When it comes to the battlefield,
many people think that they could be well suited for
a military life and even remain unswayed in all situations.
But being a qualified soldier is hard work mentally,
physically and emotionally. But every soldier is different,
and not all military units worldwide are made from the
right stuff,
so to speak. For whatever reason,
maybe these united forces are just having a bad day
or just having a little fun.
The truth is, these soldiers are also humans,
and even if it's embarrassing,
they need our support. Here are fifteen of the most
embarrassing armies in the world
#15 Australia's Emu War. It was a different time and
a different place,
but Australia has come a long way since the famous
Emu War of
1932, especially in the conservation and protection of the nation's
wildlife.
But Australia's farmer livelihood was being threatened by gangs of
emus,
and like the American Wild West,
these Audis ganged up and got guns,
machine guns, and they filmed it.
The very great real Emu War of
WA soldiers with machine guns were deployed to fight off
the flightless birds.
Emus aren't just any bird,
however. Emus can dash away at nearly 30 miles an
hour and if cornered they kick.
The toe claws of one of these animals are capable
of eviscerating animals under the right conditions.
But back then, Western Australian farmers had to protect their
crops following the Great Depression and the 20,000 emus migrating
inland during breeding season were destroying their yields.
The government deployed ex soldiers from the First World War
and the soldiers requested the use of machine guns,
but the bird prevailed in the end.
Although the machine guns may have seemed like the best
idea at the time,
emus remain plentiful in Australia to this day.
Now let's get ready for today's open discussion.
This image has become a popular meme and throwing shade
at military units around the globe.
It's meant to imply that the soldiers might not be
skilled enough to properly protect the nation they serve.
Maybe it's also a sly dig at the brains behind
the brown and meant to irritate the powers that be.
It's many things. Out of real military context.
We could be looking at a parade or celebration or
maybe even performance art with a military theme.
Perhaps these soldiers wearing fighter jets is the latest fashion
trend disrupting the runaways of fashion houses around the globe.
It's tough to say. It would make a pretty cool
Halloween costume,
though. What do you think?
Comment below using the hashtag Open Discussion.
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#14 North Korea. Although a powerful force in global politics
and military warfare,
North Korea has an unusual approach to showcasing their military
prowess.
The nation under Kim Jong Un rule loves to put
on the show.
The government likes to pull out all the stops,
the marching bands, the colorful flags and the devoted revelers
with all the precision of an Olympic opening ceremony.
Here, nuclear and missile on display are used to taunt
new world leaders.
They want the rest of the world to know that
the country's main nuclear complex shows continued activity.
So why not parade the missiles down the Boulevard for
all the world to see?
Everybody loves a parade, right?
But despite an impressive military presence,
unfortunately the dictator keeps losing soldiers.
So Kim Jong Un launched a serious investigation into his
own military.
Someone escaped into South Korea unnoticed.
A huge no no. Calling for more control and discipline
within the ranks,
the North Korean dictator has tightened security in recent years
and less and less N Koreans are successfully escaping the
country.
It does not always work,
however. But you can't blame someone for trying
#13 the crazy Cornfield bomber.
What is it about cornfields?
From horror movies to alien crop circles,
they seem to attract trouble,
and this has to be one of the strangest events
to ever involve a cornfield.
This aviation mishap, known as the Cornfield Bomber,
ended happily in February of 1970,
but disaster was barely averted.
3F1 O 6D Darts took off from an Air Force
Base near Great Falls in Montana on a routine training
flight.
One of the planes piloted by Captain Gary Faust entered
into a flat spin.
Not good. This is when an aircraft stars and loses
major altitude while spinning.
Total loss of control and no amount of spin recovery
training was going to save the bomber.
And at the last minute when the airport dropped below
15,000 feet, Faust decided it was time to abandon ship.
The pilot ejected from the plane.
You not believe what happened next once Gary ejected from
the plane?
The weight reduction plus change in center of gravity caused
by the pilots ejection.
Add on the blast force of his seat rocketing out
of the plane and the nose of the bomber took
a dip.
Unbelievably, this changed the dynamics of the falling aircraft and
it miraculously recovered the flight path.
Sort of. From his parachute.
