The Mightiest Armies In The World
All-out war might be the best way to know which military power around the world is the strongest, hopefully, we won’t need to find out. However, how does one really know how powerful a certain country’s military is? Number of soldiers? Technology? Allocated budget? Sources like The Credit Suisse Report, Global Fire Power, and Nation Master, have given us the means to rank the different armies around the word with high level of accuracy.You might be surprised with these.
Peru
Peru’s military is considerably large for a country with only 30 million people. It has 100,000 active employees and a reserve of 268,000 people willing to serve at a short notice. Peru also possesses an active air force which comprises attack helicopters, air support, fighter jets and other attack aircrafts. Its ground support includes armored fighting vehicles, self-propelled artillery with rocket projectors, towed support and 300 combat tanks. Peru’s navy is smaller than the others which includes six submarines, patrol crafts, frigates, and corvettes. As to its yearly budget, it’s somewhere above $820 million.
Peru
Netherlands
Its military size is good enough, with 42,705 active members a reserve of 10,500 people, for a country with only 17 million citizens.
With enough number of military personnel, it has been able to maintain a few attack aircrafts, support transport, fighter jets and 29 helicopters. It ground support includes armored fighting vehicles, 144 battle tanks and self-propelled artillery. It does not include an aircraft carrier but it features patrol crafts, frigates, four submarines, four corvette warships and extra naval support. Peru allocates $12.6 billion to its military every year.
Netherlands
Switzerland
If only all countries were like Switzerland, then this list would be unnecessary. It has a population 8.2 million where only 21,000 are actively serving the military. A further, 120,000 people are military reserves.
Switzerland features a small air force which does not even feature an attack helicopter. It has, however, a few attack aircraft and fighter jets which are reinforced by a similarly small subgroup of air transport devices. The Swiss military includes a bigger number of armored fighting vehicles and 224 combat tanks. It does not keep a naval force due to its location. Lastly, it spends $4.1 billion every year on its military.
Switzerland
Norway
Norway’s military is comprised of only 26,500 active personnel with an additional 46,000 reserves. A military of this size is just enough for a country with a population of more than 5 million.
Even though its size is small, this country maintains a small subgroup of attack aircraft, a transport system and 57 fighter jets. It does not own any attack helicopters, however. It mainly focuses on its defense on land which is composed of armored fighting vehicles, some self-propelled and towed artillery and 136 combat tanks. Norway maintains a small navy which is comprised of mine warfare vessels, support for six submarines, patrol craft and frigate support. It has a military budget of $6.2 billion per year.
Norway
Argentina
It is home to 44 million citizens. However, it only has 75,000 active personnel in its military and 52,720 reserved military forces.
Argentina features a small group of attack aircraft, five attack helicopters and 86 fighter jets. The country’s ground force is a lot stronger with armored fighting vehicles, both self-propelled and towed artillery, rocket projectors and 430 combat tanks. Its naval force is small which consists of patrol craft, destroyers, three submarines, and nine corvettes. Argentina spends $5.6 billion annually on its military.
Argentina
Mexico
Mexico’s military size is small in relation to its population of 124 million. Its active military personnel is only numbered at 273,000 and its reserve members are at 110,000.
Its military includes a few attack fighters and 58 fighter jets. Mexico focuses more on transport aircraft and it does not have any attack helicopters. Its land forces include a few armored fighting vehicles, some towed and self-propelled artillery and 567 combat tanks. Even though it lacks an aircraft carrier, it operates and maintains mine warfare vessels, frigates, patrol craft, and seven corvettes warships. Mexicans allocate $10.07 billion of their yearly budget to their national defense.
Mexico
Malaysia
Malaysia’s population is around 31 million and its military is comprised of 110,000 active members and 310,000 reserve members.
This country features a small number of attack helicopters which has limited amount of air support and trainer aircraft, and a fleet of 44 fighter jets. Malaysia puts more importance on its land support which is comprised of armored fighting vehicles with towed artillery, rocket projectors and 64 combat tanks. It also does not maintain any aircraft carriers but is covered by four corvettes, two submarines, some frigates, patrol craft, and mine warfare vessels at sea. Annually, a $4.69 billion is spent on its military.
Malaysia
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic’s army is considerably small with only 22,000 active members and 7,050 reserve personnel, considering its population of 10.6 million.
Its military force includes some attack helicopters, fighter jets, air support vehicles (31 fighter hers and 24 attach helicopters), all of which are maintained by a small number of personnel. It focuses more on its land support with armored fighting vehicles, self-propelled and towed artillery and 123 combat tanks. This country lacks a navy force as it is sandwiched by Germany and Slovakia. Also, its yearly budget on defense is at $1.16 billion.
