25, titled "The Same Subject Continued: The Powers Necessary to the Common Defense Further Considered", is a political essay written by Alexander Hamilton and the twenty-fifth of The Federalist Papers.

25 to argue that standing armies are preferable to militias and that constitutional restrictions may be ignored if they are against the interest of the nation.

He says that if New York, for example, were attacked, it would be forced to provide all of its defense with no guarantee of support from other states.

Publius shifts back to the general importance of a national army that would remain standing even during times of peace.

Publius cites examples of governments that were forced to raise their own armies during peacetime due to unrest.

[3] This had been an issue when forming the national government under the Articles of Confederation, being a point of contention during the 1783 committee of which Hamilton was a member.

Here Hamilton had proposed a compromise of a small army totaling about 3,000 soldiers, supplemented by a part-time reserve force.

[3] His belief on the matter was influenced by the Revolutionary War, which he felt was not well-fought by the American militias.

[6] Hamilton warned that the United States was in a particularly vulnerable position because of its geography and that being "naked and defenseless" would invite hostility.

[6] Hamilton dismissed arguments that a standing army would enable tyranny by invoking the separation of powers that limited the executive's control over military affairs.

25 to explain that a constitution must not rule "counter to the necessities of society", as such provisions would likely be ignored by politicians when necessary.