He watched incredulously as the now pilotless aircraft glided down
to a halt on a wheat field
#12 Britain's inflatable army. During the historic global conflict known
as World War 2,
skirmishes between enemies were fought on land,
sea and air. But this division of the US military
did something very unique.
They were known as the
23rd Headquarters Special Troops, AKA Ghost Army,
and forged together in battle.
There were artists, audio experts and specialized officers in the
top secret unit.
Trained in the art of deception,
the Ghost Army Battalion fought not with bullets,
but with the power of theater.
Dim the lights, sound the orchestra.
Cue the explosions. Now, it wasn't like an actual stage
production.
However, they combined various stage techniques using fake craft,
inflatable versions of military vehicles,
fabricated military markings, sound effects,
even radio transmissions that were completely bogus on the battlefield.
To deceive the enemy, they used a strategy combination of
science and art.
The Ghost Army successfully executed over 20 missions between
1944 and 1945. Their efforts saved the lives of thousands
of Allied soldiers and in true top Secret Fashion,
the Ghost Army's existence was kept secret for more than
40 years after the war's end and remained officially classified
until the mid 1990s.
Number 11 Portuguese naval fail
As technology advances, more and more drones seem to be
popping up everywhere.
Online retailers have plans to use unmanned drones to deliver
customer orders,
while Internet providers are considering using drones to provide service
to areas where there is little or no access.
And leaders around the world are very interested in showing
off how much they have embraced drone technology.
The Portuguese media as well as
Portugal's defense minister gathered in Spain for the launch of
the latest naval drone.
And as you can see,
the launch was not a success.
The masked military personnel tried their best,
but this drone was not going to take off.
He moves towards the water and tosses the drone towards
the sky like it was a paper airplane.
The drone immediately nose dives into the sea.
Splash. Could it be the fact that the drone looks
more like a toy than a drone?
Or perhaps they should have designed the drone to take
off on its own?
The worldwide embarrassment after the incident took the world by
storm,
and soon after the official comment on the flubbed drone
launch placed the blame on the masked person,
not the shoddy design. They should have a few more
test runs
#10 Tajikistan's ramshackle army. In some countries,
it's mandatory for its citizens to enroll in the military.
Typically, it's only the males,
and service to the country can last one to two
years.
But some nations around the world are desperate for soldiers.
And Tajikistan, a country in Central Asia close to Afghanistan
and China.
The government has gone to questionable levels to recruit soldiers.
All young men between the ages of 18 and 27
must serve.
Unfortunately, many of the men who live there don't want
to be in the military and haven't responded to the
summons to fulfill their military service.
So Army recruiters have regularly resorted to kidnapping young men
and forcing them to fulfill their mandatory military service.
And the use of violence is not beyond the realm
of recruiters tactics.
Men are forced against their will,
despite their loved ones objections to obey.
Young men know that their military service means terrible living
conditions,
routine beatings, humiliation and being robbed by superiors.
So obviously they don't want to enlist.
But because these men's families are often poor,
there is little they can do to effect change.
According to human rights activists,
it's illegal under Tajik law.
On top of that, at the end of their service,
these men don't get any sort of benefits at all
#9 Russian inflatable trickery. It's a well known fact that
sometimes you have to be creative when sending a message.
You know, fake it till you make it sometimes.
Perhaps that thinking was behind this decision to make inflatable
versions of powerful military vehicles and airplanes in a hilarious
attempt to trick the West.
Russian authorities thought that blow up versions of tanks,
fighter jets, and missiles would believably convince the world that
their superpowers as a nation were unmatched.
Plus, it's way cheaper than the real thing.
But these blow up dogs are decoys that appear like
lifelike from as close as 300 yards away.
The inflatable military convoy can also pop up and then
vanish in mere minutes.
The ultimate and soft power.
When Russia insulates its military operations with the methods like
this,
it's referred to in Russian as Moskitovka or masking.
It's meant to keep the enemy guessing and never revealing
Russia's true intentions.
Regardless, the inflatable military presence is quite impressive and really
well made.
So if they don't end up amping up Russia's appearance
as a military superpower,
these blow up war toys could also be used in
military training exercises.
They look amazing in a parade or perhaps used in
a movie,
and they could also be the ultimate in real time
cosplay gaming.
