History Main / MilitariesAreUseless

* In ''Film/{{Cloverfield}}'', a giant monster that possibly came from space invades New York City. The US Army fire tanks, guns, [=RPG=]s and even send a B2 Spirit Bomber to drop 80 bombs on the monster, whose tough skin renders their artillery inefficient except the viewer could interpret the monster is crying in pain from the firepower. And also the monster is riddled with parasitic lice that are hyper-aggressive and are man-sized which easily overwhelm the US Army. At the end, the US military drop a giant bomb on the monster and its impact remains unknown.

* [[ZigZagged Zig-Zagged]] in ''Fanfic/TheNewAgeOfMonsters''. As usual for kaiju stories, most regular weapons are next to useless against the kaiju. But in the sixty-six years since Godzilla's first attack against Tokyo, earth's military forces have been reorganized and are now equipped with maser cannons and similar technology. And while more powerful kaiju can still easily smash through them, they are capable of driving of and even capturing weaker ones like Zilla or Gorosaurus.
* ''Fanfic/MetalGearGreen'': The JSDF and various first nation armies have been shelved to the side due to their overreliance on heroes to such an extent that corruption and rampant gun trafficking occurs inside the armories. For one armory, the last inspection was ''sixty'' years ago, which combined with the MSF needing aircraft, naval ships and tanks, and the HPSC's desperation in getting rid of the MSF, means that the tracking of these weapons becomes immensely difficult, if not downright impossible. The Heroes brush off on the idea guns are more dangerous than Quirks, despite Ocelot warning that some of the weapons missing are ''anti-ship missiles'', capable of one-shotting a cruise ship or destroying a city block if a villain is creative enough.

* ''{{WebAnimation/RWBY}}'' heavily zigzags and [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstructs this with the Atlas Military led by General Ironwood.]] Their initial appearance in Volume 2 portrays them as a somewhat competent force who provides necessary aid to the huntsmen in training. However, it's also heavily implied to be a facade built on heavy doses of propaganda, General Ironwood's own incompetence as a leader and military figure, and [[NormalFishInATinyPond the lack of any actual standing military in Remnant's kingdoms to provide any genuine competition for.]] Their mass-produced Atlesian Knights are shown to be absolutely ''pitiful'' in a fight, needing half a dozen to take out the Grimm equivalent of a {{Mook}}, while being easily destroyed by a drunken Huntsman (Qrow Branwen) ''barehanded''. and their better automated forces like the Paladins are easily hacked into and turned against the heroes, leading to [[HeroWithBadPublicity Atlas developing a bad image in the aftermath of the Fall of Beacon.]] This only gets worse as the series progresses, with the military being heavily mismanaged and [[MightMakesRight resorting to mindless force and intimidation]] when it isn't necessary (or in many cases, actively detrimental), and Atlas being an authoritarian state that is so focused on trying to silence the citizens of Mantle that it leaves gaping holes in the city's defenses for Grimm to slip into. [[spoiler: And once they fight against a real threat in Salem's Grimm army in Volume 8, they're clearly losing badly with the Grimm having overrun Atlas' streets prior to the Kingdom's final fall.]]

* ''{{WebAnimation/RWBY}}'' heavily zigzags and [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstructs this with the Atlas Military led by General Ironwood.]] Their initial appearance in Volume 2 portrays them as a somewhat competent force who provides necessary aid to the huntsmen in training. However, it's also heavily implied to be a facade built on heavy doses of propaganda, General Ironwood's own incompetence as a leader and military figure, and [[NormalFishInATinyPond the lack of any actual standing military in Remnant's kingdoms to provide any genuine competition for.]] Their mass-produced Atlesian Knights are shown to be absolutely ''pitiful'' in a fight, needing half a dozen to take out the Grimm equivalent of a {{Mook}}, while being easily destroyed by a drunken Huntsman (Qrow Branwen) ''barehanded''. and their better automated forces like the Paladins are easily hacked into and turned against the heroes, leading to [[HeroWithBadPublicity Atlas developing a bad image in the aftermath of the Fall of Beacon.]] This becomes increasingly evident as the series progresses, with the military being heavily mismanaged and [[MightMakesRight resorting to mindless force and intimidation]] when it isn't necessary (or in many cases, actively detrimental), and Atlas being an authoritarian state that is so focused on trying to silence the citizens of Mantle that it leaves gaping holes in the city's defenses for Grimm to slip into. [[spoiler: And once they fight against a real threat in Salem's Grimm army in Volume 8, they're clearly losing badly with the Grimm having overrun Atlas' streets prior to the Kingdom's final fall.]]

