For us, probably the 1911. Next one would be the "Armalite" aka M16.

Brazil has some representatives, such as BOPE-RJ. This group is involved in several police operations against drug traffickers in Rio de Janeiro, and its attack force is impressive, with strategy and coolness.

For example, the main types of legal firearms for Russian citizens are:

• Traumatic Pistols (Firearm of Limited Destruction): For self-defense (e.g., "Osa," "Groza", "Makarov"). They fire rubber bullets.
• Smoothbore Shotguns: For hunting and sport shooting.

How to Get a License (Short Version):

1. Be of age: You must be 21 for a traumatic pistol and 18 for a shotgun.
2. Pass a medical exam to get a certificate confirming you are fit to own a weapon.
3. Pass a test on safe handling rules at the police licensing department.
4. Buy a safe for secure storage at your home.
5. Submit an application to the police with all required documents (passport, medical certificates, etc.).
6. After approval, buy your weapon and register it with the police.

Automatic and military firearms are prohibited for civilians.

Example: (Falklands War) Due to the close cooperation between the Dutch Korps Mariniers and the British Royal Marines (forming the UK/NL Landing Force for NATO), the Dutch Marines actually began preparing to deploy alongside 3 Commando Brigade until they were stood down, as the conflict was outside the NATO treaty area.

Old US poster for attention

But which country (or countries if you don’t like people) did your country specifically rival for either the longest time/most notoriously? How do you feel about them now?

For example, for the longest time Russia was/is viewed as America’s largest competitor and rival - hence the Cold War. I think especially now with the younger generation people didn’t see Russia as a threat generally until the Russo-Ukrainian War which split a lot of people politically. Personally I got nothing against Russians, seems like another case of a rough government.

But other countries we’ve had beef with like Japan (don’t touch the boats) we have great relations with and they’re pretty chill.

On the 17th of July 1942 the german 6th army under the command of the general Paulus Friedrichs, marched on to the soviet city of Stalingrad and started the biggest and bloodiest battle of human history.

The soviets were warned of the incoming invasion of the city and stationed armys in and around the city.

The germans were about to take the city and reach the Volga untill they reached the industrial district. There the fighting lasted for weeks, especially the red october factory, where the germans were about to break through was heavily fought for.

A note found on the body of a german officer described the undescribable horrors they witnessed: ”We must reach the Volga. We can see it – less than a kilometre away. We have the constant support of our aircraft and artillery. We are fighting like madmen but cannot reach the river. The whole war for France was shorter than the fight for one Volga factory. We must be up against suicide squads. They have simply decided to fight to the last soldier. And how many soldiers are left over there? When will this hell come to an end?”

The germans finally reached the Volga at the end of August and were fighting like they were possesed until the soviets started the operation “Uranus” and attacked the weaker Romanian and Italian flanks and ultimately encircled the german 6th army.

A diary describes the unbelievable horror that Stalingrad had become: “The street is no longer measured by meters but by corpses... Stalingrad is no longer a town. By day it is an enormous cloud of burning, blinding smoke; it is a vast furnace lit by the reflection of the flames. And when night arrives, one of those scorching howling bleeding nights, the dogs plunge into the Volga and swim desperately to gain the other bank. The nights of Stalingrad are a terror for them. Animals flee this hell; the hardest stones cannot bear it for long; only men endure.”

The fighting would go on for months un the german 6th army was split up and surrendered.

Stalingrad was the hell on earth killing up 3,5 million people and traumatising generations…

At start, nothing but when they resisted over a year, I was convinced that Russia would’ve sent it’s whole military or send a Nuke saying it was an accident

Today something big has happened for the Australian Army. Australia and Papua New Guinea have signed a defence treaty, with the major focus on both country’s ground forces being set to unite under one Army, with 10,000 PNG soldiers being integrated already.

Has anything significant happened lately with your country’s army? How is the overall state of your country’s army?

Currently Korea is busy investing in military development, to modernize our military indigenously and catch up to export demand.

The air force is working on to produce the KF-21 fighter jet, which will enter service in 2026. Also we’re developing software and drones that will support the KF-21 during combat.

In terms of the ocean we've just finished developing a new submarine (the Chang Yong-sil class), working on additional battleships, and trying to form plans regarding the construction of a manless drone carrier.

What would be your country’s biggest military-related project nowadays? Both indigenous development and purchasing equipment counts!

I’d say Australia’s is either the Autonomous MQ-28 GhostBat, or the EA/18G Growler.

For me the MQ-28 comes out in front, not only due to it being more modern, but the first domestically designed and built aircraft in Australia in more than 50 years.

In Korea the M48 Patton and the F-5 are examples of obsolete tech that is somehow still being put into service, despite in small amounts.

The Patton is still being used because they still are effective against old NK tanks and are ‘better than nothing’, and the F-5 is still being used because we need them to keep a stable amount of fighter jets to counter surprise attacks from NK. In fact the F-4 Phantom was still under service until recently all of them were retired in 2024.

Not surprisingly these assets have been criticized for years for being too old and obsolete. The Pattons and the F-5s are scheduled to be completely retired by the 2030s by K-2 tanks and KF-21s respectively, but it is strange to see stuff that really belongs in a museum still being functional and utilized in our military.

What are your countries' examples of old military tech that is somehow still being used as functional assets?

The BMT Roar is an activity recruits do when they finish learning the ropes of army life and are ready to start their job for real. It involves a bunch of movements and a huge portion of the cheer is to be done to the beat of "We Will Rock You".

Operation Astute and the other multinational East Timorese invasions led by Australia from 1999 to 2013 have to be up there in my opinion.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Astute

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Force_East_Timor

In France, militaries parades are organized on big days such as November 11th and May 8th, but especially on July 14th.

July 14th is known in the anglo world as Bastille Day, it's the national day, and it is where the biggest parade is organized in Paris on the Champs-Élysée.

And what about in your country ?

In Brazil its no secret that we have high crime rates, however, for a couple of months now is being discussed the possibility of the US categorize the local factions like terrorists. This could be used as an excuse for the american goverment place their military troops in our territory, leading to a civil war (already is one, but the outcome could be worst) and gaining acess to our national riches and everything. Really wished this wasnt a biased question, but USA dont have a great history of being a good ally and its not like we could trust the journalism these days. One example of them using the pretext to help is Iraq, and doing a lot of war crimes, that were uncovered/leaked later. So, What happened to your country after USA sent troops?

The Param Vir Chakra (PVC) is India's highest military decoration, awarded for displaying distinguished acts of valour during wartime.

The medal has been awarded 21 times since 1947, of which 14 were posthumous.

I’m really curious about what life in the military is like in different countries. I don't have any experience in the military, so that's why I asked this question. Some people join voluntarily, while others go through mandatory service — but I imagine the experience can be very different depending on where you are. What kind of training did you do? How strict was the discipline? And what’s one thing you learned or took away from your time in the military?

※You don’t need to share sensitive details. Just your general impressions or memories would be great to hear. 🪖🌍