The specialized site Global Firepower has published a rating of the most powerful armies in the world in 2019. 137 countries are listed, with over 55 different factors used to determine the PowerIndex for each country.
However, the complete list is not only based on the total number of weapons available for a given country, it focuses on the variety of weapons within the total number, which provides the best balance of available firepower.
In addition, the presence of nuclear weapons is not directly recognized (but receives an indirect bonus score), but geographical factors, material and technical base, natural resources and local industry directly affect the ranking.
10. Germany
The ranking of world armies in 2019 is opened by the German armed forces, numbering 178 thousand people. At the same time, the country's defense budget is 49.1 billion dollars, which is more than Russia spends with its millionth army.
However, the state of the military equipment of the Bundeswehr is of concern to the German Ministry of Defense. Only a third of new aircraft, armored vehicles and other equipment supplied to the German army can be considered serviceable. This was reported by the publication Stuttgarter Nachrichten, referring to the State Secretary of the German Ministry of Defense Peter Tauber.
9. Turkey
With 355,000 active military personnel and a defense budget of $ 8.6 billion, Turkey is rightfully considered one of the strongest armies in the world. It is the second most powerful NATO army after the United States.
An interesting fact: in peacetime, from serving in the Turkish army, you can officially pay off. This service costs 18 thousand lire, and brings to the budget of the country from 25 to 30 million dollars annually. This money goes to various army needs, for example, to pay the families of dead soldiers.
8. Great Britain
Either because of Brexit, or for other reasons, but England’s military spending has declined this year to $ 47.5 billion, compared with $ 50 billion in 2018. The British army currently has 150 thousand troops, which makes it the smallest on this list.
Despite the fact that the United Kingdom was in the top 10 most powerful armies of 2019, its army is 20 years old. This is the opinion of retired general Richard Barrons, which leads the publication of The Telegraph.
7. South Korea
Seoul and Washington work closely militarily. In early March, they held large-scale military headquarters exercises called Tongman, and in May, the country's first civilian exercises will take place, which will combine the maneuvers of the South Korean Armed Forces Taegeuk and part of the Ulchi Freedom Guardian military exercises combined with the United States.
Thus, the South Korean government wants to evaluate the army’s ability to repel armed attacks on its own. The second goal of the exercises is to work out actions in emergency situations (terrorist attacks, natural disasters, etc.).
625,000 people are serving in the South Korean army, and the defense budget is $ 38.3 billion.
6. Japan
Formally, the armed forces of Japan are called "self-defense forces," which includes naval, land and air forces.
Despite its non-aggression doctrine, Japan considers China and North Korea to be the main threats and is constantly upgrading its military capabilities. 247 thousand troops are serving in the Japanese army, and the country's defense budget is $ 47 billion.
5. France
The French government program provides for substantial military spending in 2019-2025. They will reach almost 300 billion euros.
In 2019, the Fifth Republic increased defense spending to $ 40.5 billion, an increase of 5% compared to 2018. The main focus, which will go the most funds, is cyber defense.
From 2005 to 2015, the French army was reduced by 60 thousand people, but the attacks made the government stop the wave of reductions. Now it is planned to recruit at least 6 thousand new employees in seven years. Currently, the number of active servicemen in the French army is 205,000.
4. India
According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), in 2018 India spent $ 58 billion, or 2.1% of its GDP, to support an army of 1.36 million troops, not counting reservists.
And according to Global Firepower, in 2019, India’s spending on defense is a bit more modest, amounting to 55 billion dollars.
However, IISS analysts believe that despite the large amount of manpower, India's military capabilities are limited due to inadequate logistics, poor maintenance, and a lack of ammunition and spare parts for equipment.
3. China
Year after year, the leaders of the three most powerful armies in the world remain unchanged. These are China, Russia and the USA. At the same time, China has the most active troops - 2.18 million people, and the defense budget, according to Global Firepower, is $ 224 billion.
According to other media reports, in 2019, China will increase its military budget to $ 178 billion, which is 8.9% higher than last year. Even amid falling economic growth, the Chinese government does not want to save on the army.
China intends to demonstrate the full power of its military machine to the 70th anniversary of its founding. April 23 - on the day of the formation of the Chinese Navy and October 1, two grand military parades are to take place, during which the latest weapons systems will be presented.
2. Russia
The second most powerful army in the world has 1 million troops, and the defense budget is $ 44 billion. At the same time, the share of the military budget from the total budget of the country in 2019 will be 17%, while in 2018 it amounted to 17.3%, and in 2017 - 19.3%.
The first number of the rating - the USA - shows the opposite picture, where the share of the budget of the Ministry of Defense this year will be 14.9%, and in 2018 amounted to 14.7%.
1. USA
America was named the most militarily powerful country in the world in 2019. This country has 1.28 million active troops, 13,398 aircraft, more than 6,200 tanks and a defense budget of $ 716 billion.
And in March of this year, Donald Trump appealed to Congress with a request to increase spending on national defense to $ 750 billion in fiscal year 2020. Most of the amount will go to the costs of the Pentagon, and the rest to foreign operations.
The weakest army in the world in 2019 was the army of Bhutan. It has only 7 thousand people, and the defense budget does not exceed 10 million dollars.
