United States of Earl wrote:How do you calculate the size of your nations miliatry?
That's something you can't calculate, as it relies on a lot of factors which are quite subjective. However, first I'd like to answer the person below.
While this is an oft cited rule of thumb, this is incorrect. 10% of your nation's population in the standing army is an insane percentage. North Korea sits at 4.7% of its population in the armed forces, and you can see the state their nation is in. 10% is an 'Enemy at the Gate, Germany in mid 1945' level of militarisation. It's the last act of desperation of a state that has almost lost. Most advanced developed nations hover below 1% of their population militarised. You need to remember that every person in the military is a drag on the economy. Every soldier is a citizen not working in a shop, factory, or office, and being paid by the government instead of paying taxes to the government. Every dollar spent on tanks, guns, and planes is a dollar not spent on infrastructure, administration, or left in the pocket of its citizens. At a certain level, this drag is worthwhile, as having a defence force is useful, but you don't want to go too big, as that is a road to ruin.
Now, how big should your military be? How big a military do you need? What is your nation's geopolitical position? What are its main strategic goals? What is the population like? How willing are they to sacrifice in the name of national security and defence? A nation surrounded by hostile powerful nations with no natural borders will need a larger military than a nation with well defined borders, surrounded by weak friendly nations. A nation who sees its strategic priorities as projecting power across oceans, will need more troops than one only concerned with home defence. A nation whose population views death in war as glorious will be willing to support more militarisation than a pacifist culture.
It's improper to ask how many troops you have. Instead, figure out how many troops you need/can support, and work from there.