* ''{{WebAnimation/RWBY}}'' heavily zigzags and [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstructs this with the Atlas Military led by General Ironwood.]] Their initial appearance in Volume 2 portrays them as a somewhat competent force who provides necessary aid to the huntsmen in training. However, it's also heavily implied to be a facade built on heavy doses of propaganda, General Ironwood's own incompetence as a leader and military figure, and [[NormalFishInATinyPond the lack of any actual standing military in Remnant's kingdoms to provide any genuine competition for.]] Their mass-produced Atlesian Knights are shown to be absolutely ''pitiful'' in a fight, needing half a dozen to take out the Grimm equivalent of a {{Mook}}, while being easily destroyed by a drunken Huntsman (Qrow Branwen) ''barehanded''. This becomes increasingly evident as the series progresses, with the military being heavily mismanaged and [[MightMakesRight resorting to mindless force and intimidation]] when it isn't necessary (or in many cases, actively detrimental), and Atlas being an authoritarian state that is so focused on trying to silence the citizens of Mantle that it leaves gaping holes in the city's defenses for Grimm to slip into. [[spoiler: And once they fight against a real threat in Salem's Grimm army in Volume 8, they're clearly losing badly with the Grimm having overrun Atlas' streets prior to the Kingdom's final fall.]]

* ''{{WebAnimation/RWBY}}'' heavily zigzags and [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstructs this with the Atlas Military led by General Ironwood.]] Their initial appearance in Volume 2 portrays them as a somewhat competent force who provides necessary aid to the huntsmen in training. However, it's also heavily implied to be a facade built on heavy doses of propaganda, General Ironwood's own incompetence as a leader and military figure, and [[NormalFishInATinyPond the lack of any actual standing military in Remnant's kingdoms to provide any genuine competition for.]] Their mass-produced Atlesian Knights are shown to be absolutely ''pitiful'' in a fight, needing half a dozen to take out the Grimm equivalent of a {{Mook}}, while being easily destroyed by a drunken Huntsman (Qrow Branwen) ''barehanded.''. This becomes increasingly evident as the series progresses, with the military being heavily mismanaged and resorting to mindless force and intimidation when it isn't necessary, and Atlas being an authoritarian state that is so focused on trying to silence the citizens of Mantle that it leaves gaping holes in the city's defenses for Grimm to slip into. [[spoiler: And once they fight against a real threat in Salem's Grimm army in Volume 8, they're clearly losing badly with the Grimm having overrun Atlas' streets prior to the Kingdom's final fall.]]

* ''{{WebAnimation/RWBY}}'' heavily zigzags and [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstructs this with the Atlas Military led by General Ironwood.]] Their initial appearance in Volume 2 portrays them as a somewhat competent force who provides necessary aid to the huntsmen in training. However, it's also heavily implied to be a facade built on heavy doses of propaganda, General Ironwood's own incompetence as a leader and military figure, and [[NormalFishInATinyPond the lack of any actual standing military in Remnant's kingdoms to provide any genuine competition for.]] Their mass-produced Atlesian Knights are shown to be absolutely ''pitiful'' in a fight, needing half a dozen to take out the Grimm equivalent of a Mook, while being easily destroyed by a drunken Huntsman (Qrow Branwen) ''barehanded.''. This becomes increasingly evident as the series progresses, with the military being heavily mismanaged and resorting to mindless force and intimidation when it isn't necessary, and Atlas being an authoritarian state that is so focused on trying to silence the citizens of Mantle that it leaves gaping holes in the city's defenses for Grimm to slip into. [[spoiler: And once they fight against a real threat in Salem's Grimm army in Volume 8, they're clearly losing badly with the Grimm having overrun Atlas' streets prior to the Kingdom's final fall.]]

