i've managed to find an answer to the age-old question : do we even need armies?

[peacefan]

while (as a true pacifist in mind and heart, but a very capable martial artist as well to keep the bullies at bay) i hate to see the need for wars, weapons dev, and armies, i do recognize that this world needs warriors at all times. in fact, we need only the best (i think). the volunteers. coz if we don't have armies, the evil space aliens might see us as rats that are tasty when just out of the shower and with our first radio signal now at (if i recall correctly) around 200 lightyears from Earth already, with our Galaxy a "mere" 100-thousand lightyears across (or in diameter? gotta check that again sometime)... that might well be a totally valid argument to keep competition wars going between countries to develop the technology stack with which to defend ourselves from evil space aliens.we'll need to join the Federation of Planets though

i hope this helps the war-weary.

 

[JoeMoma]

To most anyone that even has a superficial understanding of history understand the need for army/defense. When there is a vacuum of military strength, it's only a matter of time that one will be conquered.

 

[1srelluc]

But won't someone think of the cool parades!

 

[Mushroom]

But won't someone think of the cool parades!

And parades like that outside of returning from a war are not held in most nations. Only in the authoritarian nations {most especially the Marxist ones} are they a regular (almost annual) thing.

The Soviet Union, North Korea, China, Cuba, Iraq under Saddam, and many others. And the purpose is mostly to show off their might to their own population, to stop them from getting any ideas about going against the wishes of their Government.

 

[whitehall]

The Founding Fathers listed the duties of the federal government in two short sentences. "To provide for the common defense". "To promote the general welfare". It's still true.

 

[Litwin]

But won't someone think of the cool parades!

you know nothing about Bolshevik empire in 1945
The Bolshevik famine of 1946–1947 was a major famine in the Soviet Union that lasted from mid-1946 to the winter of 1947 to 1948. It was also the last major famine in Bolshevik history.[1]

The estimates of victim numbers vary, ranging from several hundred thousand to 2 million.[2]: xv  Recent estimates from historian Cormac Ó Gráda, show that 900,000 perished during the famine

Soviet famine of 1946–1947 - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Deadstick]

And parades like that outside of returning from a war are not held in most nations. Only in the authoritarian nations {most especially the Marxist ones} are they a regular (almost annual) thing.

The Soviet Union, North Korea, China, Cuba, Iraq under Saddam, and many others. And the purpose is mostly to show off their might to their own population, to stop them from getting any ideas about going against the wishes of their Government.

More of a warning to Imperialists like the US not to try anything.