The ranking of the ten strongest armies in the world for 2018 is based on data Global Firepower. The military power of each state was evaluated according to more than 50 different criteria. The economic situation of the states also played an important role in the ranking.

10 Germany

10th place - German Army

Germany opens the top ten strongest armies in the world. Until July 1, 2011, in Germany, all adult citizens of the country were required to serve on a compulsory basis (6 months of military service or alternative labor service in social and charitable organizations). Now the Bundeswehr has moved to a fully professional army. Germany has been a member of the NATO bloc for many years, so in case of any military threats, it can count on the help of the United States and other allies.

9 Turkey

9th place - Turkish Army

Ninth place - the armed forces of Turkey. Military service is compulsory for all male citizens between the ages of 20 and 41 who have no medical contraindications. Service life in all types of aircraft is 12 months. A citizen of Turkey can be exempted from conscription for service after making an amount of 16-17 thousand Turkish liras to the country's budget. One of the strengths of the Turkish army is its extensive combat experience: the Turks have been fighting various terrorist organizations on their borders for many years.

8 Japan

8th place - Japanese Army

The total strength of the Japan Self-Defense Forces is 248 thousand people, in addition, there are 56 thousand reservists. The Japan Self-Defense Forces are equipped with voluntary basis. This country has the third most powerful economy in the world, so it is not difficult for Japan to allocate serious money for the maintenance and development of its army. Japan's military budget is $44 billion, which is quite a lot for a military of this size. The main rivals that the Japanese fear are China and North Korea. In addition, the Japanese have not yet concluded a peace treaty with Russia.

7 South Korea

7th place - South Korean Army

The official date for the creation of the South Korean armed forces is November 30, 1948, when the Law on the Establishment of national army and introduced a system of conscription. military service in South Korea is mandatory for all men over 18 years old, its term, depending on the type of troops, ranges from 21 to 24 months. The upper age limit for conscripts is 36 years. South Korea has been living in a state of war for more than 60 years - peace between Pyongyang and Seoul has never been concluded.

6 UK

6th - British Army

The armed forces of the United Kingdom have a long history, they participated in many European and colonial wars, including: Seven Years' War, Napoleonic Wars, Crimean War. In the UK, conscription was introduced only for short periods, primarily due to the world wars of the 20th century, and the last conscripts were demobilized from the army back in the 60s. Meanwhile, Great Britain is involved in almost all military conflicts where the United States is present (wars in Iraq, Afghanistan). Therefore, the experience of the British army does not hold.

5 France

5th place - Army of France

Fifth place is occupied by the armed forces of the French Republic. On the eve of the First World War, France had the most big army in Europe. France is a nuclear weapon country. The official position of the French government has always been to create a "limited nuclear arsenal at the minimum necessary level." Since February 1996, in France, the army has been transferred from the recruiting system to the contract one. However, in early 2018, speaking to representatives of the country's armed forces, French President Emmanuel Macron said: “I want to assure everyone that universal conscription will be introduced. It will be managed by all related ministries, not just the Ministry of Defense,” Macron stressed.

4 India

4th - Indian Army

The fourth place in the ranking of the strongest armies in the world in 2018 is occupied by the armed forces of India. There is no compulsory conscription in India. India ranks first in the world in terms of arms imports. He is also a member of the nuclear club. AT recent history India had three bloody wars with Pakistan and a huge number of border incidents. There are unresolved territorial disputes with huge China.

3 China

3rd place - Chinese Army

The top three is opened by the People's Liberation Army of China. There is a military conscription in this country, but it is not compulsory. Military service is a voluntary and prestigious undertaking. The conscript must pass various tests, as it is very difficult to get into the army. The Chinese armed forces are divided into five military command zones and three fleets organized according to the territorial principle: east, north, west, south and center.

The Chinese army is constantly improving its technical level. If 10-15 years ago most species military equipment, which were in service with the PLA, were outdated copies of Soviet models, today the situation has changed dramatically. At present, the PRC is working on the creation of a fifth-generation fighter, its latest developments in the field of tank building and missile weapons are not much inferior to samples made in Russia or in the West. Given the huge resources (financial, human, technological) that China has, the armed forces of this country in the coming years will become a formidable rival for the countries that occupy the first positions in this ranking.

