Population and percentage in military

[Enoki]

This is my take on the approximate number of persons a planet / system would have in military service. It's a rough guide for those doing larger scale campaigns and such within Traveller.

Peacetime with few or no threats: .001 to .05%
Peacetime with a potential threat: .01 to 1%
Peacetime with internal strife, guerrilla war, or a serious threat to peace .05 to 2%
Immediate threat of war (mobilization): 1 to 4%
Wartime, full mobilization: 3 to 10%

The percentages tend toward the lower end for larger populations (> 6), open / freer governments, and open economies. They tend towards the higher end for authoritarian (high law level of 9+), totalitarian governments, smaller populations (<6), and closed / centralized economies.

 

[aramis]

Full mobilization should hit up to about 25% for TL <8 pops under 100 k (pop UWP <=5); certain mobilizations of both Russia and the various British Cynygdoms (5-9th C) exceeded 50% of able bodied males. (I've not checked the details recently, but did so for Russia as classwork in college and post-roman Briton for game purposes...

With less gender restricted militaries, I'd not be surprised at all to see smaller places mobilize in excess of 30%.

Also worth noting - a lot of males during WW II were exempted from mobilizations due to the need for steel, ship yards, food, and fabric. WW2 shows peak USN at just over 3.4M, the total US Military at 12M, US pop 132M to 140M... and from 1940-1945, 8.9M draftees, of 45M registrants. Another 183K were drafted during 1946, technically after the war (but counted by the Veterans Voices artice) for the post-war occupation on both theaters. About 1/5 of total mobilizables. About 8.5% of the national population for a two front war almost entirely fought on foreign soil...

...That amost being Alaska, Guam, and Hawaii, all of which were territories at the time; Guam still is. Alaska was a trail of tears situation for the Unungan (Aleut) - the US Military forcibly evacuated them during the Aleutian Island campaign.

WW I, there was some exemption, but not as broad, nor was the draft as deep. US pop WW I about 100 M; US troops in WW I 4.7M, USN of 530K.. so right about 5%... but that was not actually a full mobilization. the US National Archives cites 24 million men eligible (registered with the US Selective Service boards) and just shy of 3 million are shown as having been inducted for WW I. that's just about 1 in 8.

Generally, lower tech populations, needing less industry per soldier, can mobilize more. I heard a new quote of 30% of Ukrainian men are mobilized recently; their support train is, however, leading to Europe and the US.

• https://www.history.navy.mil/resear...-alphabetically/u/usn-personnel-strength.html
• https://www.sss.gov/history-and-records/induction-statistics/
• https://www.archives.gov/research/military/ww1/draft-registration
• https://www.infoplease.com/us/military/active-duty-military-personnel-1940-20111
• https://veteran-voices.com/world-war-ii-selective-service-draft-registrations

 

[Condottiere]

You could also look at it in terms of manpower days.

Feudal conscription made everyone in the village eligible, or even towns, especially during sieges. For offensive operations, forty days between the farming seasons and winter, as I recall from primary school. I'm sure that scutage existed before King John, but he preferred it in lieu of service, to pay his mercenaries year round, and you could pay that in advance, or worse, multiple times.

Militia seems more something that happened during city states, and implied regular training, and going from what I remembered of the Prussian system, reserves could be divided into three age groups.

Hearts of Iron had an interesting manpower pool availability, depending on government policy (and desperation).

In the end, much like what's happening recently, it depends on logistics, how many troops you can support on the field; this can be subsidized with financial and materiel aid from an outside source.

You have examples like the Second Punic War, where the Roman military/militia may have required to be almost completely regenerated twice, and that militia spent far more time on campaign than was expected, potentially disrupting their society.

 

[aramis]

You could also look at it in terms of manpower days.

Feudal conscription made everyone in the village eligible, or even towns, especially during sieges. For offensive operations, forty days between the farming seasons and winter, as I recall from primary school. I'm sure that scutage existed before King John, but he preferred it in lieu of service, to pay his mercenaries year round, and you could pay that in advance, or worse, multiple times.