Just saying. Russia
#8 Spanish sub debacle. This is going to be a
valuable lesson for all students out there,
especially those of you studying math.
Decimal points matter. The scenario is as follows.
The Spanish Navy was in the news yet again with
a botched submarine issue.
The original design of this sub from a Spanish state
owned defense company was a
232 foot 2200 ton displacement vessel,
but what they got when it was completed was a
265 foot 3000 ton sub.
Quite a significant difference we'd say.
And guess what happened next?
Spain's new submarine cannot fit in its dock.
So not only was the original order not fulfilled,
now the Subs dock would have to be designed and
adapted to accommodate the error.
Although details are sketchy, apparently an incorrect decimal point in
the design stages is the culprit.
Easy mistake, right? The more serious this matter at hand
is,
the mistake was not the first problem with the doomed
Spanish sub.
In 2013 the Navy found out the sub was too
heavy and that caused a buoyancy problem,
so it needed a redesign.
The sub had to be lengthened to correct the issue
and now that the sub was longer,
the base would have to be dredged and reshaped to
accommodate the longer vessel.
The cost for each was doubled.
See, Decimals do matter
#7 Iceland's non existent army.
There's a certain mystique and quiet dignity that Iceland naturally
possesses.
On top of the astounding natural beauty of the nation,
they also approach life completely differently than people in the
rest of the world.
One major distinction that Iceland has is that they have
no army and no traditional military presence.
It said that Iceland's small population is the reason why
there's no army,
but if you look back,
Iceland hasn't shown any interest in establishing an army for
a long time.
During the Second World War,
the US took over Iceland's defense from the British,
and this arrangement continued for years.
In 1949, Iceland was a founding member of the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization and the sole member that did not
have a standing army.
Iceland would only sign the treaty on the condition that
they would not be expected to establish an army.
The bulk of national security of Iceland was therefore concentrated
primarily in the Icelandic Coast Guard.
They hold the Fort for Iceland to this day.
Iceland also has the national commissioners,
national security and special forces unit,
kind of like America's SWAT teams.
They're the only armed police in the land.
Number six Norways Penguin Platoon
Sir Niles Olaf the Penguin was given a promotion yet
again during a special ceremony at Edinburgh Zoo.
The King of Norway's guard made a special visit to
Scotland's Edinburgh Zoo in order to give the title of
Brigadier to the famous King Penguin.
Sir Niles Olaf, who you should know is already a
knight Penguin,
was knighted with the approval of King Harold the 5th
of Norway in
2008 because the aquatic bird is the mascot of his
guard.
And so Norwegian guardsmen visit the Penguins every few years
ever since his adoption as their mascot in
1972. And with every visit,
the king Penguin gets a new promotion.
The knighted Penguin was made a corporal in
1982, a Sergeant in 1987,
a regimental Sergeant major in
1993, honorable regimental Sergeant major in
2001, and Colonel and chief in
2005. Now you might be thinking,
this Penguin must be quite old,
but in fact there have been multiple knighted Penguins,
and the tradition of promoting the Ed bird has become
an integral part of Norways cultural fabric,
representing the close collaboration between Scotland and Norway.
As for the king Penguins Knighthood Niles was the first
Penguin to receive such an honor in the Norwegian army
#5 Venezuelan Civilian army. There are many countries whose militaries
face major shortages,
and that includes qualified soldiers.
So when Venezuela found itself in a tight situation,
the government made a surprising decision.
Many of its citizens had formed a civilian militia in
the form of protest against outside involvement in Venezuelan manners,
so the government brought them on board as part of
the country's military.
The People's Army now stands as a branch of the
armed forces alongside the Army,
Navy, Air Force, and National Guard.
In theory, this administrative change would vastly expand the armed
forces and is essential in keeping the current president in
power.
However, the addition to the countries military isn't particularly practical.
The militia has existed since
2008, yet its members do not have the same thorough
training as actual soldiers.
Still, this makeshift army has participated in military deployments,
protests, and with the help of their military intelligence,
there's been active reduction in uprisings.
The militia, created by late socialist leader Hugo Chavez,
has been embraced by the government officials and the Venezuelan
people.
