popa, that question you asked Avi K gets in to another area – Rambam’s and other’s discussion of what constitutes a milchemes mitzvah, what constitutes a milchemes reshus, and what a milchemes chovah, as it is described in the rishonim
No, there are far more important preliminary questions before that: What is a melech? What is a jewish state?
I don’t know whether there is a mitzva or not to be in the army. But I do know that citing that particular Rambam for it, without at least explicitly assuming the other premises, is some good blazing am haaratzus, of the kind I’ve come to expect.
This guy would have us fighting with the hellenists against mattisyahu and call it a mitzva.