Czech Republic
Myanmar
Myanmar has a population of almost 57 million. That being considered, its military, with only 406,000 active members and a reserve of only 110,000 people, is considerably small.
Myanmar’s air force includes various attack aircraft, some support transport, 10 attack helicopters, and 128 fighter jets. Its support on the ground is comprised of armored fighting vehicles, a bigger number of self-propelled and towed artillery, and combat tanks. It also maintains rocket projectors which are rare even in forces with a higher military ranking. Myanmar spends $7.07 billion annually on its military.
Myanmar
Ukraine
Ukraine’s population is at 44.2 million, while its impressive military has a total of 1.2 million members, 182,000 of which are active members. It also keeps one million servers.
Its air force is comprised of attack helicopters, trainer vehicles, transport craft and 188 fighter jets. Not only that, they also have a bigger ground support with armored fighting vehicles, towed and self-propelled artillery and 3,784 combat tanks. Ukraine’s navy is almost non-existent with only a few mine warfare vessels, patrol craft, frigates, and a single corvette warship. It allocates a budget of $2.07 billion on its military every year.
Ukraine
Sweden
This neutral country’s population is at 10 million. As it has allies worldwide, it doesn’t put too much focus on its military which only includes 43,875 members. Only 21,875 of them are active military personnel.
Sweden mostly focuses on its air force with attack helicopters and 138 fighter jets which receive support from a few fighting vehicles. This country’s land military is composed of armored fighting vehicles and 160 combat tanks. However, they lack the support of towed and self-propelled artillery. Sweden doesn’t have any aircraft carriers in its naval force, but it does include five submarines and nine corvettes. A $6.7 billion budget is spent on Sweden’s army every year.
Sweden
Greece
Greece has 11 million citizens and surprisingly boasts a huge military force which is composed of 413,750 personnel which includes 161,500 active members.
The air support of the Greek military is comprised of some transport aircraft, trainers, 29 attack helicopters and 308 fighter and attack aircrafts. The Greeks also have a large ground support with self-propelled and towed artillery, rocket projectors, a large number of armored vehicles and 1,244 battle tanks. Although it is quite close to open waters, Greece’s navy doesn’t include any aircraft carriers, it does, however, operate 11 submarines which defends its coastal areas. Greece spends $10.39 billion per annum of its military.
Greece
Spain
Spain has 49 million residents, but it doesn’t have the same military power as other countries with smaller population. Its military is only composed of 170,000 personnel which includes 124,000 active members.
Its air support includes transport aircraft, 6 attack helicopters and 151 fighter and attack jets. This country also armored fighting vehicles, self-propelled and towed artillery and 552 combat tanks on land. Although it is small in size, this country maintains an aircraft carrier, patrol aircraft and four submarines. Its naval force includes frigates and nine warfare vessels. Spain allocated $25.5 billion on its military every year to maintain its machines.
Spain
Canada
Despite having a larger land area compared to the US, Canada only has a tenth of America’s population. Among its 36 million residents, only 79,000 are active military members. This number, along with their reserve forces, amount to 111,000 people. Canada may have a considerably smaller military size, but it actually is one of the strongest in the whole world.
Canada’s military has around 426 air crafts, 181 tanks and 4 submarines. Although this country is highly advanced in terms of its tools and technology, its approach towards opposing parties is still peaceful. Actually, in 1988, Canada was even awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in acknowledgement of its efforts throughout the years to assist in the restoration of peace in conflicted countries. Despite that, it still supports its army with $21 billion a year.
Canada
Algeria
Algeria’s population is a little over 40 million and its military force is comprised of less than 800,000 members. Its active military personnel are only numbered at 420,000 and the rest are reserve military members.
Algeria has 134 attack helicopters and combat fighter planes. It mostly puts more attention on its land support which operates 1,105 combat tanks along with armored fighting vehicles for their support. They can also boast of having ground-to-ground and ground-to-air support. Although Algeria lacks aircraft carriers, it maintains eight corvette warships and four submarines. This country spends $4.99 billion each year on its military.
Algeria
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is home to 28 million residents. However, it has a considerably small military force with only 256,000 military members. 231,000 of which are active personnel.
To protect its boarders in the Middle East, this country maintains 287 combat fighter aircraft, majority of which have been purchased in an American military complex. Saudi Arabia’s air force includes attack helicopters and fighter jets. On the ground, its main defense includes 1,055 combat tanks and supplementary armored vehicles, although it also has self-propelled and towed artillery. Saudi Arabia doesn’t really focus on its navy which only operates four corvette warships and a handful of patrol craft. Its annual military budget is 39.2 billion.