2 Russia

2nd place - Russian Army

Second place is occupied military establishment Russian Federation. Military service in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is provided for both by contract and by conscription. Military service is regulated by Federal Law No. 53-FZ “On military duty and military service”. Mandatory military duty is subject to males from 18 to 27 years.

The Russian army has the world's largest stockpile of weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons, and a well-developed system of their delivery systems. The problem of Russia is the fact that most of the weapons of its army are outdated Soviet models, new military equipment enters the troops, but this process is slow. Rearmament costs a lot of money, it is not certain that the Russian economy will be able to withstand this burden. It is worth noting that in the coming years, Russia from second place may be displaced by China.

1 US

1st - US Army

For many years, the US Army has confidently held first place in the ranking of the strongest armies in the world. The Americans have their military bases practically all over the world. American soldiers have at their disposal the most modern military equipment, which is updated frequently. The United States has a huge nuclear potential, which includes about 7,000 nuclear warheads. Navy has 20 powerful aircraft carriers, the state also has the largest air force in the world, which has about 13,362 units.

The strength of the modern armed forces largely depends on their funding (here the US is the leader by a wide margin). Therefore, the huge American 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.

The army is an essential attribute of any state. Sooner or later, a conflict arises between neighboring countries or regions within the country, which often ends in armed clashes that claim the lives of thousands of people and destroy cities to the ground. Soldiers are called upon to protect the interests of their country, repulsing the attacks of the aggressor, or vice versa, to be an aggressor in relation to another country. in front of you the strongest armies in the world who, like no one else, know what real war is!

• Active living force: 410.5 thousand soldiers.
• Army reserve: 185.63 thousand persons liable for military service.
• 13849 units.
• Marine: 194 units of naval vessels.
• Air fleet: 1007 attack aircraft, fighters and bombers.
• Annual budget for defense: 18.185 billion dollars.

Conflicts near the country's borders have forced Turkey to have a strong military. The total number of citizens who are ready to be under arms is more than half a million, which can serve as a fairly weighty argument for the calmness of the inhabitants of this country.

• Active living force: 250 thousand military personnel.
• Army reserve: 57.9 thousand persons liable for military service.
• Number of combat ground vehicles: 4329 units.
• Marine: 131 units of naval equipment.
• Air fleet: 1590 attack aircraft, fighters and bombers.
• Annual budget for defense: 40.3 billion US dollars.

After World War II, Japan found itself in a very disadvantageous position. Hundreds of uncomfortable contracts for her fell on her head. One such treaty is a small document that forbids Japan from recruiting more than a certain number of soldiers. The country's budget is more than 40 million US dollars for 250 thousand military personnel.

• Active living force: 180 thousand military personnel.
• Army reserve: 145 thousand conscripts.
• Number of combat ground vehicles: 6481 units.
• Marine: 81 units of naval equipment.
• Air fleet: 676 attack aircraft, fighters and bombers.
• Annual budget for defense: 36.3 billion US dollars.

Everyone remembers how strong this country was in the 20th century and the Second World War it clearly showed. But german army was defeated and has since lost its positions very much. Nevertheless, today this country plays an important role in global politics and has a well-equipped army.

7. South Korea

• Active living force: 625 thousand military personnel.
• Army reserve: 2.9 million conscripts.
• Number of combat ground vehicles: 12619 units.
• Marine: 166 units of naval equipment.
• Air fleet: 1451 attack aircraft, fighters and bombers.
• Annual budget for defense: 33.2 billion US dollars.

The need to be a strong military power is dictated by the northern neighbor.

• Active living force: 205 thousand military personnel.
• Army reserve: 195.77 thousand military men and more than one hundred thousand policemen.
• Number of combat ground vehicles: 7888 cars.
• Marine: 118 units of naval vessels.
• Air fleet: 1282 attack aircraft, fighters and bombers.
• Annual budget for defense: 35 billion US dollars.

