With millions of dollars invested in the army every year and soldiers constantly being recruited, the army or military forces of a country are quite expensive and difficult to maintain. Recently there have also been conflicting views on whether a large scale army is needed by a nation at all. Countries like the US spend tons of money on their military, so much so in fact that their Military budget alone exceeds the next 20 countries with the highest military expenditure put together. In a perfect world no country will ever have to have these armies but the world we live in is far from perfect. Wars are always being raged and conflicts that need resolving always seem to arise and so, that brings us to the question, is an army essential to a country? It’s the question we will be answering today.
Protecting a nation and its interests:
Starting with the obvious, an army or military is required primarily to protect a nation’s interest and keep its borders safe. Without an army a country won’t have the means to defend itself from its enemies. From opposing nations to terror attacks an army is required to tackle any form of external threat that arises and also avoid future attacks through surveillance and constant monitoring of its borders to enforce a country’s security. During wars a country needs it’s forces to fight out there in the field. No country can go to war without armed forces in its arsenal and so an army becomes crucial in order for its citizens to be safe and secure in their own country.
Assisting the countries internally:
An army assists with various things such as providing security for the country’s leaders. Helping the police forces with problems that might too enormous for the police to handle. In case of riots or other internal disturbances, the army is called to bring back stability to the country. Any internal threats like Naxalites are also handled by the army. In times of political instability the army takes control and foresees the ruling of a country till stability can brought and proper leaders are put into place, until such a time the army makes sure that things don’t go out of hand.
Earning foreign exchange:
Not a lot of people know this but a country’s armed forces can help in gaining some revenue when they help other nations. This includes helping allies in times of war, sending armed forces when another countries asks for assistance. This has been seen with countries like Saudi Arabia paying the US for their help with security forces. This helps countries make a little revenue through their armed forces.
Helping out during disasters:
The army helps with humanitarian services during times of natural calamity such as earthquakes, floods, tsunamis and so on. They involve themselves in rescue operations and in helping citizens get back to safety. They also help people who are stuck in tricky situations during these disasters by air dropping supplies. The army also helps in searching for people who are lost during these disasters. It’s also the job of the army to alert citizens about eminent danger and in making sure the damage is contained as much as possible.
In short the army is like an insurance policy that we pay, even though there might not be any imminent danger. A country’s expenditure on the military is necessary to make sure that if there ever rises a scenario where a country needs to go to war then it has the means to do so. The army is also needed to keep the internal workings of a country stronger and make sure that things go smoothly. Though the expenditure is high, without an army a country is basically left unable to handle its issues which will only result in turmoil. Problems may not occur now, but the army is the safety net that a country needs just in case something goes wrong.
Also read: Importance of police
An army is also needed for keeping the borders safe and making sure that a country has the military power to make sure that its interests are still admitted. No country can just get its way in the world without a sizeable enough military. An army also gives the citizens a peace of mind knowing that there are people out there that are keeping them safe. These reasons make it hard to for any country in the world to ditch their military forces as it would leave them entirely powerless, which no country wants.