France's limited commitment and protectorate ambitions

The French expedition is estimated at roughly 38,000 troops, with field forces often around 6,500. The comparison puts France's wider army at about 400,000 to 426,000 active soldiers and a possible 650,000 including trained reserves. These estimates exclude colonial forces and the Foreign Legion, strengthening the argument that Napoleon III had further resources available. He nevertheless sought an inexpensive intervention. In this interpretation, the intended outcome was a nominally Mexican state whose government protected French interests, approaching the position of a protectorate.