The mass conscription armies of the early 20th century were truly enormous, and survive today only in massively dictatorial states like Eritrea and North Korea or in democratic "fortress states" under extreme security pressure like Israel and South Korea. So for example, with about a sixth of the population of the US, South Korea has half as many tanks and and a larger combined active + reserve force. This is while spending a tenth of the US military budget.
This last figure illustrates the real character of the US military - it is an imperial/expeditionary force, with enormous amounts of cash spent both on maintaining an overseas presence and on the logistical capabilities required to deploy the remainder overseas on short notice. Most other countries build their militaries to fight in or near their own territories, and so get much more combat power per dollar.
This last figure illustrates the real character of the US military - it is an imperial/expeditionary force, with enormous amounts of cash spent both on maintaining an overseas presence and on the logistical capabilities required to deploy the remainder overseas on short notice. Most other countries build their militaries to fight in or near their own territories, and so get much more combat power per dollar.