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Top 10 Countries With The Strongest Military Power

The U.S remains the first on the list of countries with the strongest military power, with Russia coming behind. See the full top 10 list.

Published

2 years ago

August 8, 2022

Praise Shogbade

Countries with the strongest military power

A nation’s asset is not only in its treasury but in its defense system. Every country is concerned with the safety of its people and the defense of the nation in its entirety. This is why they invest so much time, energy, and resources into making their army one of the strongest in the world.

A country’s military strength is defined in terms of weapons and platforms, defense spending, signature capabilities, Asian military posture, and armed forces and organization among other criteria.

The United States has the strongest army in the world for now, with countries like Russia, India, and Japan coming behind. In this article, RNN will highlight the top 10 countries with the strongest military power.

10. Turkey

Budget: $18.2 billion
Active frontline personnel: 410,500
Tanks: 3,778
Total aircraft: 1,020
Submarines: 13

Turkey is the 10th on our list of top 10 countries with the strongest army in the world. In the eastern Mediterranean, Turkey has the largest armed forces despite lacking an aircraft carrier.

As a committed member of the F-35 program, the country boasts of a large fleet of tanks and numerous aircraft and attack helicopters. Only 5 countries reportedly have more submarines than Turkey.

Turkey is a well-known member of NATO. The transcontinental nation has an army of 410,500 men and women and a budget of barely over $18 billion, quite low when compared it its counterparts on this list.

9. The United Kingdom

Budget: $61.5 billion
Active frontline personnel: 146,980
Tanks: 407
Total aircraft: 936
Submarines: 10

Although the U.K armed forces no longer dominate in Europe and the world at large, it remains one of the strongest armies in the world to date. Between 2018 and 2020, the U.K made a decision to reduce the size of its military by 20% which eventually happened. This is the reason for the drop in its position on the world’s ranking of countries with the strongest military power.

Despite the drop, however, the U.K army has some of the most powerful munitions in the world. One of its most prized possession is the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier, which was commissioned by the Royal Navy in 2020. The carrier has a 4.5-acre flight deck and is capable of transporting 40 F-35B joint strike fighters across the world.

8. Italy

Budget: $34 billion
Active frontline personnel: 320,000
Tanks: 586
Total aircraft: 760
Submarines: 6

Italy is a Mediterranean naval power, ranking 8th on the list of “countries with the strongest military power in the world”. The country has 2 aircraft carriers, 16 warships, and 241 war-capable aircraft flown in the air.

Since World War II, Italy has not been involved in major conflicts, however, the country retains its military power.

Italy‘s submarine and attack helicopter fleets are known to aid the country’s ascension to new military heights in world rankings.

7. France

Budget: $62.3 billion
Active frontline personnel: 208,700
Tanks: 423
Total aircraft: 1,264
Submarines: 10

France may be small in size but its military strength is nothing like the country’s size. France has the strongest military force in the European Union. The French military is well-trained, and professional. It holds the capacity to deploy much quantity of force.

According to reports, France’s naval fleet also dominates in the Mediterranean, boasting of one aircraft carrier, 27 warships, and 10 nuclear submarines.

France’s army is popularly known for its aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, and its routine military deployments to Africa as a way of assisting the governments to fight terrorism.

6. South Korea

Budget: $62.3 billion
Active frontline personnel: 624,465
Tanks: 2,381
Total aircraft: 1,412
Submarines: 13

South Korea has no choice but to upgrade its military strength as a result of its unpredictable neighbor- North Korea. The country has quite a number of submarines, attack helicopters, and active personnel.

The nation is known to have the sixth largest air force in the world with a human strength of 624, 465. On the sea, South Korea boasts of 35 naval vessels, and on the ground, it employs 2,321 battle tanks.

Despite potential North Korean aggression, South Korea has no nuclear weapons. However, it has about 600 aircraft.

5. Japan

Budget: $49.7 billion
Active frontline personnel: 247,173
Tanks: 678
Total aircraft: 1,613
Submarines: 22

Like China (as we will see later in this article), Japan has not been involved in any major conflicts in recent decades despite being one of the axis forces in World War II.

Compared to the top four countries with the strongest military power, Japan has a relatively small military, however, they are strong and well-equipped. Part of their equipment includes 678 tanks, 47 warships, and 606 warplanes in the air.

Japan’s current budget is $49.7 billion and over 247,000 men and women serve in its armed forces. It also has the fourth largest attack helicopter fleet behind China, Russia, and the US.

4. India

Budget: $62 billion

Active frontline personnel: 1,325,000
Tanks: 6,464
Total aircraft:

India is allegedly one of the most underestimated nations in terms of military strength. However, it has one of the strongest armies in the world.

According to Global Firepower, India boasts of the world’s most tanks (6,464), fighter aircraft, and Towed artillery. The country has the most active manpower besides the U.S and China. Its nuclear weapons are also nothing to joke about.

3. The Chinese Army

Budget: $216 billion
Active frontline personnel: 2,333,000
Tanks: 9,150
Total aircraft: 2,860
Submarines: 67

Although China has also not been involved in any major armed conflict in the last few decades, it still remains part of the top 3 countries with the strongest military power in the world. The rapid growth of the Chinese military over the years is still a wonder to many other nations.

In terms of human strength, China has the largest military in the world. The country also boasts of having the second largest tank fleet after Russia.

China’s modernization program has equally developed within a very short time frame. The country is currently developing military technologies which are potential game-changers in the military world.

2. The Russian Army

Budget: $43.2 billion
Active frontline personnel: About 1 million
Tanks: 13, 830
Total aircraft: 3,429
Submarines: 55

Russia takes second place on the list of countries with the strongest army in the world. The nation has the largest tank fleet and second largest aircraft fleet in the world.

Russia also has about one million active personnel in command of over 27 thousand armored vehicles, 3,860 rocket projectors, and 6,083 self-propelled artillery groups.

Its defense budget is estimated at $43.2 billion.

1. The U.S Army

Budget: $738 billion
Active frontline personnel: 1,400,000
Tanks: 8,848
Total aircraft: 13,892
Submarines: 72

The United States army is still the strongest army in the world as of August 2022. The country’s army has risen over the years to become the most powerful in the globe despite its defeat in Afghanistan.

In spite of its spending cuts, the U.S military force spends more money on defense than any other country in the world. The country’s army budget is $738 billion.

The U.S Army has a total of 1.4 million men and women in its armed forces. It also boasts of cutting-edge technology like the Navy’s new rail gun and the world’s largest nuclear arsenal. The army also has 6,125 nuclear weapons, 11 aircraft carriers, 68 nuclear submarines, 3,761 military aircraft, 867 attack helicopters, 6,209 tanks, and 113 warships.