# What's the next country likely to abolish its military? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 13, 2009, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-next-country-likely-to-abolish-its-military/517409 "2009-11-13T04:24:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-next-country-likely-to-abolish-its-military/517409/1 "2009-11-13T04:24:44Z")
> **[List of countries without armed forces](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_without_armed_forces)** > > This is a list of countries without armed forces. The term country here means sovereign states and not dependencies (e.g., Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Bermuda) whose defence is the responsibility of another country or an army alternative. The term armed forces refers to any government-sponsored defense used to further the domestic and foreign policies of their respective government. Some of the countries listed, such as Iceland and Monaco, have no standing armies but still have a non-poli... I have to think it’ll be somewhere in Western Europe. The risk of Russian invasion is very low; the cost of a modern military can be quite high. There will always be civilian leaders in small countries which have enjoyed decades of peace who will wonder, “Who needs these guys?” ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-next-country-likely-to-abolish-its-military/517409/2 "2009-11-13T04:38:42Z")
Israel and South Korea. I honestly have no idea. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-next-country-likely-to-abolish-its-military/517409/3 "2009-11-13T04:40:53Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > [List of sovereign states without armed forces - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_without_armed_forces) > > I have to think it’ll be somewhere in Western Europe. Most western European countries have relatively high per-capita military spending, its only by comparison to the US that they’re defense budgets look small. Plus I think NATO membership requires a military force, so they’d have to withdraw from those treaties to abandon their military. That said, Ireland is both a) going broke, b) not part of NATO, c) Not particularly easy or likely to be invaded anytime soon, d)already has a pretty small army, e) has several strong countries likely to aid in its defense. So they’re my (completely unresearched and uneducated) guess. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-next-country-likely-to-abolish-its-military/517409/4 "2009-11-13T05:09:24Z")
Modern states would be smart to adopt the Swiss model. Train people to be ready to serve as a defense force for their country and then let citizens keep rifles. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-next-country-likely-to-abolish-its-military/517409/5 "2009-11-13T05:11:56Z")
The Turks and Caicos, assuming they get absorbed by Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-next-country-likely-to-abolish-its-military/517409/6 "2009-11-13T05:28:59Z")
Western Europe won’t demilitarize unless it develops an independent European force - it has too many military commitments to give up its armed forces otherwise. Besides the difference between a low chance of Russian aggression and no chance of Russian aggression is a significant one. I’d pick Antigua and Barbuda. They’re a small country with a low population and no immediate enemies. Their military consists of only 245 people and is more of a police force/ceremonial unit. The Caribbean/Central American region is an area where demilitarization is most common. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-next-country-likely-to-abolish-its-military/517409/7 "2009-11-13T05:59:42Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > That said, Ireland is both a) going broke, b) not part of NATO, c) Not particularly easy or likely to be invaded anytime soon, d)already has a pretty small army, e) has several strong countries likely to aid in its defense. Iceland is part of NATO. See [NATO](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO). ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-next-country-likely-to-abolish-its-military/517409/8 "2009-11-13T06:05:52Z")
> [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](#): > > Iceland is part of NATO. See [NATO](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO). Indeed. However, the post referred to Ireland, which is not. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-next-country-likely-to-abolish-its-military/517409/9 "2009-11-13T06:26:17Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > The Turks and Caicos, assuming they get absorbed by Canada. Being a British overseas territory, I’m pretty sure they don’t have a military to abolish. ([According to the CIA](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/tk.html), “defense is the responsibility of the UK”.) ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-next-country-likely-to-abolish-its-military/517409/10 "2009-11-13T10:53:53Z")
Ireland. The rest of Europe, especially the UK, which has a province on the island, as well as a vested interest in not allowing an aggressor to use the island as a staging post, would protect them. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-next-country-likely-to-abolish-its-military/517409/11 "2009-11-13T10:56:48Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Modern states would be smart to adopt the Swiss model. Train people to be ready to serve as a defense force for their country and then let citizens keep rifles. /me gets the mental image of this happening in the US … First call out would be packed with gay guys who look like Bruno, squeeling and dropping their guns and running guys looking at the guns like they had never touched on in their lives…and about 5 dedicated hunters looking annoyed. Sorry, I really don’t have anything against gay guys, but with all the anti gun bullshit that goes on here I really can’t see this happening here. For what it is worth, I think that the NRA gun safety class should be a required course in high school, along with a basic first aid [not 'health class where you vaguely learn about sex ed and STDs] and a basic legal course [sort of like the intro to paralegal where you actually learn what the various court functions and functionaries are, legal rights, and so forth] ---
