Top 11 strongest armies in the world

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Military and economic experts regularly determine the global index of military power - the Global Firepower Index. This is one of the most objective ratings; it takes into account more than 50 different indicators. This year, experts analyzed the armed forces of 127 states.

When compiling the Global Firepower (GFP) Index, not only a scrupulous count of tanks, aircraft and warships is carried out, but also 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 the coastal lines - in a word, all factors that can affect the combat effectiveness of the national army.

The presence of a nuclear arsenal is not taken into account, but states with nuclear weapons receive a “bonus”. The top three - the USA, Russia and China - have remained unchanged for three years. This is what the ranking of the most powerful armies in the world looked like in 2015.

Photo website army.mil.

Defense budget - $587,800,000,000 (almost $588 billion)

5,884 tanks

19 aircraft carriers

13762 aircraft

The total number of naval vessels is 415

Army size - 1,400,000

2. Russia

Defense budget - $44.6 billion

20,215 tanks

1 aircraft carrier

3,794 aircraft

Army strength - 766,055

3. China

Defense budget - $161.7 billion

6,457 tanks

1 aircraft carrier

2,955 aircraft

Army size - 2,335,000

4. India

Defense budget - $51 billion

4,426 tanks

3 aircraft carriers

2,102 aircraft

Army size - 1,325,000

5. France

Photo: French Armed Forces Facebook page.

Defense budget - $35 billion

406 tanks

4 aircraft carriers

1,305 aircraft

Army size: 205,000

6. UK

Prince Harry during his military service. Royal Navy Marine Instagram photo.

Defense budget - $45.7 billion

249 tanks

1 helicopter carrier

856 aircraft

Army size - 150,000

7. Japan

Defense budget - $43.8 billion

700 tanks

4 helicopter carriers

1,594 aircraft

Army size: 250,000

8. Türkiye

Defense budget - $8.2 billion

2445 tanks

Aircraft carriers - 0

1,018 aircraft

Army size - 410,500

9. Germany

Defense budget - $39.2 billion

543 tanks

Aircraft carriers - 0

698 aircraft

Army size - 180,000

10. Italy

Photo from flickr.com

Defense budget - $34 billion

200 tanks

Aircraft carriers - 2

822 aircraft

Army size - 320,000

11. South Korea

Defense budget - $43.8 billion

2,654 tanks

1 aircraft carrier

1,477 aircraft

Army size - 625,000

It is worth noting that the most important criterion for evaluating an army is combat operations. And the Global Firepower Index does not take this parameter into account. Russia and the United States also have a clear advantage here, for example, over China. Russia fought with Georgia and, how can I put it, probably with Ukraine. Plus he is conducting a military operation in Syria. And the United States fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, and is also participating in operations in Syria.