It remained one of the few armed formations that are fully equipped with weapons, equipment and protective equipment from their own manufacturer. Another unique feature is the huge (against the background of other armies) number of women, about 15%.

• Active living force: 150 thousand military personnel.
• Army reserve: 182 thousand people liable for military service.
• Number of combat ground vehicles: 6624 tanks, armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles.
• Marine: 76 units of naval equipment.
• Air fleet: 879 attack aircraft, fighters and bombers.
• Annual budget for defense: US$55 billion.

population british army makes it one of the largest armed formations of the countries of the European Union. In fact, the troops of England have always been considered strong enough to instill fear in all the enemies of Britain. She retained this image to this day. Unfortunately, the main pride of England - its fleet, has long ceased to be one of the best in the world, which lowered it to the fifth step in the Top 10 most strong armies peace.

• Active living force: 1.325 million troops.
• Army reserve: 2.143 million people liable for military service.
• Number of combat ground vehicles: 21164 units.
• Marine: 295 units of naval equipment.
• Air fleet: 2086 attack aircraft, fighters and bombers.
• Annual budget for defense: 40 billion dollars.

Do not be surprised at such a huge figure of manpower in India. In a country where more than a billion people get along, in no case should one lose vigilance. Such countries need a strong fist, ready at any moment to repel an external threat or suppress the danger within the country. No one is forced to serve here, the service is carried out exclusively on a paid contract basis by persons who have reached the age of majority.

• Active living force: 2.335 million troops.
• Army reserve: 2.3 million conscripts.
• Number of combat ground vehicles: 23664 units.
• Marine: 714 units of naval vessels.
• Air fleet: 2942 attack aircraft, fighters and bombers.
• Annual budget for defense: 155.6 billion US dollars.

Another giant country that simply needs the strongest army in the world. The relatively small cost of such a huge number of military personnel in no way affects the quality of their service. A huge air fleet, considered the strongest after the Russian one. Almost 24 thousand units of military equipment and about 2.3 million soldiers are ready to defend the independence of their country at any moment.

• Active living force: 766.06 thousand military personnel.
• Army reserve: 2.485 million conscripts.
• Number of combat ground vehicles: 61086 units.
• Marine: 352 units of naval equipment.
• Air fleet: 3547 attack aircraft, fighters, transports and bombers.
• Annual budget for defense: 46.6 billion US dollars.

1.United States of America

Before the collapse of the USSR, the country's army was considered the strongest in the world and was too tough even for the United States. But, alas, after the collapse, she significantly lost ground. But even despite this, huge reserves, almost ten thousand pieces of armored vehicles and many other weapons make Russia a terrible enemy that is beyond the power of most countries in the world. To all other the Russian Federation possesses nuclear weapons (its presence is not taken into account in the rating), and in a serious conflict with another state, it will be a very significant addition to military power. And I would also like to say that the main difference between the army of our country and others is, perhaps, the strongest will and spirit of the soldiers. But, since the ranking leading role plays the quantitative and qualitative equipment of the army, the number of military personnel and the cost of the defense industry, then, alas, the second line.

• Active living force: 1.4 million troops.
• Army reserve: 1.1 million conscripts.
• Number of combat ground vehicles: 54474 tanks, armored personnel carriers and other equipment.
• Marine: 415 units of naval equipment.
• Air fleet: 13444 combat and transport helicopters.
• Annual budget for defense:$581 billion.

First of all, the most powerful army in the world in 2016 will amaze you not with the number of soldiers or armored vehicles, but with its budget. If you take the top ten armies in the world, their total budget will hardly reach the American one. Great amount aviation, a powerful navy and more than 54,000 ground armored vehicles make the United States the strongest contender on the world stage.

© Photo from the website of the Ministry of Defense

Military and economic experts regularly determine the global index of military power - the Global Firepower Index. Of course, comparing the armies of the world according to statistical indicators is not an ideal solution, but there is still no more objective (for example, to check everyone in a real war) rating. GFP takes into account 66 different indicators: from geographical location countries to the extent of industrial development.