Saudi Arabia
North Korea
North Korea has a surprisingly large military presence which includes 6.4 million military personnel among its 25 million population, quite big for its total number of people. The total active military members at any given time is 945,000.
North Korea’s military prowess keeps growing as it continues to develop nuclear weapons. Its air force operates a few attack helicopters, other forms of air power and 661 fighter jets. It also maintains 3,500 combat tanks, self-propelled artillery and rocket projectors for its land defense. North Korea has been strengthening its navy with 13 frigates and 70 submarines. However, it doesn’t have any aircraft carrier technology. Its military budget per year is astonishingly 22% of its gross domestic product or GDP.
North Korea
Australia
Trivia: the Australian army fought against the emu population in West Australia in the 1930s and embarrassingly lost. Despite this fact, the Australian military is actually one of today’s strongest military forces.
The United States and Australia are about the same in terms of land mass. However, Australia’s armed forces is significantly smaller. It is composed of only 58,000 active military members and 44,240 reserve personnel. Along with these personnel are its 52 battleships, 59 tanks, and 408 air vehicles. In most areas, Australia’s military is considered weaker than other nations’, however, its attack helicopters and submarines help bump it up the rank. It spends $26.9 billion each year to maintain such military power.
Australia
Iran
With 83 million citizens, Iran boasts a large military with 934,000 personnel, 534,000 of which are active military members.
In the past decades, Iran has developed a strong army with trainer aircraft, 100 attack helicopters, and 407 fighter planes. The country also owns 2,895 combat tanks, towed artillery and armored fighting vehicles. Iran’s navy is comprised of patrol craft, mine warfare vessels, 2 corvette warships and 28 submarines. However, it doesn’t have aircraft carriers. There is a growing concern among world leaders regarding Iran’s increasing military power. The country spends $10 billion annually to sustain its growing military force.
Iran
Thailand
Formerly known as Siam, this 20th most populated country is not called Thailand. Its location is in the Indochinese peninsula and is made up of large provinces and small islands.
Thailand’s army has more than 400,000 personnel working full-time and an additional of a few thousand reservists. It also commands 81 sea vessels, 551 air vehicles and 772 tanks. Recently, the Thai military has joined the international peacekeeping missions in countries like East Timor and Iraq. It also intends to send almost 1,000 soldiers to aid the people of Darfur and Sudan. The Thai government allocates $5.2 billion of its money to its military expenses annually.
Thailand
Poland
This country which was the first country that Germany invaded during World Warr II was recuperating. Poland has no intention of allowing what happened in the said war repeat itself.
Nowadays, Poland is one of the countries with the strongest army. It is comprised of 120,000 active military personnel plus 515,000 additional members in its armed forces. Poland’s military includes 83 naval vessels, 461 air vehicles and 1,009 tanks. One source of its great power is the unity of its four military branches, namely the: Air Force, Land Forces, Special Forces, and Navy. Its annual budget for the military is $12 billion.
Poland
Taiwan
It’s not surprising that Taiwan is working hard to increase its military power with China always threatening to invade it. This small state’s military is composed of 300,000 active soldiers and 1,675,000 reservists. It also has 102 naval ships, 815 air vehicles and 2,005 tanks.
Its military training tests strength and tenacity of its recruits before they could graduate from the military program. For example, the Marine Corps’ trainees are required to take the “Road to Heaven” test. This involved crawling along a 50-meter course of sharp rocks and corals in Zuoying. Taiwan’s expenses for its military amounts to $19.2 billion every year.
Taiwan
Brazil
With a population of 206 million, having a reserve of 1.6 million personnel and an active member of 335,000 is not surprising. The number of active military members is even low considering its total number of citizens.
Even though it has a small number of personnel, its military boasts a fleet of 224 fighter aircraft, 13 attack helicopters and a lot of general transport vessels. Brazil’s military personnel are also in charge of operating an array of 581 combat tanks, rocket projectors, and armored fighting vehicles. Its navy commands one aircraft carrier, five corvette warships and seven submarines. Having a lot of people can be very advantageous for Brazil as it can easily increase its military labor force during wartime, increasing its military prowess very quickly. Its yearly budget of $27 billion covers its military needs.
Brazil
Vietnam
Vietnam is home to 95.2 million individuals. Its military has a sum of 5.5 million personnel with almost 500,000 active soldiers working in the different divisions of its military.