Its members are often security guards at government offices,
hospitals, or train stations
#4 Endora's invisible army. Have you ever heard of Andorra?
It's one of the tiniest landlocked little countries tucked in
between France and Spain.
Kind of sounds like paradise,
right? It's invisible army guards Andorra.
Well, Andorra's army is more of a concept than an
actual physical military presence.
As far as defense goes,
Andorra has no army nor armed forces.
However, the Andorra government does not have to fret about
a war.
More than half of Andorra citizens would be willing to
fight an armed conflict for the country,
according to a national survey.
The percentage of citizens willing to fight in a war
in the latest survey would total over 40,000 troops.
Not too shabby, right? Unfortunately,
the civilian volunteers aren't trained in the art of war.
But still, the invisible army would only come to life
if the threat of war was imminent.
And during military defense is based on long standing signed
treaties with Spain and France.
So technically the small country has both countries to have
their back in a crisis situation.
There is however a small volunteer army for ceremonial purposes.
The present principality in Andorra was formed by a charter
in
1278 and is divided equally between Spain and France respectively.
Number three Russian missile fail
During a routine flex of military muscle,
a Russian Navy ship tried and failed to launch a
test cruise missile.
Then this happened and the missile fail went viral.
The Marshall, AKA Russia's upgraded military ship tried to launch
a test version of a trusted cruise missile,
but the missile was not having it.
From the get go. The struggle was real.
Almost immediately after launch the missile went on to a
uncontrolled spin and crashed.
The ship itself had a recent glow up.
However, the Marshall underwent repairs and an upgrade and was
converted into a multi purpose warship capable of fighting targets
on land and on the water.
The latest strike missile systems and the most advanced artillery
armament.
2 versatile ship borne launchers for missiles and eventually for
hypersonic weapons to works.
Its firepower was by all accounts next level,
just not today. The rocket left the launcher rose in
a spin before crashing into the sea,
posing a major threat to the newly renovated Marshall.
As it hit the water,
you can see flames in the water close to the
boat.
Eventually, the missile burned out in the Pacific Ocean.
As the warships speed away
#2 Iraq's ghost soldiers. We've heard of invisible armies.
We've heard of inflatable ones.
They even let Penguins in the army.
But this is not what you think.
Iraq's army is very real and very powerful.
But recently, an investigation was launched into ghost soldiers.
And no, it's not an army of spirits in a
permanent state of unrest.
The investigation has revealed that there were 50,000 false names
on the payroll.
They either did not exist or no longer reported for
duty.
However, their salaries were still paid.
Smells like funny business at work.
Or maybe it's a clerical error.
Of the 50,000 names included soldiers who have deserted or
were killed,
were still collecting checks, several military officers at The significant
lack of soldiers as a result of the ghost soldier
situation has deeply impacted the performance of troops in battle.
Currently, it's thought that the salaries were siphoned off by
the corrupt officers,
and if it was indeed corruption,
it could be one of the reasons why Iraq has
struggled to contain militants.
Unfortunately, the US has spent billions of dollars trying to
build up the Iraqi army,
but security forces were caught by surprise by an IS
offensive last summer and lost huge swaths of territory in
northern and western Iraq
#1 Liechtenstein, located between Switzerland and Austria,
is one of the world's smallest nations.
Liechtenstein and this small German speaking nation has no military.
It has a small police force and one of the
lowest crime rates in the world.
However, during the Second World War it was officially neutral
and united with Switzerland because most of it wanted nothing
to do with the war,
and by 1943 it became a haven for many people
looking to escape the struggles of war.
Liechtenstein did, however, send a small group of soldiers to
serve in the World War One on behalf of Austria
Hungary,
and it's a funny story with various versions,
but it's the stuff of military legend.
The men of Liechtenstein's army were sent to guard a
pass between Austria and Italy.
There was really nothing to do.
There was no threat of war at the past they
guarded.
So the soldiers just relaxed in the beautiful mountains,
drinking wine and beer, smoking pipes and taking it easy.
And when the army marched back to the Liechtenstein capital,
they had one more man they had left with.
Who was this extra person?
Some versions have it that the Liechtensteiners were enjoying themselves
at the border and an Italian or Austrian soldier simply
joined the group and decided to stay.