Powerful army of any nation is considered a sign of strength and power of that nation. We have seen in the past the wars in Afghanistan, Vietnam and in Syria and all these wars demonstrated and shown this fact that small numbers of belligerents can carry out successful military operations against superior forces. But despite this fact, still, firepower is extremely important. Different types of research studies and surveys have shown this fact that a country’s projection of power relies in large part upon its military capabilities.

There are different ranking agencies in the world who have selected different countries on the basis of the strength and power of the army they have. The criteria for selection of country based on its powerful army are quite fair. They rank the most powerful militaries in the world based on the multiple factors including available manpower, total labor force and access to the strategic assets. Most importantly, the nuclear capabilities are not included in the calculation. Here we will see some powerful and best armies of the world.

1. United States

Army of United State is considered as one of the most powerful armies in the world. United States is spending huge budgets on it army and currently total defense budget of U.S is around $612 billion. There are different types o f research reports that have clearly shown this fact that despite sequestration and other spending cuts, the United States spends more money on its defense rather than any country of the world.

The main advantage of this biggest conventional military is its fleet of 19 aircrafts as compared to 12 carriers operated by the rest of the world collectively. The most important benefit of this massive carrier is that it allows the U.S to set up forward operating bases any where and project power throughout the world. This country has cutting edge technology like the Navy’s new rail gun and a well trained human force. This super power also has the most aircrafts than any other country.

source:army.mil

2. Russia

The Russia is also categorized a country which has strong and powerful army in the world and it comes to number two on the list. There are different types of research reports that have clearly shown this fact that two decades after the collapse of Soviet Union, Russia’s military is growing again. Currently, total defense budget of Russia is around $76.6 billion. This country has currently 766,000 active frontline personnel with a reserve force of 2,485,000 personnel. In addition to this, Russia also has 15,500 tanks which are for the support of huge manpower of this army and this is considered as the largest tank force in the world.

source:minnpost.com

3. China

The military of China is also considered as the most powerful army of the world and it comes to number three on the list. China has embarked upon a relentless policy for massive military spending with 12.2% increase in the spending as compared to the past years. Currently total defense budget of China is around $126 billion. According to the official record of the China’s defense ministry, the size of the Chinese army is staggering, with 2,285,000 active frontline personnel with an additional 2,300,000 as the reserve force. This country also has a history of successfully stealing sensitive military technology, such as the recently acquiring sensitive information about the new F-35.

source:armyrecognition.com

4. India

India is also considered a powerful country which has strong and the most powerful army of the world. There are different types of defense analytical survey reports that have clearly shown this fact India’s defense spending is expected to rise as it pursues a modernization drive. Currently it is estimated that India only spends $46 billion on its budget and it is slated to become the fourth highest spender by 2020. It is already the world’s largest importer of military goods. This powerful army has range of ballistic missiles with a range capable of hitting all of Pakistan or most of China.

source:indianarmy.thecompleteactor.com

5. United Kingdom

This is also considered as one of the most powerful armies of the world. The U.K is planning on reducing the size of its armed forces by 20% between 2010 and 2018 with smaller cuts to the Royal Navy and RAF. The defense budget of this army stands around $54 billion. Despite scaling back, the U.K counts on being able to project its power around the world. The Royal Navy is planning on putting the HMS Queen Elizabeth, an aircraft carrier that has a flight deck measuring at 4.5 acres, into service in 2020.

source:mistertopten.com

6. France

This is also considered a big country having powerful and strong army. According to official data published by defense ministry of France, the total defense budget of France is around $43 billion which around 1.9% of its GDP. France effectively froze its military spending in 2013 while cutting 10% of its defense jobs in an effort to save money for purchasing high-tech equipments. Despite a leveling off its military budget, France is still highly capable of projecting force around the globe, with significant deployments in the Central African Republic, Chad, Mali, Senegal and elsewhere around the world.

source:funnyjunk.com

7. Germany

Germany is also considered a resourceful economy having powerful and strong army. German military strength falls short of its economic strength on the world stage. Recently, Germany has started considering offering military support to Eastern NATO members. It has also considered a more active international role military. According to the official data published by defense department of Germany, Germany spends around $45 billion on its military annually, making it the eight largest spenders in the world.

There are different types o f research reports that have clearly shown this fact that after World War II, the German population generally became anti-war. The German military was originally limited to a defense force but now it has become more accustomed to taking an active international role following the breakup of Yugoslavia.

source:economist.com

8. Turkey

There are different types of research reports that have clearly shown this fact that Turkish military spending is expected to rise around 9.4% in 2014 as compared to the last year defense budget. The ongoing conflict in Syria and possible clashes with the Kurdish separatists organization, the PKK, were key reasons for the spending increase. According to the official record, Turkey’s defense budget stands at $18.2 billion.

It is great thing to mention here that the NATO member has contributed soldiers to various initiatives around the world. The Turkish military took part in operations in Afghanistan, as well as in peacekeeping operations in the Balkans. Turkey also maintains a large military force in Northern Cyprus.

source:newstime.jp

9. South Korea

South Korea is also considered another resourceful economy having powerful and strong army. South Korea has been increasing its defense spending due to both increasing armament of Japan and China, and the constant threat from North Korea. The total defense budget of South Korea is around $34 billion.

According to official data published by Defense Department of South Korea, South Korea has relatively large military force for its small size. It has 640,000 active personnel with an additional 2,900,000 personnel in the reserves. This army has around 2,346 tanks and 1,393 aircraft. The South Korean military is generally well-trained and routinely takes part in military exercise with the United States. South Korea’s air force is also the sixth largest in the world.

source:usttopten.com

10. Japan

Japan increased its defense spending for the first time in 11 years in response to growing dispute with China. It has also started its first military expansion in over 40 years by placing a new military base on its outer islands. Japan is the sixth largest spending country on the armed forces of the world and it spends around $49.1 billion.

The armed forces of Japan are fairly well-equipped. It currently has 247,000 active personnel with an additional 57,900 in reserve. Japan has 1,595 aircraft and 131 ships and this thing makes it world’s fifth largest air force. Japan’s military is limited by a peace clause in the constitution that makes it illegal for the country to have an offensive army.

source:army.mil