In November, a new report for 2018 was released. This year, experts analyzed the armed forces of 136 states.

When compiling the Global Firepower Index, not only is a rigorous calculation of tanks, aircraft and warships carried out, but it also takes into account the number of personnel of the army and its reserve, the level of financing of the military sphere, the country's transport infrastructure, oil production, the size of public debt and even the length of coastline- in a word, all the factors that can affect the combat capability of the national army.

The presence of a nuclear arsenal is not taken into account, but the states that possess nuclear weapons receive a "bonus". The top three - the United States, Russia and China - has remained unchanged for four years.

America has long been ahead of everyone at times in military spending. In second place in terms of the military budget, also for many years, China. On the third - Russia. Chinese army the most numerous in the world. Russia is the first in the world in terms of the number of tanks.

This is what the top 10 most militarily powerful countries in the world look like in 2018.

10. Germany

Defense budget - $45.2 billion

432 tanks

Aircraft carriers - 0

714 aircraft

The number of the army is 208640 people.

9. Turkey

Defense budget — $10.2 billion

2446 tanks

Aircraft carriers - 0

1056 aircraft

Army size - 710500

8. Japan

Defense budget — $44 billion

679 tanks

4 helicopter carriers

1508 aircraft

Army size - 310457

7. South Korea

Defense budget - $40 billion

2654 tanks

1 aircraft carrier

1560 aircraft

Army size - 625000

6. UK

Prince Harry during military service. Instagram photo marines royal navy.

Defense budget - $50 billion

227 tanks

2 aircraft carriers

832 aircraft

Army size - 279230

5. France

A photo: page French Armed Forces on Facebook.

Defense budget - $40 billion

406 tanks

1305 aircraft

Navy - 118 (1 aircraft carrier and 3 helicopter carriers)

Army size - 388635

4. India

Defense budget - $51 billion

4426 tanks

1 aircraft carrier (project 1143 aircraft carrier, former Admiral Gorshkov)

2185 aircraft

Army size - 1362500

3. China

Defense budget — $151 billion

7716 tanks

1 aircraft carrier ("Liaoning" - completed "Varyag")

3035 aircraft

Army size - 2663000

2. Russia

Photo: website of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

Defense budget - $47 billion

20300 tanks

3914 aircraft

Navy - 352 (the only aircraft carrier out of service)

The number of the army is 1013628.

1. USA

Photo site army.mil.

Defense budget - $647 billion

5,884 tanks

20 aircraft carriers

13362 aircraft

The total number of ships of the Navy - 415

Army size - 1281900

It is worth noting that the most important criterion for evaluating the army is fighting. And this parameter is not taken into account by the Global Firepower Index. Russia and the United States also have a clear advantage here, for example, over China. Russia was at war with Georgia and, how should I put it, probably with Ukraine. Plus spends military operation in Syria. And the United States fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, and is also involved in operations in Syria.

The GFP rating considers only the amount of government spending on defense, not taking into account what percentage of the country's GDP they make up. The top three in the ranking have these figures (data from the Stockholm Peace Research Institute - SIPRI) for 2017: China spends 1.9% of GDP on defense, Russia - 4.3%, USA - 3.1%. More than Russia (as a share of GDP) in the world spends on defense only Saudi Arabia — 10%.

The troops are considered an important part of the country and its security. Every year, large funds are allocated from the budgets to maintain and modernize weapons, train and maintain soldiers, and much more. Countries are also taking special initiatives to strengthen themselves militarily.

Hypothetically, compare armies different countries world and find out which one is the strongest, impossible. However, without leading to a bloodbath, we will try to get an idea of ​​the military power of countries, taking into account: the arsenal at the disposal; implementation of advanced technologies; military combat skills of soldiers; power and number of allies; army size; allocated budget for maintaining troops, etc.

Let's look at the top 10 countries with the strongest armies in the world.