Militia seems more something that happened during city states, and implied regular training, and going from what I remembered of the Prussian system, reserves could be divided into three age groups.

Hearts of Iron had an interesting manpower pool availability, depending on government policy (and desperation).

In the end, much like what's happening recently, it depends on logistics, how many troops you can support on the field; this can be subsidized with financial and materiel aid from an outside source.

You have examples like the Second Punic War, where the Roman military/militia may have required to be almost completely regenerated twice, and that militia spent far more time on campaign than was expected, potentially disrupting their society.

In much of the dark ages in Britain, the 40 days was service away; every peasant had to work a portion of the lord's field as well, usually about 1 day a week (noting that Sunday and the once per one to two weeks religious feasts. The men at arms were only on campaign for 40 days, but their routine duties didn't involve the fields.

Thing is, most of the rabble weren't worth raising unless you're desperate, certainly not worth marching them to war.

 

[Condottiere]

I think it's geography, as well.

Mountain regions tend to produce rather tough fighters.

Government policy, such as the English mandating that all male youths practice archery on Sunday, rather than play football.

Feudalistic conscription was a transition, I think, because numbers counted when the other side had similar cannon fodder, and you only had a small core of trained soldiers and warriors on both sides. As I recall, it's the economic state of having a surplus to support specialists that allowed more professional soldiers to be maintained.

 

[Enoki]

The percentages I used are for the entire population as represented by the population number in the UPP.

As for conscription, anywhere from 10 to 40% of draftees would be rejected for service depending on how desperate the military was for manpower. Typically, about 1 in 3 draftees is rejected usually for either medical or mental conditions.

The US in WW 2 was given above. Total military manpower out of the population amounted to about 8 to 9%.

 

[Condottiere]

Which kickstarted public health policy in Great Britain, as they started getting concerned with the health and physical suitability of the manpower pool for conscription.

 

[Drew]

The percentages I used are for the entire population as represented by the population number in the UPP.

As for conscription, anywhere from 10 to 40% of draftees would be rejected for service depending on how desperate the military was for manpower. Typically, about 1 in 3 draftees is rejected usually for either medical or mental conditions.

The US in WW 2 was given above. Total military manpower out of the population amounted to about 8 to 9%.

In 1943, there was a statistical study done of rejections (http://alternatewars.com/BBOW/Stats/US_WW2_Draft_Stats.htm.) Of the males examined at the MEPS/Induction station, 362.9 out of 1000 were rejected. One of the reasons was the ramifications of dietary shortfalls and medical treatment during the Depression. Unfortunately, 1out of 2 Blacks were rejected (532.2). Whether or not prejudice was a factor, but it would appear that mental aptitude or low GT scores (304.5) barred many from service. Considering the majority were relegated to menial stevedore or transportation assignment, one could consider prejudice as a barrier.

 

[aramis]

The percentages I used are for the entire population as represented by the population number in the UPP.

As for conscription, anywhere from 10 to 40% of draftees would be rejected for service depending on how desperate the military was for manpower. Typically, about 1 in 3 draftees is rejected usually for either medical or mental conditions.

The US in WW 2 was given above. Total military manpower out of the population amounted to about 8 to 9%.

War industries exempted more than medical. Men in refining, textiles, and heavy industry (esp shipyards, aircraft factories, and jeep and tank manufacture), farm eldest 2 males....

 

[Condottiere]

Wunderwaffen, and more mundane ones, research, design and development, which is why a lot were willing to go along with the Fuhrer's visionary projects.

And of course, prisoners of war and forced labour, to substitute for drafted workers.

 

[Timerover51]

Wunderwaffen, and more mundane ones, research, design and development, which is why a lot were willing to go along with the Fuhrer's visionary projects.

And of course, prisoners of war and forced labour, to substitute for drafted workers.

