To what new use did Augustus Caesar put the armed forces?

Answer 1

Augustus was a bad man in many people's opinions he wasn't that bad though, in faked the Romans were first to have concrete roads from him, and by the way the answer to this question is either protecting the empire or protecting the people

Answer 2

Augustus reduced the size of the army by more than a half (from 60 legions to 28). This was because the Roman army had become over-sized due to the men fighting in the civil wars which preceded his reign levying armies to fight these wars. He resettled the discharged soldiers in Italy and around the empire. He turned the Roman army into a standing army where soldiers served continuously for twenty years. He stationed the bulk of the legions in the frontier provinces to protect the borders of the empire. He created a military treasury (aerarium militare) donating 170 million sesterces for this treasury, which funded both military expenses, the pay of soldiers and the settlement of retired soldiers (who were entitles to a plot of land to farm). This ensured that the soldiers were paid by the state (instead of military commanders who levied the troops as before) and ensured the loyalty of the soldiers to their imperial paymaster. Augustus also instituted a state system of recruitment. He reconstituted the auxiliaries, troops of non-Romans which supported the Roman legions. There had been auxiliaries made up of Italic soldiers in the past, but this had been discontinued. The new auxiliaries were no longer Italic (who by then had been granted Roman citizenship and could join the Roman legions). They were recruited from non-Romans anywhere in the empire.

Answer 3

Augustus more than halved the size of the army, reducing it from 60 legions to 28.This was because many legions had been levied by the commanders who fought each other in the previous civil wars and the army had become too big. He settled the discharged soldiers in Roman colonies (settlements) around the empire under the already existing arrangement that on discharge form service, the soldiers were to receive grant of a plot of land to farm. He stationed most of the remaining legions in the frontier provinces of the empire and this turned the army into a standing force as the soldiers stayed where their legions were stationed throughout the length of their service. He increased the length of military service from 16 to 20 years. He created a military treasury to fund military expenditure and to pay the soldiers. This meant that the soldiers were paid by the emperor instead of the military commanders who levied troops as previously. This ensured the loyalty of the soldiers to the emperor.

Augustus also created the auxiliaries (auxilia). This was a military force recruited from the non-Romans of the empire. They received the same equipment and training as the Roman legions. Their role was to support the Roman legions. Some of their contingents provided troops in areas where the Roman legions were weak. They provided most of the cavalry. There were also specialised units: light cavalry from Numidia (In modern Algeria) and archers from Syria. The length of their service was 25 years instead of 20 and their pay was lower. They, too, received a grant of a plot of land on discharge and they were also granted Roman citizenship. The size of the auxilia force was the same as that of the legionary force.