Armament of all countries of the world. The largest and most powerful armies in the world. How much does defense cost?

The Global Firepower website assessed the strength of the armies of 126 countries using 50 criteria. At the same time, the nuclear potential of countries was not taken into account, but the state of the economy was taken into account. The authors put the US Army in first place (0.1661 points), Russia in second (0.1865), and China in third (0.2315). How much does the rating reflect reality? And what are the prospects for the three strongest armies in the world?

"The Russian Army is the best in the world"

The authors warn that when compiling the rating, the nuclear potential of countries, the current potential of political and military leadership were not taken into account, the number of weapons was not a determining factor, and landlocked countries were not punished for the lack of a navy, and vice versa, maritime powers — were punished. Factors such as geographical location and economic situation in the country were taken into account.

The absolute value of the "power index" ("PwrIndx") for a perfect army should be "0.0000", which is realistically unattainable. The rating is formed by a system of bonuses and penalties. For example, Austria, which is landlocked, does not receive a penalty for having an insufficient navy, but does receive one for not having a capable merchant fleet.

The authors indicate the following factual sources: cia. gov, CIA World Factbook, wikipedia. com, available data in the media and bloggers. Some values were estimates when official data were not available, the introduction states.

As a result, the top ten most powerful included the armies of the USA, Russia, China, India, Great Britain, France, South Korea, Germany, Japan and Turkey. Let's compare the performance of the first three most powerful armies.

1. By the number of military personnel The Chinese army is in first place with 2.333 million people, the United States is in second place (1.4 million), and the Russian army is in third place (766.055 thousand troops). The data on the personnel reserve is interesting. Here Russia is in first place - 2.485 million people, China is in second - 2.3 million, and the USA - 1.1 million people.

Of course, the quality of the military personnel varies. The US military is 100 percent contracted. The level of their material and technical equipment is high.

Russia has only just begun to modernize military equipment, while the Chinese army is still gaining in numbers. But in terms of fighting spirit, the Russians, seasoned in recent conflicts, are superior to the soldiers of their “rivals”. At the beginning of the year, an attack on the American cruiser Vicksbur was imitated by a Su-34. There was no electronic impact on the ship, but the Americans did not even manage to use the air defense system, and two dozen sailors submitted their resignation.

2. On ground combat systems, in particular for tanks, the Russian army is in first place - 15,398 tanks (main battle tanks, light tanks and wheeled or tracked tank destroyers). In second place is the Chinese army (9,150 tanks), and in third place are the Americans (8,848 armored vehicles).

Russia has a huge advantage (many times) in armored combat vehicles (armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles), self-propelled guns, towed guns and multiple launch rocket systems. We will not present the numbers here; the reader can look at them on his own. This advantage is due to the fact that our possible theater of military operations is the near abroad, and no one has yet canceled the proposed tank attack on Berlin.

New Russian tanks will consolidate this superiority. Mass delivery of the latest T-14 Armata tanks to the Russian army will begin at the turn of 2017-2018. There are no new developments in the United States; the Pentagon relies on modernized versions of its Cold War-era combat vehicles - the M-1 Abrams and Bradley.

China has a third generation tank - VT-4 (MBT-3000). The Chinese claim that in key parameters it even surpasses the Armata. But this tank is intended exclusively for export; the Chinese army is not going to fight with it. The question is why?

3. Air Force- the rating takes into account airplanes and helicopters of all military branches. Here the US Army has leadership; of course, their “island” position obliges them to do so. The proposed theater of military operations is in Eurasia, and equipment and soldiers must be delivered there.

The United States has 13,892 aircraft, of which 2,207 are fighters, 2,797 attack aircraft, 5,366 transport aircraft, and 6,196 helicopters.

In second place is the Russian army. It has a total of 3,429 aircraft, of which 769 are fighters, 1,305 attack aircraft, 1,083 transport aircraft, and 1,120 helicopters. China has a total of 2,860 aircraft in service, of which 1,066 are fighters, 1,311 attack aircraft, 876 transport aircraft, and 876 helicopters. 908.

In terms of quality indicators, the Russians have begun to catch up with the Americans. The commander of the US Air Force in Europe, General Frank Gorenc, said this recently at a meeting with reporters. The general especially noted “the ability (of the Russians) to create extremely well-protected zones using access restriction systems,” for example, in Crimea and the Kaliningrad region.