The most powerful armies in the world

10. Japan

Japan is the land of the samurai and was the leading force during World War II. Interestingly, according to the peace treaty, which was signed after the end of World War II, Japan is prohibited from having an offensive army. In response to the growing controversy over China's military expansion, Japan has launched a military expansion for the first time in 40 years and is placing new military bases on its outer islands. "Land of the Rising Sun", for the first time in the last 11 years, increased military spending to $ 49,100 million and ranks 6th in the world in this indicator. The Japanese Army has over 247,000 active personnel and almost 60,000 in reserve. The Air Force Squadron consists of 1595 aircraft (5th in the world). The fleet has about 131 warships. In addition, through his recent defense initiatives, he maintains a strong military presence in Asia.

9. South Korea

South Korea shares a border with North Korea, which has an extremely powerful army at its disposal, and therefore poses a constant threat to South Korea. But a possible attack by neighbors is not the only problem for South Korea. To meet the growing armament of China and Japan, South Korea is increasing defense spending, which in this moment amount to about $34 billion. The troop strength is over 640,000 active personnel and 2,900,000 additional personnel in reserve. air force represented by 1,393 aircraft (6th largest). Fleet - 166 ships. Also in South Korea, there are about 15,000 ground weapons, including missile systems, as well as 2,346 tanks. South Korean troops regularly take part in military exercises with the United States.

8. Turkey

In 2015, the Turkish government decided to increase its defense spending by 10%. This may be due to the fact that there is a war between ISIS and Syrian troops not far from Turkey, and possibly because of the likelihood of a collision with a Kurdish separatist organization. Turkey's defense budget is about $18180000000. The size of the army (both regular and reserve) is just over 660000. The Turkish Air Force has 1000 aircraft. Also in service are 16,000 ground weapons. Turkey has strong diplomatic relations with the United States (although these ties are weakening every year), and also participates in initiatives around the world.

7. Germany

Germany is one of the strongest economic powers in the world, but despite spending about $45 million each year, the state of the army seems to have worsened over the past few years. One of the reasons for this may be that the generation born and raised in the 1950s and 60s was against the war and was afraid of attacks from other countries with stronger armies. This still discourages people from joining the ranks of the troops. In 2011, mandatory military service was eliminated to prevent the country from being a militarized country. The troops include only 183,000 active personnel and 145,000 reservists. Aviation is armed with 710 aircraft. The total number of weapons of various types is almost units.

6. France

France is another country that followed Germany and in 2013 the French government decided to “effectively” freeze military spending and jobs in the defense sector by 10% to save money on technologically advanced equipment. Currently, France's military budget is about $43 billion a year, which is 1.9% of the country's GDP (well below the spending target set by NATO). The French armed forces have about 220 thousand active personnel and the same number of people are in reserve. Aviation is represented by more than 1000 aircraft. Also in service are about 9,000 ground vehicles. Even if it doesn't make France formidable army, it has several trump cards: position in the EU and the UN, as well as the presence of about 290 nuclear weapons.

5. UK

The UK is another EU member, also implementing a plan to reduce the size of the armed forces by 20% in 2010-2018. The reduction of the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force is also underway. The UK military budget currently stands at $54 billion. Britain's regular army has about 205,000 men. The Air Force is represented by 908 aircraft. Navy - 66 ships. However, the UK army is still considered powerful and superior to many others due to the training of soldiers. Also, Britain has 160 nuclear weapons, which is the strongest argument. The Royal Navy plans to commission HMS Queen Elizabeth in 2020.

4. India

The government of India decided to take advantage of the fact that the population of the country is very large. The Indian Army has a sizable 3.5 million men, including 1.325 million active troops. The sheer size of the Indian force is one of the reasons why India ranks so high in our rankings and in the rankings. best armies peace. The strength of the army is supplemented by a practical 16,000 ground vehicles, which include 3,500 tanks as well as 1,785 aircraft, along with nuclear weapons. Indian ballistic missiles could hit all of Pakistan or most of China. The current military budget is $46 billion, but the government plans to increase this amount by 2020, as well as modernize some weapons.

