Measured as?

Hi! Everyone.

Could you tell me whether my understanding of "measured as" is correct?

The spirit of the troops is measured as the greater or lesser desire to fight and confront danger.

Could the phrase be rephrased as below?

The spirit of the troops is measured by considering how greater or lesser their desire to fight and confront danger is.

Could you give me another sentence, using "measured as" in the same sense as the original sentence?

Why wasn't "great or less" used in the sentence instead of "greater or lesser"?

Thanks.