* ''{{WebAnimation/RWBY}}'' heavily zigzags and [[Deconstruction deconstructs this with the Atlas Military led by General Ironwood.]] Their initial appearance in Volume 2 portrays them as a somewhat competent force who provides necessary aid to the huntsmen in training. However, it's also heavily implied to be a facade built on heavy doses of propaganda, General Ironwood's own incompetence as a leader and military figure, and [[NormalFishInATinyPond the lack of any actual standing military in Remnant's kingdoms to provide any genuine competition for.]] Their mass-produced Atlesian Knights are shown to be absolutely ''pitiful'' in a fight, needing half a dozen to take out the Grimm equivalent of a Mook, while being easily destroyed by a drunken Huntsman (Qrow Branwen) ''barehanded.''. This becomes increasingly evident as the series progresses, with the military being heavily mismanaged and resorting to mindless force and intimidation when it isn't necessary, and Atlas being an authoritarian state that is so focused on trying to silence the citizens of Mantle that it leaves gaping holes in the city's defenses for Grimm to slip into. [[spoiler: And once they fight against a real threat in Salem's Grimm army in Volume 8, they're clearly losing badly with the Grimm having overrun Atlas' streets prior to the Kingdom's final fall.]]

* ''Fanfic/MetalGearGreen'': The JSDF and various first nation armies have been shelved to the side due to their overreliance on heroes to such an extent that corruption and rampant gun trafficking occurs inside the armories. For one armory, the last inspection was ''sixty'' years ago, which combined with the MSF needing aircraft, naval ships and tanks, and the HPSC's desperation in getting rid of the MSF, means that the tracking of these weapons becomes immensely difficult, if not downright impossible. The Heroes brush off on the idea guns are more dangerous than Quirks, despite Ocelot warning that some of the weapons missing are ''anti-ship missiles'', capable of one-shotting a cruise ship or destroying a city block if a villain is created enough.

* In both ''Film/EscapeFromNewYork'' and ''Film/EscapeFromLA'', the special forces of the United States are completely incapable of recovering either the President or the MacGuffin stolen by the President's daughter, forcing them to send BoxedCrook Snake Plissken in to do the job[[note]]In New York it is justified when the search team arrives to the President's escape pod and encounter one of the Duke's goons, who present them [[FingerInTheMail with the President's recently-sliced off ring finger]] and the warning that if they are not in the air in the next thirty seconds and send any more teams, they will execute the President.[[/note]] This is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in L.A.:

* ''Anime/VoltesV'': Subverted. The military of Japan co-assists Voltes V into repelling the Boazanian Invasion and the daughter of the General is one of the CombiningMecha's five pilots. However, the Boazanians are a TechnologicallyAdvancedSpecies and naturally have higher-quality weapons and elite militia in comparision.

*** It's shown in the first game that their tanks explicitly lack the technological advancements and aerial capabilities of the Berman Empire's, which leaves them at an appropriately heavy disadvantage. It's part of why the children riding the Taranis refuse to sit around and wait for the army to take action, especially as [[ItsPersonal their friends and family have been taken away]] by the Bermans and they have no time to lose. Even so, the Gasco Army prepared for war in advance by putting many of their resources into fortifying Paresia and ensuring that it at the very least it was protected from the Berman invasion.

* The Franchise/StarFox team is usually required to pull the Cornerian Army out of trouble, and usually arrive late for the Corneria Defense Force (especially in ''VideoGame/StarFoxAssault'', when [[spoiler:they end up having to kill most of the [[PuppeteerParasite Aparoidified]] CDF soldiers left alive on Corneria)]].