It operates a few attack helicopters and an estimate of 189 fighter jets. It is also composed of armored fighting vehicles and 1,829 combat tanks. Its marine force maintains mine warfare vessels, five corvette warships, and eight submarines. Including its huge labor force (5.5 million), Vietnam’s capabilities in wartime is quite impressive, indeed. Its yearly budget for its military’s needs is at $6.2 billion.
Vietnam
Israel
Israel became a country again after 2,600 years on May 14, 1948. After that, the tension between this small nation and its neighboring countries has not abated. For this reason, Israel has worked hard to strengthen its military force which is now among the most powerful in the world.
Despite the fact that it is a small country, Israel’s army is quite powerful with 160,000 active personnel and a reserve of 630,000 soldiers. Along with these, it also has 66 ships, 691 air vehicles, and 4,170 tanks. Israelis are all required by law to join the military when they reach 18 years old or above to help defend their country and protect their borders. Israel has a $16 billion budget for its military each year.
Israel
Indonesia
This island nation in between the Indian and Pacific oceans is distinguished as the biggest island country in the whole world along with its 17,000 smaller islands. This country with 258 million citizens have a military size of 476,000 active personnel and 400,000 reserve members.
The military carries various tasks such as protecting its border, extinguishing insurgence, and carrying out world peace tasks. Although it is surrounded by water, it only has two submarines. Its military also maintains 171 ships, 420 air vehicles, and 468 tanks. Indonesia spends $8.01 billion on its military needs every year.
Indonesia
Pakistan
Pakistan has one of the biggest military forces in its region. It is composed of 620,000 active members and 515,000 reserve soldiers. They also have various technological tools as well as 74 ships, 923 air vehicles, and 2,924 tanks.
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan’s army is different from other nations’ because it totally independent from its government, citizens and leaders. This means that it works or functions on its own like a different country. This country’s defense force is also unique because of its acceptance of females in a Major General Position, a first and only case among Islamic nations. Pakistan has an annual budget of $7.8 billion for its military.
Pakistan
South Korea
Ever since the division of North and South Korea in the 1960s, the tension between the two Koreas has been great. They are well known for their demilitarized zone and the soldiers of the two countries there standing on guard 24/7, facing each other. The primary threat to South Korea’s peach is North Korea. Both countries had been on the news for the growing concern of an impending war. However, all that may change in the future, despite rumors of North Korea’s development in making long-range missiles.
The conflict with their northern neighbor is what made South Korea’s military powerful. It has 625,000 active military members and 2,900,000 reserve solders. It also operates 166 ships, 1,451 military-related tools and 2,381 tanks. This country allocates $41.1 billion of its budget to its military every year.
South Korea
Italy
Italy is one country that is quite easy to identify on a map. This is mainly because this peninsula is shaped like a boot. To its south is the Mediterranean, and to its north are France, Slovenia, Austria and Switzerland. Another famous country is located inside Italy, The Vatican City which has its own military.
Italy’s armed forces are considered to be strong mainly because of its two aircraft carriers, 320,000 active personnel and 42,000 reserve soldiers. It also maintains 174 ships, 586 tanks and 785 aircraft vehicles. It spends $38.2 billion on its military annually.
Italy
Egypt
Having one of the most ancient and biggest military in the world also insures that Egypt’s military is the strongest.
It has over 470,000 active military personnel and 800,000 reservists. Its armed force operates245 naval vehicles, 1,133 airplanes, and 4,624 tanks. All these, plus a considerable monetary support from America, enabled Egypt to protect its territory and win a lot of wars in the past few years. It currently spends $5 billion on its military upkeep every year.
Egypt
Germany
Germany’s army included artillery, thousands of tanks and 3.5 million soldiers who were ready to attack back in 1940. However, it significantly declined post World War II. It was in 1955 when the new German military was created. It is best known today as Bundeswehr.
Germany’s military force is still deemed as one of the most powerful and well-equipped in the world even though its numbers are not as big as the other countries’. It has over 325,000 active military members with 60,000 troops. Its military power is made stronger by 5 submarines, 408 tanks, and 676 air crafts. However, in most recent times, this country has been trying to reduce its military by stopping the mandatory military service of men who are 18 years old and above. Its government has implemented a volunteer-style which is the same as in America. Germany’s military receives $49 billion a year.
Germany
Turkey
This country has a long history of war due to its location which just north of Lebanon. These days, its military is ranked among the best in the world. To this day, it has been engaging in war with Iraq and Syrian Opposition. This military is composed of 185,630 million reservists and 410,000 soldiers on active duty. It also operates 115 ships, 1,007 air vehicles, and 3,778 tanks.
