"Why did Nicaragua need the fourth largest army on the planet while Ortega was in charge? {it was 2.5 million in a country of less than 7 million)"

2.5 million in a country of less than 7 million?????????????

Attribution, please. I find this difficult to believe.

As far as I know, no country in the most extreme circumstances has had more than about 10% of the population in military service. I would be surprised to find that 2.5 million out of 7 million ever did any military service at all, and they would not have been all servng at the same time.