The Republican army of this period, like its earlier forebear, did not maintain standing or professional military forces, but levied them, by compulsory conscription, as required for each campaigning season and disbanded thereafter (although formations could be kept in being over winter during major wars). The standard levy was doubled during the Samnite Wars to 4 legions (2 per Consul), for a total of c. 18,000 Roman troops and 4 allied "alae" of similar size. Service in the legions was limited to property-owning Roman citizens, normally those known as "iuniores" (age 16–46). The army's senior officers, including its commanders-in-chief, the Roman Consuls, were all elected annually at the People's Assembly. Only "equites" (members of the Roman knightly order) were eligible to serve as senior officers. "Iuniores" of the highest social classes ("equites" and the First Class of commoners) provided the legion's cavalry, the other classes the legionary infantry. The "proletarii" (those assessed at under 400 "drachmae" wealth) were ineligible for legionary service and were assigned to the fleets as oarsmen. Elders, vagrants, freedmen, slaves and convicts were excluded from the military levy, save in emergencies.