After Kiev, the Red Army no longer outnumbered the Germans and there were no more directly available trained reserves.

Whenever necessary, Vanguard mobilizes a supplemental force of what it calls its Swiss army - several hundred trained reserves drawn from every company unit, including the executive suite.

This not only seriously undermined the morale of the white population, it was also gradually reducing the availability of trained reserves for the army and the police.

Miliutin pointed out that if 125,000 men were enlisted annually but required to serve for no more than seven or eight years, in seven years the country would possess a trained reserve of 750,000 men.

But most of all, universal service of two years provides the Soviet Army with a huge trained reserve to call upon in the event of war.

In August 1914 the Field Army mustered 117,000 with no trained reserves, all the remaining reserves being used to man the forts.

In contrast, volunteers from a trained reserve are in their civilian jobs when they are not deployed.

The long-term effect of this was to produce regiments with many experienced or veteran soldiers, but no trained reserves that could reinforce the regular army.

The Sandinista People's Army and the uniformed security forces include about 65,000 active-duty troops, backed by an extensive array of Soviet-made weapons and large trained reserves.

The Maavägi is structured according to the principle of a reserve force which means that the main part of the defence forces of the state are units in a trained reserve.