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Since 1975, America has spent between 3 and 6 percent of its gross domestic product on national defense, or approximately 15 to 30 percent of each year's federal budget. How much does it cost the United States to maintain its armed forces? In World War II, 3,250,000 German and 1,507,000 Japanese soldiers, sailors, and pilots were killed, 16 times the 291,000 American servicemen who were killed. More than 600,000 North Korean and 1 million Chinese fighters died in the Korean War, almost 50 times the 33,000 American dead. Approximately 850,000 Vietcong died in the Vietnam War, 18 times the 47,000 U.S. The lowest figure would still be 10 times the number of Americans killed in the war. Estimates of Iraqi soldiers killed in the Gulf War range from 1,500 to 100,000. Americans and their allies typically cause 10 to 20 times more combat casualties than American forces suffer. It is difficult to measure how many enemy deaths American armed forces have inflicted. Including deaths from disease, accidents, and other factors, each war's total was much higher: approximately 116,000 died in World War I, 400,000 in World War II, 53,000 in the Korean War, 90,000 in Vietnam, and almost 400 in the Gulf War. In the twentieth century, approximately 53,000 Americans were killed in combat in World War I, 291,000 in World War II, 33,000 in the Korean War, 47,000 in Vietnam, and 148 in the Gulf War. Another 243,000 have died while wars were being fought, due to training accidents, injury, and disease. More than 650,000 Americans have been killed in combat. Approximately 1.3 million Americans serve in Reserve and National Guard branches that can be activated in time of war. The Air Force has approximately 365,000, and the Marines have approximately 175,000. The Navy has approximately 380,000 men and women on active duty. armed services includes 1.4 million people, with the Army making up almost 500,000 of that number. The Gulf War enjoyed similar levels of support. World War II support levels never fell below 77 percent, despite the prolonged and damaging nature of the conflict. The Korean and Vietnam Wars ended with support levels near 30 percent. As American casualties mount, support often decreases. It can be viewed as a contest between nations, a chance to compete and be declared the victor.īetween 65 and 85 percent of the American public will support a military action when it begins. War is often regarded by observers as honorable and noble. Mary Walker won the Medal of Honor during the Civil War. While fewer women are "natural killers," and women are on average smaller than men, there are many women who have the psychological makeup and the physical ability to fight. Fifteen percent (204,000) of American military personnel are female.Ĭan women fight as effectively as men do?

This is thought to be a reflection of culture and biology. Worldwide, 97 percent of today's military personnel are male. In America, sources of aggressive dispositions include domestic violence, the portrayal of violence in the media, threats from enemies, and combat training. However, aggression is a product of biology and environment. There is no single "war gene." Combinations of genes can predispose a person to violence. These included conflicts in Afghanistan, Algeria, Burundi, China, Colombia, the Congo, India, Indonesia, Israel, Iraq, Liberia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Somalia, Sudan, and Uganda. How many wars are taking place right now?Īt the beginning of 2003 there were 30 wars going on around the world.

Of the world's 20 largest militaries, 14 are in developing nations? India has 1.3 million, North Korea 1 million, and Russia 900,000.

China has the world's largest, with 2.4 million. The combined armed forces of the world have 21.3 million people. How many people around the world serve in the military?

The reduced birthrate during World War II is estimated to have caused a population deficit of more than 20 million people. War has several other effects on population, including decreasing the birthrate by taking men away from their wives. Estimates for the total number killed in wars throughout all of human history range from 150 million to 1 billion. Of the past 3,400 years, humans have been entirely at peace for 268 of them, or just 8 percent of recorded history.Īt least 108 million people were killed in wars in the twentieth century. War is defined as an active conflict that has claimed more than 1,000 lives.