Definition

Noun: A permanent, professional military force maintained by a state or nation during peacetime, consisting of paid, full-time soldiers who are ready for immediate deployment, as opposed to a militia or conscripted forces raised only during war.

Usage

The term "standing army" is used to describe a nation's permanent, professional military force. It emphasizes the continuous, ready state of the force. - The country maintains a large standing army to ensure its national security. - Historically, the creation of a professional standing army marked a shift from feudal levies. - Funding a modern standing army is a significant part of the national budget.

Advanced Usage

• Conceptual Use: The term is often used in political, historical, and strategic discussions about state power, military readiness, and fiscal policy.
  • Debates about the size of the standing army often center on the balance between security and liberty.
• Historical Context: It distinguishes modern professional forces from temporary, feudal, or conscripted armies.
  • The Roman Empire's legions are considered an early example of a standing army.

Variants and Related Words

• Army (n): The entire land-based military force of a nation, which may include its standing component.
• Regular Army (n): Often used synonymously with "standing army," referring to the permanent, professional corps of soldiers.
• Military (n): The broader armed forces of a nation, including army, navy, air force, etc.
• Militia (n): A military force raised from the civilian population, typically for emergency defense, in contrast to a standing army.

Synonyms

• Regular forces
• Professional army
• Permanent military force

Antonyms

• Militia
• Reserve force
• Conscript army (when raised only for a specific conflict)
• Levied troops

Related Phrases and Concepts

• Peacetime establishment: The authorized size and structure of the military when the country is not at war.
• Military-industrial complex: A concept often discussed in relation to the economic and political structures supporting a large standing army.
• Civil-military relations: The relationship between the state's civilian leadership and its professional military institution.

Noun

1. a permanent army of paid soldiers