The Turkish military recruitment has some specifications. All Turkish males aging 20 years old to 41 years old are required to join the military at least six months to one year. Men with mental illness or handicap are exempted to this. Those who want to earn their degree before entering the military may do so, but they still need to comply with this requirement right after they receive their degree. Turkey spends $25 billion per year on the needs of its military.
Turkey
Japan
Another country that went through a lot of wars is Japan. It became popular because of its role in the World War II. Its military is actually known as Self-Defense Force. This military has the ability to fight against other countries despite the possible consequences.
There was a high level of tension in Japan because it was somehow affected of the conflict between the two Koreas, with North Korea producing its own nuclear weapons. Japan’s military is comprised of 57,900 reserved forces and 250,00 active members. Furthermore, a $51.4 billion is allocated for its yearly military needs.
Japan
United Kingdom
The English military is also among the strongest in the world. It has ward various invaders throughout history, from the Spanish Armada to the Nazi. It has solely existed to protect the country from various threats.
The Commander and Chief of the British military is Queen Elizabeth, the Queen of the United Kingdom. Her adviser on this matter is the Secretary of State for Defense. These days, Great Britain has 182,000 reservists and 150,000 active members. All these, along with 66 naval vessels, 407 tanks, and 879 air vehicles. The usual military cost is $62.7 billion per year.
United Kingdom
France
This country has been involved in various wars throughout history. It has participated in almost all international conflicts for a lot of years now. It also suffered from World War II but it has long recovered from it.
You can check the historical accounts of wars and see the frequent participation of France in various wars. They sometimes defend themselves, however, there were times when they also colonized other places around the globe. It currently has 66,553,766 citizens. Its military is made up of 205,000 active soldiers and 1995,770 reserve members. It also operates 113 ships, 423 tanks and 1,282 air vehicles. Its annual military allocation is $62.5 billion.
France
India
This country, which is on the seventh rank of the biggest countries in the world, can be found in Asia. There are a lot of residents in this country. Its so big that it is only surpassed by China’s population.
It is not surprising that India has a huge army, especially because its population is 1,251,695,584. From the said number, the active members of the military are at 1,325,000. There are more reservists than active soldiers at 2,143,000. India’s military also maintains 202 ships, 2,086 air vehicles, and 6,464 tanks. All the aforementioned are maintained by spending $42.84 billion every year.
India
China
China has the biggest military force in the world with 1.2 million reserve members and 2.3 million active soldiers. Aside these, China maintains 673 naval forces, 2,942 vehicles and 9,150 tanks.
Its nuclear activity is actually kept a secret although rumor has it that 260 nuclear warheads an 50 long range missiles have already been made. Predictions indicate the number of the said weapons will still increase in the future. China allocates a staggering $166 billion on its military every year.
China
Russia
The country with a military which is considered the second-most powerful in the world is Russia. In recent years, Russia has worked on improving its military size, especially in the preparation of nuclear weapons. It has been said that this country commands 7,300 nuclear weapons which is more than that of the 6,970 nuclear weapons in the United States. Although there is only a slim chance of a nuclear war every happening between Russia and the United States, both superpowers are still working on expanding their nuclear forces.
When it comes to lad area, Russia far surpasses any other country. It spans nine time zones throughout its geographical location, so it is no surprise that the Russian army has 766,055 active members and 2,485,000 reserve personnel. Aside from nuclear weapons, the country also boasts of many other warfare tools which include 352 ships, 3,547 air vehicles, and 15,398 tanks. This powerful military is maintained at the costs of $93.76 million per year.
Russia
The United States of America
The United States’ military ranked as the most powerful in the world. This is mostly due to the budget that its government spends on its military which is the biggest among other countries at $581 billion per annum. Next to it, is China’s budget of $155.6 billion for its military every year.
Obviously, all the effort and money that went to the US army to make it the strongest in the world are bearing fruits. Today, it has 321,368,864 residents and 1,400,00 of which are active soldiers and 1,100,000 are reserve members. Aside from its massive military workforce, it also commands 473 sea vessels, 8,848 tanks, and 13,444 aircraft vehicles.
The United States Of America
The U.S. Military In Guam
The small island in the Pacific which is a territory of the US since 1989 has a well-equipped army. It has a base for the navy and the air force. The military here is reasonably strong as it is in a strategic position to protect the mainland from any missile attacks originating from Asia.
The North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, issued a threat on this defense force in July 2017 due to his anger when the U.S. B-1 bombers flew from Guam to South Korea to flaunt their military prowess. Despite North Korea’s constant effort to practice how to launch their missiles, the U.S. keeps reminding them how easy it is to reach North Korea by both air and sea which may resume the Korean war from where it left off.
The U.S. Military On Guam