**Author:** ![Estilicon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Estilicon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Estilicon)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-next-country-likely-to-abolish-its-military/517409/12 "2009-11-13T10:57:55Z")
I hope Argentina. Our army is in such a sorry state that its serves no purpose at all. If you add that our neighbors (Brasil, Chile, Venezuela, Colombia, etc) are spending huge amounts in weapons I say our best hope is to claim the status of peace loving neutrals. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-next-country-likely-to-abolish-its-military/517409/13 "2009-11-13T13:57:51Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Modern states would be smart to adopt the Swiss model. Train people to be ready to serve as a defense force for their country and then let citizens keep rifles. It just wouldn’t work all that well. Switzerland’s a geographically unique case, and still maintains a well-equipped standing armed forces. Swiss citizens can’t drag an F-18 out of the closet, so the Swiss Air Force operates them. If all you have are citiens with rifles in the closet, you don’t really have a military at all. You have a potential insurgency, perhaps. ---
**Author:** ![Gymnopithys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/fbc32d/32.png) [@Gymnopithys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gymnopithys)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-next-country-likely-to-abolish-its-military/517409/14 "2009-11-13T15:41:54Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > It just wouldn’t work all that well. Switzerland’s a geographically unique case, and still maintains a well-equipped standing armed forces. Swiss citizens can’t drag an F-18 out of the closet, so the Swiss Air Force operates them. > > If all you have are citizens with rifles in the closet, you don’t really have a military at all. You have a potential insurgency, perhaps. I’m ready to join the insurgency. The government is about to approve a budget of 2 billion for new fighter jets (against whom ? - tell me). (Switzerland’s population is 7 million). Gymnopithys (Swiss) ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-next-country-likely-to-abolish-its-military/517409/15 "2009-11-13T15:46:05Z")
> [@Gymnopithys](#): > > I’m ready to join the insurgency. The government is about to approve a budget of 2 billion for new fighter jets (against whom ? - tell me). (Switzerland’s population is 7 million). Pity they don’t give one to every citizen along with their rifles. ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-next-country-likely-to-abolish-its-military/517409/16 "2009-11-13T16:16:27Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Indeed. However, the post referred to Ireland, which is not. :smack: ETA: In fairness, it’s the “going broke” that threw me off track. Well, that and the fact that both countries’ names are almost identical. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-next-country-likely-to-abolish-its-military/517409/17 "2009-11-13T16:26:28Z")
Iceland has an interesting entry on the wiki page: > [@](#): > > Has not had a standing army since 1869, but is a member of NATO. There was a defense agreement with the United States, which maintained an Iceland Defense Force and a military base in the country from 1951 to September 2006. Even though Iceland does not have a standing army, it still maintains a military expeditionary peacekeeping force, an air defense system, an extensive militarised coast guard, a police service, and a tactical police force. See Military of Iceland for more information. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-next-country-likely-to-abolish-its-military/517409/18 "2009-11-13T17:03:03Z")
> [@CaveMike](#): > > Iceland has an interesting entry on the wiki page: > > Quote: > Has not had a standing army since 1869, but is a member of NATO. There was a defense agreement with the United States, which maintained an Iceland Defense Force and a military base in the country from 1951 to September 2006. Even though Iceland does not have a standing army, it still maintains a military expeditionary peacekeeping force, an air defense system, an extensive militarised coast guard, a police service, and a tactical police force. See Military of Iceland for more information. Sounds like they have a military to me, but don’t want to call it a military. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-next-country-likely-to-abolish-its-military/517409/19 "2009-11-13T17:13:02Z")
> [@](#): > > Sounds like they have a military to me, but don’t want to call it a military. Other countries have used the same subterfuge. Haiti and Panama have no official military but they have large national police forces which are pretty much identical to what an army would be. ---
**Author:** ![pan1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e495f1/32.png) [@pan1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pan1)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2009, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-next-country-likely-to-abolish-its-military/517409/20 "2009-11-13T17:41:18Z")
Iceland has a military. They do not have an Army. They have Airforce, Navy and Coast Guard. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-next-country-likely-to-abolish-its-military/517409.md?page=2)