When WW2 began, America had the 16th largest army in the world.
Not true with an all volunteer force.
We had to grow rapidly in 1941, and it did have a great impact on the economy.
Thanks for the post.
If putting people in the Army helped the economy, then you it would make sense now for the government to employ all the unemployed. Let's say we took 10 million unemployed people and put them in the army, or dig then fill ditches, and paid them $20k a year. We'd have to collect an additional 200 billion dollars in taxes from the people in the private sector. Every government employee, whether it is a bureaucrat in washington, a soldier, or an FDA inspector is a drain on the economy. Money that otherwise might have gone to producing something, is instead allocated by the government which is inherently inefficient.
btw, I am not an anarchist or a libertarian; I support strong armed forces, but recognize the cost to the economy.