A strong army capable of protecting the interests of its inhabitants can only exist in a strong country with a stable economy. This is especially evident in recent years, when the armies of some countries, including Russia, have made a big breakthrough, and such favorites as the US Army have already lost their former power, although it is impossible to say that they have become weaker, their competitors have simply become stronger. A strong army is a relative concept and it is impossible to say unequivocally that one army is stronger than another, and this depends on many factors. Meanwhile, there are armies whose strength cannot be doubted; it is they who compose the ranking of the world's armies 2016, which took into account the number of military personnel and combat power.

Top 5 most powerful armies in the world

When compiling a rating of the most powerful armies in the world, military experts assessed the potential of 126 armies of the world, while the nuclear potential of the countries was not taken into account, nor was the political situation and the composition of the command taken into account. Among the shortcomings, such important factors as lack of access to the sea and, as a consequence, naval forces were not taken into account. At the same time, the geographical location of the countries included in the ranking of the combat effectiveness of the world's armies, as well as the economic situation in the country, were taken into account. Meanwhile, we cannot say unequivocally which army is stronger, because in terms of the number of military personnel, for example, the Chinese are in the lead, Russia has more and better quality armored vehicles, but the Americans have hegemony in the air. Meanwhile, experts were able to compile the top 5 most powerful armies in the world, which included:

A powerful and combat-ready army is the key to a country’s significant weight in the international arena. Moreover, in connection with the well-known events in Syria and Ukraine, the closest attention is increasingly being paid to the military power of different countries. Many people ask the question: “Who will win the world war?”

Today we present an annually updated, official ranking of the world's armies; the full list includes the most powerful armies in the world in 2018.

Read updated according to Globalfirepower.

The top 10 was compiled according to data from a specialized resource.

number of armies of the world (regular number of troops, reservists)
weapons (airplanes, helicopters, tanks, navy, artillery, other equipment)
military budget,
resource availability, geographical location,
logistics.

Nuclear potential is not taken into account by experts, but those recognized receive an advantage in ranking.

In 2018, the rating included136 countries. New to the list are Ireland (116th), Montenegro (121st) and Liberia(135 position).

By the way, San Marino has the weakest army in the world in 2018 - only 84 people.

10. German Army

Germany's military budget increased from 45 to 46 billion dollars. At the same time, the number of military personnel decreased - from186 up to 178 thousand people. The German army is completely professional, i.e. There has been no compulsory conscription in the country since 2011.

9. Turkish Armed Forces

In the past, the country of luxurious beaches and beautiful tomatoes ranked eighth in the top armies of the world. The number of its armed forces is 350 thousand people, and its military budget is 10.2 billion dollars.

8. Japan Self-Defense Forces

The Land of the Rising Sun worsened its military performance and dropped one place in the list of the best armies in the world. The military budget decreased from 49 to 44 billion dollars, but the number of military personnel did not change - over 247 thousand people.

7. South Korean Army

Compared to the previous ranking, South Korea “jumped” from 10th to 7th place. There are 625 thousand military personnel serving in the Korean army. The eternal rival, North Korea, has 945 thousand soldiers. And South Korea's defense budget is $40 billion.

6. British Army

Although the country's position on the list has not changed, it has improved its performance in terms of army size (197 thousand people versus 188 thousand people). However, it still remains the smallest army in the ranking.

England's military budget decreased compared to 2017 from 55 to 50 billion dollars.

5. French Army

The French army, which opened the top 5 most powerful armies in the world, is small in number. Currently, 205 thousand people serve in it. At the same time, the country's defense budget is $40 billion.

4. Indian Armed Forces

The country's military budget is $47 billion. The number of Indian armed forces is 1,362,000 people, the country's army is the third largest in the world.

3. Chinese Army

The Celestial Empire has the largest human military force in the ranking of armies in the world. It employs 2,183,000 people. According to Wikipedia, there are 1.71 military personnel per 1,000 inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom. And China’s military budget is huge, comparable to the army - $151 billion (increased from $126 billion compared to 2017).

2. Russian Army

The Russian armed forces are superior to almost all armies of the world in terms of weapons power in all branches of the military - air, ground and sea. The size of the Russian army for 2018 is 1,013,000 people. The military budget is $47 billion. Among the superpowers, Russia has a very high rate of the number of military personnel per 1000 inhabitants - 5.3 people.

1. US Army

The most powerful army in the world, according to Globalfirepower, American. By the way, it is not the largest in terms of numbers, but the most powerful in terms of available weapons, including nuclear potential, which is not taken into account by experts. The size of the US Army is 1,281,900 people, and the defense budget is 647 billion.dollars.