3. China

It has another 2,800 aircraft in its Air Force. China has about 300 nuclear weapons at its disposal, along with 180 different methods of deploying them. China recently acquired classified information about the new F-35, and is known to successfully steal sensitive military equipment. China is rightfully one of the top 3 armed forces.

According to official figures, China's defense budget is $126 billion, and this amount may increase by another 12.2% in the near future. The Chinese army is massive, with 2.285 million active front-line personnel and another 2.3 million reservists, the largest ground force in the world, yet operating with 25,000 ground troops. vehicles. Chinese aviation consists of 2,800 aircraft. China also has about 300 nuclear weapons at its disposal. Given all this, we can say that China rightfully ranks third in our ranking of the most powerful countries in the world.

2. Russia

Russia's military budget is $76,600 million, but it will increase by 44% in the next three years. In fact, Kremlin spending has increased by about a third since 2008, especially when Vladimir Putin became president in 2000. The Russian army has shown significant growth since the collapse Soviet Union two decades ago. About 766,000 active personnel are involved in the Russian army, including about 2.5 million people in the reserve forces. In addition, 15,500 tanks are in service, making Russia the largest tank force in the world, although they are becoming obsolete like any other equipment. Russia is also the leader among nuclear states, having at its disposal 8500 active nuclear warheads.

1. United States of America

The United States annually spends a whopping $612500000000 to maintain the army. This is the budget is equal to the sum budgets of nine other countries combined. The United States maintains a surprisingly large army of over 1.4 million soldiers and another 800,000 reservists. In addition to active ground teams, the reserve includes trained men and women ready to assist the troops at any given time. The advantage of the USA is that the country is the world leader in the production of aviation equipment. Also in service with the States are 19 aircraft carriers, while all other states have a total of only 12 pieces. The 7,500 nuclear warheads also help maintain the United States of America as the world's most powerful country and military.

Comments 0

The Russian army has entered the top three strongest in the world; in the Credit Suisse rating, the military of the Russian Federation is evaluated together with the armies of China and the United States. What is the real alignment of forces among states ready for military conflicts?medialeaks publishes a list of the 20 most powerful armies in the world according to the organization.

At the end of September financial institution published a report in which she indicated the TOP-20 of the most powerful armies in the world. Based on this graph, our publication made a detailed list and added its own comments.

When compiling the rating, such parameters as the budget, the size of the army, the number of tanks, aircraft, combat helicopters, aircraft carriers and submarines, and partly the presence of nuclear weapons were taken into account. The technical level of weapons affected the position in the list to a lesser extent, and the real combat capability of a particular army was practically not assessed.

Thus, the assessment of the position of some countries may raise questions. Let's say the Israeli army concedes two positions to Egypt, mainly because of the number of employees and tanks. However, in all clashes, the first won an unconditional victory over the second, despite the numerical superiority.

It is interesting to note that none of the countries was included in the list. Latin America. So, for example, despite the size of the population and economy, Brazil's military doctrine does not involve serious external or internal threats, so the cost of the army in this country is only about 1% of GDP.

It is also somewhat strange that Iran with its half a million soldiers, one and a half thousand tanks and 300 combat aircraft was not included in the list.

20. Canada

Budget: $15.7 billion
Active Army: 22,000
Tanks: 181
Aviation: 420
Subs: 4

The Canadian Army closes the list: it does not have such a large number and not so much military equipment. Be that as it may, the Canadian military is actively involved in all US operations. In addition, Canada is a member of the F-35 program.

19. Indonesia

Budget: $6.9 billion
Active army strength: 476,000
Tanks: 468
Aviation: 405
Subs: 2

Indonesia was on the list due to the large number of military personnel and the noticeable size of the tank group, but for an island country it lacks naval forces: in particular, there are no aircraft carriers, and only two diesel submarines are in service.

18. Germany

Budget: $40.2 billion
The number of active army: 179 thousand people
Tanks: 408
Aviation: 663
Subs: 4

After the Second World War, Germany did not have its own army for 10 years. During the confrontation between the West and the USSR, the Bundeswehr numbered up to half a million people, but after the unification, the country's authorities abandoned the doctrine of confrontation and sharply reduced investments in defense. Apparently, therefore, in the Credit Suisse rating, the German Armed Forces were even behind Poland. At the same time, Berlin is actively sponsoring the eastern allies in NATO.

