Top 10 Military Powers of the World

Every country has the right to defend itself. Top military powers strive for excellence and maximum strike power. War is something that has been common and stuck to mankind from thousands of years. Let’s discuss who are the top 10 military powers of the world as we speak.

War! We can do without it, but mankind has proven that it can’t do without going to war every now and then. Nevertheless, every country is in the continuous race and process of upgrading their own power, and all want and need to be ready to meet any eventuality. Ok, let me make it clear that this article just talks about numbers, and in no way does it truly reflect any country’s capability. As we all know very well, that besides all the firepower, strategy, intelligence inputs, respective situations, etc., all play a significant part in determining the success or downfall of a nation during a war or conflict. Besides, the numbers change often, and might I add without the knowledge of many of us outside (we would be the ones in the hot seat controlling everything). Now let us have a look as to who the top 10 military powers of the world are:

The Top 10 Military Powers of the World

• Unites States of America
• China
• Russia
• India
• United Kingdom
• France
• Germany
• Brazil
• Japan
• Turkey

Top Ten Military Powers – Statistics

Being one of the world’s top militaries takes a lot of doing. It is a mix of quantity and quality. Just by numbers everything can’t be achieved. It has to be an overall mix of brawn and brain. In the following table we will try to look at the main aspects which determine the brute force of the world’s top military powers.

RANK

COUNTRY

LAND AREA (sq kms)

ANNUAL DEFENSE BUDGET (USD)

MILITARY PERSONNEL

AIR FORCE PLANES

NAVY SHIPS

I

USA

9,826,630

$515 Billion

1,385,000

22,700

1,600

II

China

9,596,960

$59 Billion

2,255,000

2,400

760

III

Russia

17,075,200

$43 Billion

1,245,000

6,500

525

IV

India

3,287,590

$33 Billion

1,325,000

1,250

145

V

UK

244,820

$53 Billion

195,000

2,670

140

VI

France

643,427

$62 Billion

225,000

1,900

135

VII

Germany

357,021

$46 Billion

250,000

1,100

130

VIII

Brazil

8,511,965

$24 Billion

287,000

1,650

90

IX

Japan

377,835

$44 Billion

378,000

2,700

150

X

Turkey

780,580

$31 Billion

514,000

1,530

180

And just for information sake, the next 10 military powers are Israel, South Korea, Italy, Indonesia, Pakistan, Taiwan, Egypt, Iran, Mexico, and North Korea.

The above table gives us an overview of the strengths and fire power of the top 10 military powers of the world. The chart is just to view numbers, and rankings take into consideration many aspects such as intelligence, actual combat experience, training, skill, back-up, movement of troops and weapons, etc. Also as mentioned earlier, numbers will not be absolutely accurate, as they keep changing regularly according to specific needs and situations. An interesting fact is that, out of all the countries in the world, Israel has a reserve army that can be mobilized into actual combat more quickly than anyone else. Just numbers are not enough, and this is something that can be citied in a good example in the table regarding the USA and China. Though China has an army nearly twice the size of the USA, the strike power of the USA is double that of China. This is due to many other factors as we have mentioned, like training, skill, modernized equipment, strategy, intelligence, etc. Though, it can be safely said that these are the 10 top militaries in the world as we speak.

There are also many other things that need to be taken into consideration regarding the top ten. For example, the United States indulges in combat mainly in other countries, and for the purpose of quashing terrorism, rouge armies, and peacekeeping ventures. Some countries are engaged in continuous small skirmishes with their neighbors, and are active in protecting their own borders.

Nuclear weapons are also a key factor, something that has never been used since the bombing of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

. God forbid, even if a war breaks out in which multiple countries are involved, it is very unlikely that they will be used, and the war(s) will be fought in the conventional ways itself. Another aspect is type of weaponry, the advanced military weapons that a state possesses.

To get into the top 10 military powers of the world bracket is no mean task. Also, staying there is equally tough, as almost all countries and for ever engaged in bettering themselves when it comes to military defense. No one wants to be less then their immediate threat, and need to be ever so ready to face any unwanted situation. To summarize, a military war is not something simple, and best if avoided.