Steve and Mack get into the legalities of militias, and they may not be what you think. They’re definitely more complicated.
REFERENCES
A bunch of farmers that run home to get their guns to come to the common defense against the Redcoats:
American Battlefield Trust. “Lexington and Concord.” https://www.battlefields.org/learn/revolutionary-war/battles/lexington-and-concord
Even though we have selective service:
Selective Service System. “About Selective Service.” https://www.sss.gov/about/
We haven’t had the draft be active for a while:
Selective Service System. “Return to the Draft.” https://www.sss.gov/about/return-to-draft/
As refenced in the Second Amendment:
Constitution Annotated. “Second Amendment.” Congress.gov. https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-2/
Appropriations are a bit of a bureaucratic rabbit hole, but the following gives a nice overview. In it, they use the specific examples of the Army being a multi-year appropriation (specifically, 2 years) and the Navy being a no-year appropriation:
Aherne, Drew C. “Appropriations Duration of Availability: One-Year, Multi-Year, and No-Year Funds.” June 7, 2024. Congress.gov. https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R48087
It’s totally legit:
America’s Navy. “Riverine Command Boat.” Updated October 14, 2021. https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2171638/riverine-command-boat/
We’re talking about the Barbary pirates:
Office of the Historian. “Barbary Wars, 1801–1805 and 1815–1816.” https://history.state.gov/milestones/1801-1829/barbary-wars
The Panama Canal, when Roosevelt sent warships (not armies):
Office of the Historian. “Building the Panama Canal, 1903–1914.” https://history.state.gov/milestones/1899-1913/panama-canal
Since Mack has let us down, here is a discussion about why the founding fathers didn’t want a standing army:
Mulligan, Steve P. “The Army Clause, Part 1: Overview and Historical Background” July 22, 2024. Congress.gov. https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/LSB11204
The subjugation of Ukraine is a long, sad history. Steve has a point that Stalin rather effectively oppressed the populace by land-based means:
Kiger, Patrick J. “How Joseph Stalin Starved Millions in the Ukrainian Famine.” Updated April 15, 2025. History.com https://www.history.com/articles/ukrainian-famine-stalin
But Anne and Mack have a point that you really can’t discount the role of the Black Sea in the situation:
Satanovskii, Sergei. “Why the Black Sea is so important to Russia and Ukraine.” March 28, 2025. DW. https://www.dw.com/en/why-the-black-sea-is-so-important-to-russia-and-ukraine/a-72048886
When the Marines were created:
Marines. “Brief History of the Corp.” https://www.usmcu.edu/Research/Marine-Corps-History-Division/Brief-Histories/
The first documented use of armed forces was in 1572 (calm down, Steve):
Merriam-Webster.com. “Word History.” https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/armed%20forces#word-history
Again, appropriations are complicated, y’all. The short answer is no, the Air Force and the Space Force appropriations are not necessarily limited by 2 years. The Army is the only military branch that has a specific time limit because it is the only one where that time limit is established in the Constitution. For all other military matters (including some having to do with the Navy), Congress has the ability to establish whatever time limits they want when they create the appropriation. If you want to learn more about this topic, please see the previously referenced article and/or visit the office of the Comptroller. Here's an interesting history about the Comptroller:
Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller). “A Brief History of the Comptroller's Office [PDF].”
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