17. Poland

Budget: $9.4 billion
Active Army: 120,000
Tanks: 1,009
Aviation: 467
Subs: 5

Poland was ahead of its western neighbor in military power due to a larger number of tanks and submarines, although the Polish Army has been losing in most military conflicts for the past 300 years. Be that as it may, Warsaw increased spending on the army after the annexation of Crimea to Russia and the outbreak of conflict in eastern Ukraine.

16. Thailand

Budget: $5.4 billion
Active army strength: 306,000
Tanks: 722
Aviation: 573
Subs: 0

The Thai army has been keeping the situation inside the country under control since May 2014, the armed forces are the main guarantee of political stability. It employs a significant number of people, there are a large number of modern tanks and aircraft.

15. Australia

Budget: $26.1 billion
Active Army: 58,000
Tanks: 59
Aviation: 408
Subs: 6

Members of the Australian Armed Forces are consistently involved in all NATO operations. In accordance with national doctrine, Australia should be able to stand alone against an invasion from outside. The defense forces are formed on a professional basis, the army is well equipped technically, there is a modern fleet and a large number of combat helicopters.

14. Israel

Budget: $17 billion
Active Army: 160,000
Tanks: 4,170
Aviation: 684
Subs: 5

Israel is the most underestimated participant in the rating. The IDF won all the conflicts in which it participated, and sometimes the Israelis had to fight on several fronts against an enemy many times superior in number. In addition to a huge amount of the latest offensive and defensive weapons of its own design, Credit Suisse's analysis does not take into account the fact that there are several hundred thousand reservists in the country with combat experience and high motivation. The visiting card of the IDF is female military personnel who have proven that the weaker sex with a machine gun is no less effective than the strong one. Not to mention the fact that, according to unverified data, Israel has about 80 nuclear warheads in service.

13. Taiwan

Budget: $10.7 billion
Active army strength: 290,000
Tanks: 2005
Aviation: 804
Subs: 4

The authorities of the Republic of China believe that they are the legitimate government of the Celestial Empire and sooner or later they must return to Beijing, and until this happens, the army is always ready for the invasion of usurpers from the mainland. And although in reality the armed forces of the island will hardly be able to withstand the Chinese army, two thousand modern tanks and 800 aircraft and helicopters make it a serious force.

12. Egypt

Budget: $4.4 billion
Active army strength: 468,000
Tanks: 4,624
Aviation: 1,107
Subs: 4

The army of Egypt was in the ranking due to the number and amount of equipment, although as the war showed doomsday, even a threefold superiority in tanks is offset by high combat skills and the technical level of weapons. At the same time, it is known that about a thousand "Abrams" of the Egyptian Armed Forces are simply mothballed in warehouses. Nevertheless, Cairo will acquire two Mistral-type helicopter carriers not supplied by France to the Russian Federation, and about 50 Ka-52 combat helicopters for them, which will make Egypt a truly serious military force in the region.

11. Pakistan

Budget: $7 billion
The number of active army: 617 thousand people
Tanks: 2,924
Aviation: 914
Subs: 8

Pakistan's army is one of the largest in the world, it has a lot of tanks and aircraft, the US supports Islamabad with equipment. The main threat is internal, in remote areas of the country ruled by local leaders and the Taliban. In addition, Pakistan has not reached an agreement on the borders with India: the territories of the states of Jammu and Kashmir remain disputed, formally the countries are in a state of conflict, within which they are conducting an arms race. Pakistan has medium-range ballistic missiles and about a hundred nuclear warheads

10. Turkey

Budget: $18.2 billion
Active Army: 410,000
Tanks: 3,778
Aviation: 1,020
Subs: 13

Turkey claims to be a regional leader, therefore it is constantly building up and updating its armed forces. A huge number of tanks, aviation and a large modern fleet (though without aircraft carriers) allows the Turkish army to be considered the strongest among the Muslim countries of the Middle East.