Based on the experience of the British, prisoners of war were only about 40% as efficient as male workers when it came to production. Then there is also the problem of sabotage with them.

 

[Condottiere]

Going by Schindler, a lot of dud shells.

But I think it's dependent on the industry and treatment; I think the German and Italian prisoners participated in agriculture, and apparently the German ones during the Great War, that were interned in Japan, introduced a lot of cultural goods.

 

[BlackBat242]

The "exemption for 'war-critical industry'" hit the older of my Father's brothers despite his desire to serve.

In 1941 Elmer was a mechanic in western Kansas (Kendall area) - a decent amount of his business was going out to the surrounding farms to repair their plowing/planting/harvesting machinery.

By the time he had wrapped up the jobs he already had committed to and wrapped up his other matters, and reported to the local Draft Board, the local farmers had already gotten him declared "ineligible for induction due to 'war-critical industry' status".

They had told the Draft Board that "he is the only mechanic who will come to us to fix our stuff - and we can't bring them into town to the other mechanics without losing several days' production each time, so if you want food for the troops you will keep him here"!

 

[atpollard]

Also worth noting - a lot of males during WW II were exempted from mobilizations due to the need for steel, ship yards, food, and fabric.

My grandfather TRIED to enlist after Pearl Harbor and was refused because his job making “Bakelite” for Telephones was “vital” to National Defense. It turned out that Bakelite was needed to build the domes over radars on Night Fighters.

So with higher TLs will come more unexpected “essential technologies”.

 

[Condottiere]

The tail being a bit fatter and longer than most imagine.

 

[BackworldTraveller]

Or shorter...My father was exempt because he built submarines (then hovercraft); His brothers, because they were already Naval Officers!

 

[Drew]

The "exemption for 'war-critical industry'" hit the older of my Father's brothers despite his desire to serve.

In 1941 Elmer was a mechanic in western Kansas (Kendall area) - a decent amount of his business was going out to the surrounding farms to repair their plowing/planting/harvesting machinery.

By the time he had wrapped up the jobs he already had committed to and wrapped up his other matters, and reported to the local Draft Board, the local farmers had already gotten him declared "ineligible for induction due to 'war-critical industry' status".

They had told the Draft Board that "he is the only mechanic who will come to us to fix our stuff - and we can't bring them into town to the other mechanics without losing several days' production each time, so if you want food for the troops you will keep him here"!

The local draft board said that he was a farmer and to go drag the pool halls for their quota.

 

[atpollard]

Something to consider would be a world with universal mandatory service. There are countries were virtually EVERY adult is a “veteran” and provides a vast reserve from which the active military can draw. It would get too far into modern politics to discuss specifics (which would be both wrong and irrelevant), but I am sure that anyone can Google information for themselves on the old Cold War “Soviet Union” or the early years of modern “Israel” for some inspiration on what is possible.

There would be NOTHING to prevent 4 years (1 term) of mandatory military service in a Planetary Force on any world and it would certainly fit within the “spirit” of Classic Traveller as a variant of the “College” pre-enlistment rules that already exist.

 

[Spinward Flow]

There would be NOTHING to prevent 4 years (1 term) of mandatory military service in a Planetary Force on any world and it would certainly fit within the “spirit” of Classic Traveller as a variant of the “College” pre-enlistment rules that already exist.

LBB1 rule is that if you fail your choice of service enlistment roll you are obliged to submit to the draft and your service career is chosen for you randomly (1D6). You can then muster out after 1 term if you so choose (at age 22), assuming you don't roll a natural 12 on 2D6 (which requires a mandatory re-enlistment for another term).

LBB S1 1001 Characters contains numerous examples of 1 term characters as examples for different career possibilities. In fact, the very first Navy character is a 1 term character.

 

[Condottiere]

1. Not everyone is okay with getting conscripted, short of a national existential crisis.

2. Considering interstellar population sizes, not really necessary, and probably counter productive.