motorised infantry are transported in light trucks. Both are equipped with basic infantry weaponry.

Armoured Infantry - Like mechanised infantry, but with a higher concentration of armoured fighting vehicles. Often, armoured infantry will be accompanied by either light battle tanks or self-propelled guns mounted on a IFV chassis.

Armour - Main Battle Tanks, sometimes accompanied by a small number of anti-tank missile-equipped Tank Destroyers in support. They move fast and hit hard, accompanied by mechanised infantry, punching holes in the enemy army and pushing into their rear to destroy lines of supply and communication. They are then reinforced by infantry, further disorientating the enemy. This method of attack was used to great effect in the 1940 invasion of France, and is often still effective.

Self-Propelled Anti-Tank/Anti-Air - Light vehicles equipped with either anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) or surface-to-air-missiles (SAM). Deployed in support of other units, such as a brigade attachment to a division, they can greatly increase the ability of your troops to deal with either enemy tanks and vehicles or enemy aircraft.

Combat Engineers - Engineers are often deployed separately to other infantry, in both Light and Mechanised roles. They use the army's specialist digging, bridgelaying, tank-recovery, mineclearing and decontamination vehicles, in addition to being hard-fighting troops. Often they are equipped with specialist weapons such as flamethrowers, giving them an advantage over other infantry types.

More coming. I think I'm getting carpal tunnel.

Recon - Deployed either as the vanguard of an armoured formation, or alone as a highly mobile force, reconnaissance vehicles are designed to find and engage the enemy before swiftly retreating to safety to tell the tale. In many armies, recon vehicles will be only be found attached to armoured units rather than being assembled as a seperate force.

Marines - Marines fight as Light Infantry, though due to the nature of their training and selection process are often regarded as elite troops. Marines are trained to perform amphibious assault operations - attacks from the sea.

Airborne - Airborne troops are highly-motivated Light Infantry, deployed to the battlefield by parachute, or more commonly by helicopter. Airborne troops are usually trained to a higher standard than regular infantry - a combination of their demanding selection process and 'do or die' mentality.

Mountain - Mountain troops, such as the German Gebirgsjäger and Nepalese Gurkhas, are troops specially trained for fighting in harsh environments. They are often a cut above regular infantry in resilience and morale.

Military Police - Non-combat troops intended to police soldiers. Often percieved as lower quality than regular infantry, though this could be biased by the infantry's own opinions of the MPs.

Army Air Corps - Transport and attack helicopters attached to the army. They provide air support, air supply, and bring troops to and from battle faster than other methods. Helicopters consume a lot of fuel, however, and are the least fuel-efficient method of transportation available.

Medics - Medical regiments are the troops who set up, staff and maintain field hospitals. Every combat medic in the army, whether a member of another regiment or not, passes through the same training as full-time medical staff. Qualified battlefield surgeons are always officers.

Logistics - The men and women who keep the rest of the army supplied and working. Men with no food cannot march, and tanks with no fuel cannot move. Half to two-thirds of your army will be in a logistical regiment.

Well, that's basically all the troop types I'm using right now. Question time.

How do you get numbers for how many soldiers you have? Do you have to look at your population and divide by some number to get how many soldiers your military has?

Take your population, and divide it by 100 to get 1% of your pop. Multiply that 1% number by the percentage you actually want in your military (up to 5%), and hey presto, you have your number of troops.

Take your population, and divide it by 100 to get 1% of your pop. Multiply that 1% number by the percentage you actually want in your military (up to 5%), and hey presto, you have your number of troops.

Thank you for this information.

After that you have to divide your total number of military personnel into army, navy and air force. Your army will probably be 80% or more of that.

Between half and two thirds of the army will be logistical troops, who supply frontline troops with ammo, food and water, fuel, replacements for lost equipment, etc. They will have a lot of trucks.

After that you have to divide your total number of military personnel into army, navy and air force. Your army will probably be 80% or more of that.

Between half and two thirds of the army will be logistical troops, who supply frontline troops with ammo, food and water, fuel, replacements for lost equipment, etc. They will have a lot of trucks.

When you say divide my total number, do I divide it by a specific number?

It's personal choice, but you should make a note of the number for when you next work out your military numbers.

Here is what I had in mind for my military:

Oizon Army: 500,000 to 1,500,000 soldiers
Oizon Navy: roughly similar to the Army, about 500,000 to around a million or so
Oizon Air Force: 400,000 to 700,000
Oizon Foreign Legion: (when we continue I shall post an ad or two for foreign citizens to join, it will help get other nations/people involved)

Oizon's military's strategy would be to simply defend, as the nation is strictly neutral and focuses on defense, think of Switzerland during World War II.

Only give priority like that to the navy if you're an island, or are allied with all of your neighbours. The army will usually need the most raw manpower, with even a strong navy and air force using about a third of your total manpower combined.

Also, with a 5% military and a population of 18 million, you have a maximum of 900,000 men in your entire armed forces.

Only give priority like that to the navy if you're an island, or are allied with all of your neighbours. The army will usually need the most raw manpower, with even a strong navy and air force using about a third of your total manpower combined.

Also, with a 5% military and a population of 18 million, you have a maximum of 900,000 men in your entire armed forces.

Shoulfd I change my numbers then? Also, I think I could go with a 6 or 7% (highest?) military, correct? I would like the highest number I could afford if possible.

5% is an economically stable number. Higher will be damaging, like with North Korea.

5% is an economically stable number. Higher will be damaging, like with North Korea.

I don't want that to happen, so I will keep it at 5%. Thank you for your assistance.