A professional army inherits an unreformed command system

Rome fixed the army's manpower, equipment, and organization more thoroughly than its senior leadership. Elected aristocrats continued to compete for offices, glory, and influence through much the same political system that had placed Mallius and Caepio at odds. Earlier citizen soldiers did not march on Rome for Scipio Africanus when his rivals attacked him politically because they remained part of a broader civic system. Professional soldiers, meanwhile, came to rely on their general for continued service, land, citizenship, and veteran settlements. Defending the commander could therefore mean defending a soldier's entire livelihood and post-service future. The combination made later civil conflict more likely whenever central authority weakened, because a political rivalry could now mobilize troops whose loyalty was personal as well as institutional.