Mormon concedes that having a people within the Nephite polity who would not/could not defend themselves was “a disadvantage” (v. 19), even though this view does not acknowledge the Ammonites’ participation in provisioning the army. Now that their sons had taken up arms, they were directly assisting in Zarahemla’s military defense.
These young men chose Helaman as their leader, even though we are familiar with him only as a religious man, rather than a military one. They probably selected him because he was their most trusted leader, a fact that, given their youthful minds, was more important than experience.
This army of two thousand young men would not be seasoned military men. They would know little or nothing of battle tactics and probably had no experience with weapons or even childhood war games, given their parents’ orientation. It is not clear where they even obtained weapons, though it is likely that other Nephites supplied them. They would certainly be obedient to their leaders’ instructions, but they would have no experience acting as a disciplined unit. Since this entire enterprise would require Yahweh’s blessing, it is not surprising that Helaman, a man of God, felt impelled to accept the command as a manifestation of his own faith in Yahweh and his concern for these children of such faithful converts.