1) defense
2) army to take down angry mobs
3) offensive army
4) security
A standing army is a "regular" Army, the number of Soldiers and equipment that are ready to go to war at very short notice.
Paraguay.
China
Costa Rica is the only Latin American country with no standing army.
china, withover 2 million
china, withover 2 million
In 1550 no European country (with the possible exception of the Ottoman Empire) had a standing ('permanent') army.
The Hispanic nation that was apparently the first to abolish the Army was Costa Rica. In 1949, the government began forbidding the country from having a standing Army.
It is the second most powerful country in the world and has the second largest standing army
If you're talking about just the standing army of regulars, it would be the Peoples Republic of China. However, Vietnam's armed forces, which are heavily reliant on paramilitary and other irregular forces, do outnumber the Chinese.
I would have to say a STANDING ARMY
NATO (the North Atlantic Treatise Organisation) is a collection of countries, mainly Britain and the U.S., that agreed to help each other against communism and terrorism.