May 16, 2024
Size of Armies
Generally, throughout history, armies have always been composed of professionals,
a small percentage compared to the populations. Only in the last century, during
the World Wars, were there armies of tens of millions of conscripts.
Currently, the means are sophisticated, complex, expensive; so, only a few men
capable of using them are needed.
I would also add that heroism, the willingness to sacrifice, counts for little
compared to technology, and this became clear already in the Second World War:
the fact that the Japanese preferred to die rather than surrender did not save
them from defeat by the Americans, who were less heroic but more technologically
advanced.