Atlas Trail
How Nations Brought Their Services Under One Defence Force
A national armed force is more than an army: it is a way a state chooses to join land, sea and air power under civilian command. These ten forces run from the French and Spanish royal armies of the fifteenth century through the independence-era forces of Latin America and Egypt to the unified commands of the twentieth century. Read in order, they show how separate services, reserves and gendarmeries were gathered under one structure, and how each country drew the lines differently.
Stop 1 of 10.
Armed Forces and Units
The infobox dates the French Armed Forces to 26 May 1445. Today they consist of four branches, the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force and the National Gendarmerie, with the National Guard as the reserve, and the president is commander-in-chief. Counting the Gendarmerie, military manpower is about 462,000.
Stop 2 of 10.
Armed Forces and Units
The infobox dates the Spanish Armed Forces to 20 January 1479. The 1978 Constitution gives them the task of guaranteeing the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Spain, and they now comprise the Army, the Air and Space Force, the Navy, the Royal Guard and the Military Emergencies Unit. Spain claims the oldest Marine Infantry in the world.
Stop 3 of 10.
Armed Forces and Units
The infobox dates the Argentine Armed Forces to 29 May 1810. Beyond the Army, Navy and Air Force, two security forces under the Ministry of Security, the National Gendarmerie and the Naval Prefecture, can be mobilized in an armed conflict, a way of drawing the line between defence and policing.
Stop 4 of 10.
Armed Forces and Units
Egypt dates its modern forces to 1820, when Muhammad Ali built a centralized, European-style standing army. After the 1952 revolution led by the Free Officers the armed forces moved to the center of government, and the Chief of Staff now directs the army, navy, air force and air defense forces.
Stop 5 of 10.
Armed Forces and Units
After independence in 1821 the Mexican military played an important political role, with army generals serving as heads of state. The force is organized as two independent branches, the Army, which includes the Air Force and the National Guard, and the Navy, controlled by two separate departments with independent chains of command.
Stop 6 of 10.
Armed Forces and Units
The Finnish Defence Forces date from 25 January 1918 and rest on universal male conscription, with service of 165, 255 or 347 days. Wartime strength is set at 280,000, the Border Guard joins them in war, and the Air Force became a fully independent fighting force only in 1928.
Stop 7 of 10.
Armed Forces and Units
The Turkish Armed Forces date from 3 May 1920 and grew out of the Ottoman collapse during the War of Independence. They consist of Land Forces, Naval Forces and Air Forces under a Chief of the General Staff, about 481,000 active personnel as of 2024, and the second-largest standing military in NATO after the United States.
Stop 8 of 10.
Armed Forces and Units
The US Armed Forces trace the Continental Army to 14 June 1775. Federal law establishes six services, the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard. The National Security Act of 1947 created the Department of Defense and the Air Force, and the Space Force followed in 2019.
Stop 9 of 10.
Armed Forces and Units
The current Canadian Armed Forces date from 1 February 1968, when the three services were merged into one unified structure. In 2011 the elemental commands took back their historical names, the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and Royal Canadian Air Force, while the unified structure stayed. The force has about 100,000 personnel.
Stop 10 of 10.
Armed Forces and Units
The services in Australia began as separate organisations with independent chains of command. In 1976 the government established the Australian Defence Force to place the Navy, Army and Air Force under a single headquarters, and integration has increased since. It has just over 90,000 personnel.
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