it is true that working for an army is an act that reinforces the legitimacy and structures of the State, but only to the degree that working for a company reinforces the power of capital. which it does. the nuance is in which company, or which army.

there is absolutely zero circumstances where it is legitimate to work for the police, since the police is 100% an apparatus of oppression and does nothing else. with armies, it depends on what the army in question is doing.

the big question in contemporary Euro anarchism are the many comrades who joined the Ukrainian army. by and large Western European anarchists ostracise them, while Eastern European anarchists support them. I'm with the Eastern Europeans on this, as with about every other topic of contention between these two groups.

all the Ukrainian army does right now is to fight the Russian invaders, which is not just a legitimate use of force but a moral duty. moreover, in the context of the Anti-Authoritarian Brigades, working with the Ukrainian army was the only viable way to have resources and structure to put up meaningful resistance. many German anarchists I know have said that the solution would be to fight independently. this is a position of such mind-boggling privilege ignorance that I do not know even how to react to it. one wonders why aren't the German anarchists forming squads to dress in black bloc and go throw molotovs at Russian tanks then. people who say this have never faced an enemy and don't really understand the difference between "bad person" and "enemy", don't know what is it like to have an enemy. it is useless to argue with them.

the same ethical guidelines towards combat allyship applies to other forms of non-anarchist armed resistance, besides State armies. besides Ukraine, there are currently anarchists who have voluntereed in Chiapas, Rojava, Myanmar, Gaza, and with insurrectionary forces like the PKK. historically anarchists have answered even to calls-to-arms by the Communists like the Brigadas Internacionales, and helped fight the Axis in many ways—anything to put bullets into fascists. this is all laudable and worthy emulating. you don't have to approve of the politics or endorse the worldview of a resistance group to side with them against their oppressor. see Malatesta, "War and the Anarchists" for a classical ethical argument.

it is obviously unethical to aid an oppressor army like the USA military in any way or capacity, including with so-called "non-combat" roles. everything is combat. prison or death is preferable to aiding such an army.

in general an anarchist who joins an army must be prepared to disobey any unethical orders (and not just "illegal" orders), whatever the costs, up to and including military prison or execution by disgruntled officers on the field. if you are not prepared to take an ethical stand no matter the cost, you have no business pointing a gun at people.

a murky case is armies who are currently doing fuck all, like the Bundeswehr. all things considered it's best not to join them without reason. one factor in consideration is what the army is likely to do; fighting Putinism, in this case, which is a good thing. but say the AfD finishes seizing power or escalates tensions with Poland, then you'd have to quit.

a valid and very good reason to join an inactive army like the Bundeswehr is to get access to combat training, weapons, explosives, contacts etc. you can then share all the knowledge and resources with comrades. this is best done by people who are sociable and good at con artistry, at infiltration roles and juggling around multiple identities. remember, you're not there to become a supersoldier, you're there to loot stuff without arising suspicion. be mindful that many fascists do the same and facists are generally more involved with mil scenes, one weapons deal proposal with the wrong person and you might meet the morning with ants in your mouth (as we say in my country).

it is obviously preferable to start our own militias than joining any sort of State army. it is less difficult than us middle-class nerds make it out to be and we have no excuse, really. fascists do it all the time. good people too, the Kurds did it under poverty conditions, while being attacked on all sides by Assadists, Iranian caliphate, AKP fascists and ISIS. the EZLN pulled it out starting with 6 guys in the jungle and is still holding territory.

Ukrainian anarchists have lamented that when the Russians invaded all they had was vegan recipes, punk poetry, and experience with punching nazis; while the fascists had an armed militia ready to conscript defenders. we are currently in the same situation as 2010s Ukrainian anarchists.

working in a State army will tug at your soul; one must stay involved with the general anarchist movement to have people to call you out when necessary.