Because Vietnam showed that conscripting armies of that size was not an efficient way to fight a modern war. You want people, volunteers, who want to be in the army. Also technology. We’re close to that point in, like in Roman history, where the income of entire villages was only enough to field one Calvary soldier (knight.)

Not that we’re going towards feudalism but history has a cycle of armies going from a small force with a huge technology edge to a giant force with mundane tech. Even during the Roman Republic only the richest men could afford to fight.

During the early republic, only the richest could equipment themselves but my understanding is that the Marian reforms changed this by professionalizing the army and having the general of a legion supply the soldiers with their weapons.

Also, the thing about a village supporting one cavalry soldier seems off. The roman army focused on infantry with cavalry being supplied by allied forces.

Roman cavalry is often forgotten, but a considerable portion of social class all the way back to Roman Republic and I think pre-republic kingdom was existence of a class wealthy enough to fight as cavalry.

They were of course small compared to infantry legions, and as the Republic and later Empire expanded they frequently hired auxiliaries, especially from a more cavalry focused groups.

Sure, equites were an established social class but didn't that devolve to just a class without the training on horseback by the late republic and certainly by imperial rome. It seems like it made more sense for the imperial army to have auxilia handle cavalry, missile troops, and other functions.

>Also, the thing about a village supporting one cavalry soldier seems off. The roman army focused on infantry with cavalry being supplied by allied forces.

Also possible that they're thinking of the Roman Kingdom and the Equites?

> like in Roman history, where the income of entire villages was only enough to field one Calvary soldier

What an interesting data point.

It was not so easy back then as well. They had draft riots in New York City, which had to be suppressed by regular Union regiments. There were also deserters and bounty jumpers.

The South had trouble to support their armies. Lee basically planned the Gettysburg campaign to live of the land. Soldiers were happy because they had enough to eat. A lot of soldiers lacked shoes.