Since ancient times, the armed forces have been the main and main guarantor of the independence of any country and the security of its citizens. Diplomacy, interstate treaties are also important factors of international stability, but as practice shows, when it comes to military conflict, they often do not work. The events in Ukraine are clear evidence of this. Indeed, who wants to shed the blood of his soldiers for the interests of others? Today we will try to answer the question - whose army is the strongest in the world, whose military power is beyond competition?
As the Russian emperor Alexander III once said: "Russia has only two reliable allies — its army and navy." And he is right one hundred percent. Naturally, this statement is true not only for Russia, but also for any other state.
Today in the world there are more than 160 armies of various numbers, weapons and military doctrines.
One of the greatest commanders in history, the French Emperor Napoleon I, believed that "the big battalions are always right," but in our time the situation has changed somewhat.
It should be understood that the strength of the modern army is determined not only by its strength, it also depends largely on the effectiveness of its weapons, the training of fighters and their motivation. The time of massive conscription armies is gradually becoming a thing of the past. Modern armed forces are a very expensive pleasure. The cost of the newest tank or fighter is estimated at tens of millions of dollars, and only very rich countries can afford a large and strong army.
There is one more factor that emerged after the end of the Second World War - nuclear weapons. Its power is so terrifying that it still keeps the world from the start of another global conflict. Nowadays, two states have the largest nuclear arsenals - Russia and the United States. Conflict between them is guaranteed to lead to the end of our civilization.
On the Internet, disputes about what is the strongest army in the world often flare up. This question is somewhat incorrect, since only a full-scale war can make a comparison of armies. Too many factors that determine the strength or weakness of certain armed forces. In compiling our rating, we took into account the size of the armed forces, their technical equipment, the development of the military-industrial complex, army traditions, as well as the level of funding.
In drawing up the top 10 most powerful armies in the world, the factor of existence of nuclear weapons was not taken into account.
So, meet the strongest armies in the world.
10. Germany. Opens our ranking of the top 10 most powerful armies on the planet Bundeswehr - the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. It consists of land forces, the navy, aviation, medical and sanitary services and logistics services.
The number of armed forces of the Bundeswehr is 186 thousand people, the German army is completely professional. The country's military budget is $ 45 billion. Despite the rather modest size (compared to other participants in our rating), the German army has a very high level of training, is equipped with the latest types of weapons, and the German military traditions can only be envied. It should be noted the highest level of development of the military-industrial complex of the country - German tanks, airplanes, small arms are deservedly considered among the best in the world.
Germany could count on a higher place in the top 10, but this country's foreign policy is peaceful. Apparently, the Germans had fought enough in the past century, so they no longer draws on military adventures. In addition, Germany has been a member of the NATO bloc for many years, so that in the event of any military threats, it can count on the help of the United States and other allies.
9. France. At the ninth place in our ranking is France - a country with the richest military traditions, a very advanced military-industrial complex and significant armed forces. Their number is 222 thousand people. The country's military budget is $ 43 billion. The military-industrial complex of France allows us to provide our army with almost all the necessary weapons - from small arms to tanks, aircraft and reconnaissance satellites.
However, it should be noted that the French, like the Germans, do not seek to resolve foreign policy issues by military means. France has no disputed territories with its neighbors, as well as frozen conflicts.
8. United Kingdom. In the eighth place of our ranking is the United Kingdom - a country that has managed to create a world empire, in which the sun did not set. But this is in the past. Today, the number of British armed forces is 188 thousand people. The country's military budget is $ 53 billion. The British have a very decent military-industrial complex, which is able to manufacture tanks, aircraft, warships, small arms and other types of weapons.
England has the second (after the United States) tonnage navy. It consists of nuclear submarines, for the country's Navy two light aircraft carriers are being built.
British special operations forces are considered among the best in the world.
The UK is involved in almost all military conflicts where the United States is present (the first and second conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan). So the experience of the English army does not hold.