9. UK

Budget: $60.5 billion
Active Army: 147,000
Tanks: 407
Aviation: 936
Subs: 10

After the end of World War II, Great Britain abandoned the idea of ​​​​military dominance around the world in favor of the United States, but the Royal Armed Forces still have significant power and take part in all NATO operations. Her Majesty's fleet includes several nuclear-powered submarines with strategic nuclear weapons: a total of about 200 warheads. By 2020, the aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth is expected to be commissioned, which will be able to carry 40 F-35B fighters.

8. Italy

Budget: $34 billion
Active Army: 320,000
Tanks: 586
Aviation: 760
Subs: 6

7. South Korea

Budget: $62.3 billion
The number of active army: 624 thousand people
Tanks: 2,381
Aviation: 1,412
Subs: 13

South Korea retains numerous armed forces, although in terms of quantitative indicators in everything except aviation, it continues to lose to its main potential adversary - the DPRK. The difference, of course, is in the technological level. Seoul has its latest and Western developments, Pyongyang has Soviet technology 50 years ago.

6. France

Budget: $62.3 billion
The number of active army: 202 thousand people
Tanks: 423
Aviation: 1,264
Subs: 10

The French army is still the main military force in Africa and continues to actively intervene in local conflicts. Recently, the attack nuclear aircraft carrier "Charles de Gaulle" was put into operation. Currently, France has approximately 300 strategic nuclear warheads, which are deployed on nuclear submarines. There are also 60 tactical warheads.

5. India

Budget: $50 billion
Active Army: 1.325 million
Tanks: 6,464
Aviation: 1,905
Subs: 15

The third largest army in terms of the number of military personnel and the fourth largest army in terms of equipment in the world. The fact that India has about a hundred nuclear warheads, three aircraft carriers and two nuclear submarines in service makes it the fifth most powerful.

4. Japan

Budget: $41.6 billion
Active Army: 247,000
Tanks: 678
Aviation: 1,613
Subs: 16

The most unexpected thing in the ranking is Japan's 4th place, despite the fact that formally the country cannot have an army, but only self-defense forces. Business Insider attributes this to the high level of equipment of the Japanese aircraft. In addition, they include 4 helicopter carriers, 9 destroyers. At the same time, Japan does not have nuclear weapons, and this, together with a small number of tanks, makes one think that the position of this army is greatly overestimated.

3. China

Budget: $216 billion
Active Army: 2.33 million
Tanks: 9,150
Aviation: 2,860
Subs: 67

The second economy in the world has the largest active army, however, in terms of the number of tanks, planes and helicopters, it is still noticeably inferior not only to the United States, but also to Russia. But the defense budget exceeds the Russian one by 2.5 times. As far as we know, China keeps several hundred nuclear warheads on combat duty. However, some believe that in reality the PRC may have several thousand warheads, but this information is carefully classified.

2. Russia

Budget: $84.5 billion
Active Army: 1 million
Tanks: 15,398
Aviation: 3,429
Subs: 55

Syria has demonstrated once again that Russia rightly continues to hold a solid 2nd place among the strongest, according to Business Insider. The RF Armed Forces are inferior to China only in the number of submarines. And if the rumors about China's secret nuclear stockpile are not true, far ahead of it in this area. It is believed that as part of the strategic nuclear forces Russia has about 350 carriers and about 2,000 nuclear warheads. The number of tactical nuclear charges is unknown and may be several thousand.

1. USA

Budget: $601 billion
Active Army: 1.4 million
Tanks: 8,848
Aviation: 13,892
Subs: 72

The US military budget is comparable to the previous 19th. The Navy includes 10 aircraft carriers. It is characteristic that, unlike Moscow, which made back in Soviet times relying on tanks, Washington is developing combat aircraft. In addition, the American authorities, despite the end cold war, continue to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in the development of the latest military technologies, thanks to which the United States remains a leader not only in everything related to killing people, but also in areas such as robotics and prosthetics.