Last time i was in Paris there were (what looked like) armed military on patrol through a park with long rifles. There was an major event in the country at the time but nothing going on in park that day. I'm not sure the military would ever fulfill that role in America outside of a federal or state declared emergency (maybe I'm wrong there). But in general, that's a role the police would be required to fulfill. You can setup a different kind of police force if you're willing to call in the military to patrol your own citizens on a regular basis.
I've been curious if this is something that's typical in Europe/France? Or maybe they weren't military but national police force. Personally I'd rather have armed police officers that, in theory, live in the area than having national security that could literally be flying in from 1000's of miles away.
I did not talk about Western Europe, sorry. I do not know much about that region. That said, we had military personnel here around Central-Eastern Europe during COVID-19, mostly assisting at the hospitals. That is all. It is their job. They do not want to be there either, but they had to. They are humans, too. They do not stand in your way at any point. Perhaps if you threaten to kill people or something, but they are not going to shoot you, at least that is definitely the least likely option in their mind, they do not want to do that.
There were not any conflict during that time either, for the record. Everyone was minding their own business. I do not fear military personnel either. I do think it was unnecessary, but perhaps they knew that we lacked the hospital workers who could assist with testing and so forth. They were not there to intimidate you and they never had the intention of harming you in any way. I know this because I have talked to many of them, and I have a family remember who worked for them, too. I do not fear the cops, either. I do fear the guards once you are in prison, but that is a different story. That said, I have seen inmates and cops having nice conversations with lots of laughter. They have to pass the time somehow, and humor is usually their tool to do that. They know the system is fucked anyways.
Maybe this is possible because our society is relatively stable. 40 murders per year in a large enough country is almost nothing, I would say. What gives this cohesion? Cultural differences? By the way, we are known to be hating each other and especially each other's success, yet... I would say that even thievery is uncommon around here, whatever the reason is. They usually do not get away with it anyway. There are at least 15 people who are currently on the run for thievery. That is a negligible amount. With the help of people, I believe they will find them, especially if the thieves are going to keep doing what they are doing.
They are military, and they've been patrolling the streets for years (10k soldiers). The stated aim is to help people feel safer from terrorism, and dissuade attackers.
I've been curious if this is something that's typical in Europe/France? Or maybe they weren't military but national police force. Personally I'd rather have armed police officers that, in theory, live in the area than having national security that could literally be flying in from 1000's of miles away.