7. Turkey. The army of this country is considered the strongest among the Muslim armies of the Middle East. The descendants of the militant janissaries managed to create very efficient armed forces, which in the region are second only to the Israeli army in their power. That is why Turkey is in seventh place in our ranking.
The number of Turkish armed forces is 510 thousand people, however, the military budget of this country is only $ 18 billion. Until recently, the Turks were the closest allies of the United States in the region, not counting, of course, Israel.
Turkey has a large number of armored vehicles (3370 tanks) and combat aircraft (more than 1 thousand units). True, most tanks are outdated models. The Turkish Navy is the strongest on the Black Sea, it uses modern surface ships and submarines. The country is actively developing its military-industrial complex; NATO countries and, more recently, Russia are helping her in this.
Another strength of the Turkish army is the presence of a large combat experience: the Turks have for many years been fighting with various terrorist organizations on their borders.
6. Japan. In sixth place in the ranking of our top 10 is Japan, which formally has no army at all, its functions are performed by the so-called "self-defense forces." However, do not let this name mislead you: the country's armed forces number 247 thousand people and are in fourth place in the Pacific region.
The main rivals that the Japanese fear are China and North Korea. In addition, the Japanese still have not concluded a peace treaty with Russia.
Japan has serious air forces, ground forces and an impressive navy, which is considered one of the strongest in the world. Japan has more than 1,600 combat aircraft, 678 tanks, 16 submarines, 4 helicopter carriers.
This country has the third largest economy in the world, so Japan is not difficult to allocate serious money for the maintenance and development of its army. The military budget of Japan is 47 billion dollars, which is quite good for the armed forces of this size.
Separately, it should be noted the high level of development of the military-industrial complex of the country - according to its technical equipment, the Japanese armed forces are considered among the best in the world. Today in Japan, they are engaged in the creation of the fifth generation fighter, and it is likely that in the coming years it will be ready.
In addition, Japan is one of the closest allies of the United States in the region. On the territory of the country are American bases, the United States supplies Japan with the latest types of weapons. However, despite this, Japan continues to increase its defense spending. Well, the experience and morale of the descendants of the samurai do not hold.
5. South Korea. The fifth place of our ranking of the top 10 is another South-East Asia - South Korea. This country has an impressive armed forces totaling 630 thousand people. It is in third place in the region, second only to China and the DPRK. South Korea has been living in a state of war for more than sixty years - peace between Pyongyang and Seoul has never been concluded. The armed forces of North Korea have almost 1.2 million people, the North Koreans consider their southern neighbors as the main enemy and constantly threaten them with war.
It is clear that in this situation, South Korea has to pay much attention to the development of its own army. Every year, $ 33.7 billion is allocated to defense needs. The South Korean army is considered one of the best equipped not only in its region, but also in the world. South Korea is one of the closest and loyal allies of the United States in the region, so the Americans supply the latest weapons to Seoul, and there are US bases in the country. Therefore, if the conflict between the DPRK and South Korea does begin, it’s not a fact that the northerners (despite the numerical superiority) will emerge victorious from it.
4. India. In the fourth place of our ranking of the top 10 are the armed forces of India. This huge populous country with a booming economy has armed forces numbering 1,325 million people and spends about $ 50 billion on defense.
Besides the fact that India is the owner of nuclear weapons, its armed forces are in third place in the world. And there is a simple explanation for this: the country is in a state of permanent conflict with its neighbors: China and Pakistan. In the modern history of India there were three bloody wars with Pakistan and a huge number of border incidents. There are also unresolved territorial differences with a strong China.
India has a serious navy, consisting of three aircraft carriers and two nuclear submarines.
Every year, the Indian government spends large sums on the purchase of new weapons. And if earlier Indians mainly bought weapons made in the USSR or Russia, now they increasingly prefer higher-quality Western models.
