---
entity_slug: standing_army
evaluator: null
evaluated_at: '2026-02-23T06:25:01.902346'
overall_score: 4.6
scores:
- name: definition_precision
  value: 5.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: 'The definition is highly precise and non-circular, clearly distinguishing
    standing armies from militia forces through specific criteria: permanent maintenance,
    professional soldiers, full-time service, and public funding. It captures a distinct
    military organizational concept with clear boundaries.'
- name: source_grounding
  value: 5.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: This entity is thoroughly grounded in Smith's actual text, as Book V,
    Chapter 1 extensively discusses the evolution from militia to standing armies
    and their economic implications. Smith explicitly analyzes standing armies as
    a necessary but expensive form of military organization in advanced societies.
- name: domain_placement
  value: 4.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: The "Regulation" domain is appropriate since standing armies represent
    state regulatory capacity and public expenditure decisions. However, it could
    also fit in a "Public Finance" or "Defense Economics" domain, as Smith treats
    it primarily as a fiscal and economic development issue.
- name: vsm_relevance
  value: 4.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: Standing armies map well to S1 (primary operations of defense) and S3
    (internal regulation/control of territory and population). They represent the
    state's operational capacity to maintain order and defend against external threats,
    which are core viable system functions.
- name: explanatory_value
  value: 5.0
  max_value: 5.0
  rationale: This entity provides significant explanatory power by illuminating the
    structural relationship between economic development, military specialization,
    and public finance. It reveals how advancing societies must trade militia flexibility
    for professional military effectiveness at considerable public expense.
---

# Evaluation: Standing Army

## definition_precision — 5.0 / 5.0

The definition is highly precise and non-circular, clearly distinguishing standing armies from militia forces through specific criteria: permanent maintenance, professional soldiers, full-time service, and public funding. It captures a distinct military organizational concept with clear boundaries.

## source_grounding — 5.0 / 5.0

This entity is thoroughly grounded in Smith's actual text, as Book V, Chapter 1 extensively discusses the evolution from militia to standing armies and their economic implications. Smith explicitly analyzes standing armies as a necessary but expensive form of military organization in advanced societies.

## domain_placement — 4.0 / 5.0

The "Regulation" domain is appropriate since standing armies represent state regulatory capacity and public expenditure decisions. However, it could also fit in a "Public Finance" or "Defense Economics" domain, as Smith treats it primarily as a fiscal and economic development issue.

## vsm_relevance — 4.0 / 5.0

Standing armies map well to S1 (primary operations of defense) and S3 (internal regulation/control of territory and population). They represent the state's operational capacity to maintain order and defend against external threats, which are core viable system functions.

## explanatory_value — 5.0 / 5.0

This entity provides significant explanatory power by illuminating the structural relationship between economic development, military specialization, and public finance. It reveals how advancing societies must trade militia flexibility for professional military effectiveness at considerable public expense.