Comparison table of armies of the world (Infographics)

No matter how armed the army is, the morale of the soldiers will play an important role in winning a world war. In this regard, it is a big mistake to consider the current distribution of seats to be absolutely correct.

There are small, strong, numerous, highly intelligent, weak armies, with different levels of combat capability, and there is the most beautiful army, in which women serve equally with men.

The most beautiful army

The State of Israel, which is in a state of permanent war, has an army in which not only men serve, as in many countries, women are also called up to serve. Military service is compulsory for all citizens of this country. Men serve thirty-six months, women twenty-four.

Few people manage to avoid service. Almost everyone is subject to conscription, regardless of health difficulties. In the Israeli army there is a job for everyone. This army has a high level of material and technical base and the latest types of weapons.

The Israeli army is the most intelligent, and also the most beautiful army in the world. This army was awarded the title of the most beautiful thanks to the female contingent in its ranks. And this is not surprising, because it’s nice to watch young girls perform combat missions.

The smallest army

Among the smallest states is the Republic of San Marino, located in southern Europe. It is surrounded by Italian territory. Only thirty thousand people live in an area of about sixty kilometers. For many centuries attempts were made to take over this republic, but it remained independent. This was facilitated by skillful leadership, the proud spirit of the people, the location on the mountain (Mount Titano) and the fact that San Marino is surrounded by three belts of fortress walls.

The republic has its own army. This is a military unit with special functions. Members of Parliament are protected by the National Guard. It is known that the republic was an ally of the Entente during the First World War; fifteen soldiers took arms.

Today the army of San Marino consists of seventy-nine people - officers and soldiers. A military parade is held four times a year. Dressed in colorful uniforms and armed with nineteenth-century carbines, they march through the streets of San Marino. There is no mandatory conscription in the republic. This is voluntary.

Monaco also has a small army, where the army is only eighty-three people. One hundred and ten men make up the Vatican army.

The most efficient army

It is not at all easy to say unequivocally which army is the most combat-ready today, since many indicators influence this. It is known that the level of combat effectiveness does not depend on funding, but on devotion to the fatherland, ideology, principles, on nuclear potential, on the availability of the latest developments in military engineering, etc.

To determine the level of combat effectiveness of armies in peacetime, one can take into account such basic factors as numerical strength, quality and quantity of weapons, and the quality of training of command personnel.

The armies of such powers as China, Russia and the United States are often compared. It is known that China is in first place in terms of army size. Russia leads in the number of tanks, and America leads in the number of combat helicopters, airplanes, and naval warships. The USA also has the highest quality weapons.

There are much more Russian-made weapons in China than in Russia itself. The armies of China and America are professional. The military has many benefits and a good salary. There is no universal conscription.

We can conclude that it is China and America that have the most combat-ready armies, but this assessment is relative. So, we must not forget about the Israeli army, which has never lost a single war. The troops of NATO, North Korea, Pakistan and India deserve attention. We must not forget about the partisan army, which has shown itself to be very combat-ready in the light of recent military conflicts. So far no one has managed to defeat her.

A certain rating has been compiled, where the armies of countries are lined up in descending order depending on their combat capability as of 2013. The US Army is in first place. The second position was taken by the huge Chinese army. Israel is in third position, and Russia is in fourth. In fifth place is the North Korean army. The Indian army took sixth place in terms of combat effectiveness, and the Turkish army took seventh place.

The largest army in the world

It is well known that China is the leader in the number of armed forces. There are more than two and a half million military personnel in this country's army. This is not the limit for China. Since China is the most populous country in the world, the army as a proportion of the population does not seem too large. The share of military personnel in the total number of residents is only 0.2 percent.

The United States has one million four hundred thousand military personnel, and India has one million three hundred thousand. Next comes the North Korean army. The Russian army is in fifth place in size, with one million two hundred and seventy thousand people. Next come the armies of South Korea, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq and Turkey.

The Russian Ministry of Defense plans to increase the number of contract soldiers in the coming years. At the same time, the authorities will modernize the system of staffing the army with conscripts.

But an army is made not only by people, but also by weapons. Some rifles have bullets leaving the barrel at a speed of 900 meters per second. You can also read more about the most powerful rifles on the website.
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"The Russian Army is the best in the world"

Of course, the quality of the military personnel varies. The US military is 100 percent contracted. The level of their material and technical equipment is high.

The United States has 13,892 aircraft, of which 2,207 are fighters, 2,797 attack aircraft, 5,366 transport aircraft, and 6,196 helicopters.

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