In addition, recently, the country's leadership has been paying a lot of attention to developing its own military-industrial complex. A few years ago, a new strategy was adopted for the development of the defense industry, which runs under the motto "Do in India". Now, when buying weapons, Hindus prefer those suppliers who are ready to open production in the country and share the latest technologies.
3. China. In third place in our ranking of the top 10 strongest armies is the People’s Liberation Army of China (PLA). This is the largest armed forces on the planet - their number is 2.333 million people. The military budget of China is in second place in the world and is second only to the United States. He is 126 billion dollars.
China seeks to become the second superpower after the United States, and it is impossible to do this without powerful armed forces, it’s impossible to do without the largest army in the world.
Today, the Chinese are armed with 9,150 tanks, 2,860 aircraft, 67 submarines, a large number of combat aircraft and salvo fire systems. For a long time, there have been discussions about how many warheads the PRC has: the official figure is several hundred pieces, but some experts believe that the Chinese have an order of magnitude greater number of them.
The Chinese army is constantly improving its technical level. If ten or fifteen years ago most types of military equipment used by the PLA were outdated copies of Soviet models, today the situation has changed dramatically.
Currently, China is working on the creation of the fifth generation fighter, its latest developments in the field of tank construction and missile weapons are not inferior to samples made in Russia or in the West. Much attention is paid to the development of the naval forces: recently the first aircraft carrier (the former Varyag, bought from Ukraine) appeared in the Chinese Navy.
Given the enormous resources (financial, human, technological) available to China, the armed forces of this country in the coming years will become a formidable rival for the countries that occupy the first positions in our ranking.
2. Russia. In the second place of our ranking of the top 10 are the armed forces of Russia, which in many positions remain the strongest on the planet.
In terms of the number of personnel, the Russian army occupies only fifth place, behind the United States, China, India and the DPRK. Its number is 798 thousand people. The budget of the Russian defense ministry is $ 76 billion. However, it has one of the most powerful ground forces in the world: more than fifteen thousand tanks, a huge number of armored vehicles and helicopter gunships.
The armed forces of Russia have 3,429 aircraft of various types and purposes. Among which there are strategic bombers capable of delivering nuclear strikes on the enemy, located at a distance of thousands of kilometers.
Russia has a powerful navy, its submarines are especially dangerous. Their number is 60 units. The Russian surface fleet is somewhat outdated and is mainly represented by ships made back in the USSR, but in recent years the country's leadership has been spending huge amounts of money on updating it.
The problem of Russia is the fact that a significant part of the armaments of its army is represented by obsolete Soviet models. New military equipment arrives in the army, but this process is slow. The rearmament costs huge amounts of money, and it’s not a fact that the Russian economy will be able to withstand this burden.
It should be noted the most powerful military-industrial complex, which Russia inherited from the Soviet Union. He is able to independently produce almost the entire range of weapons for the modern land army and navy. Russia is one of the largest arms exporters in the world, second only to the United States.
1. United States. In the first place top 10 are the United States. By the number of personnel, the US Army is second only to China (albeit significantly), its number is 1.381 million people. In this case, the US military has a budget, which can only dream of the generals of other armies - 612 billion dollars, which allows it to be the most powerful country in the world.
The strength of modern armed forces depends largely on their financing. Therefore, a huge US defense budget is one of the main components of its success. It allows Americans to develop and purchase the most advanced (and most expensive) weapons systems, supply their army at the highest level, and simultaneously conduct several military campaigns in different parts of the world.
Today, 8,848 tanks, a huge number of armored vehicles and other military equipment, and 3,892 military aircraft are in service with the US Army. If during the Cold War, Soviet strategists focused on tanks, the Americans actively developed combat aircraft. Currently, the US Air Force is considered the strongest in the world.
The United States has the most powerful navy, which consists of ten aircraft carrier groups, more than seventy submarines, a large number of aircraft and auxiliary ships.
Americans are leaders in the development of the latest military technology, and their range is very wide: from the creation of lasers and robotic combat systems to prosthetics.
