Top Militaries in the World

How do you define the 'strength of an army'? In ancient times - when the battles were dominated by close combat techniques, manpower was the most important factor which determined the strength of a army. Of late however, things have changed considerably and warfare - which was back then dominated by close combat technique, has now become more of a technical affair. This implies that the largest army in terms of manpower need not be the strongest of them all. Even though the United States military forces come second to China in terms of manpower, the state-of-the-art technology that they use can help them get an edge over their Chinese counterparts. That being said, almost all the countries have made significant progress in terms of 'war technicalities', and that has made it all the more difficult to determine which are the top military powers of the world.

Top 10 Best Modern Militaries/Armed Forces of the World

Owing to the absence of a universal measure for determining military strength, the task of compiling world military strength rankings in not at all an easy task. There exist several factors which need to be taken into consideration when determining the same; and the strike power, size of troops, equipment used, official defense budget, global reach, etc., are a just few of them. Given below is a list of top 10 military powers of the world which make a cut in most - if not all, these factors.

United States Armed Forces
Over the last few decades, the United States Armed Forces - the military forces of the United States of America, have made their presence felt in each and every part of the world. Some call it hegemony, while others call it sheer show of strength - the fact remains that the United States military is the best military force in the world. There exist five service branches of the United States Armed Forces - the US Army, US Navy, US Marine Corps, US Air Force and the US Coast Guard. With an annual budget of $692 billion - which is 4.7 percent of the nation's GDP, the United States ranks first in the list of countries by their military expenditure. All the units combined, the United States Armed Forces has 1,477,896 - which is second largest in the world, and 1,458,500 reserve personnel serving for the nation.

The People's Liberation Army (PLA)
The giant strides that the Chinese armed forces - the People's Liberation Army, has taken over the last few years has put it in the 2nd position in the list of best armies of the world. The Chinese army has five service branches - the PLA Ground Force, PLA Navy (PLAN), PLA Air Force (PLAAF), Second Artillery Corps (strategic nuclear or missile force), and the PLA Reserve Force. Even though the defense budget of $91.5 billion, which amounts to 1.4 percent of the nation's GDP, puts it in the 2nd position in terms of military expenditure after the United States, the 2,285,000 active personnel that it boasts of puts it in the numero uno position in terms of troops size - right above its North American counterpart.

Indian Armed Forces
Hostile neighborhood and vast geographical expanse makes it mandatory for the Republic of India to maintain a powerful army - and that is very well highlighted by the strength of the Indian Armed Forces. The service branches of the Indian military include the Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force and the Indian Coast Guard along with a few inter-service institutions which assist them. Its annual budget of $36.03 billion - 1.83 percent of the GDP, puts it at the 10th position in terms of defense expenditure. As far as troops' size is concerned, the Indian Armed Forces combined boast of 1,325,000 active personnel - the 3rd largest in the world, and 2,142,821 reserve personnel in service. At the same time, you can't afford to ignore the fact that India is the largest arms importer, and one of 30 largest arms exporter, of the world.

British Armed Forces
The military forces of the United Kingdom - the British Armed Forces, have an important place when it comes to militaries of the European Union. Also referred to as 'Her Majesty's Armed Forces' or the 'Armed Forces of the Crown', the British Armed Forces has three service branches - the Royal Navy, British Army and the Royal Air Force. With an estimated defense budget of $74.36 billion - which is 2.5 percent of its GDP, the United Kingdom ranks 3rd in terms of defense expenditure after the United States and China. All its service branches combined have a total of 194,440 active personnel, and 230,720 reserve personnel (191,300 regular reserves and 39,420 volunteer reserves).

Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
The military service of Russia - known as the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, came into existence after the dissolution of Soviet Union. It comprises a total of six units - three service branches namely the Russian Ground Forces, Russian Navy and the Russian Air Force, and three independent arms of service namely the Strategic Missile Troops, Military Space Forces, and the Russian Airborne Troops. The defense expenditure of $56 billion - which roughly amounts to 3.5 percent of the GDP, puts Russia in the 5th position in terms of military expenditure, while the 1,200,000 active personnel that it boasts of puts it in the 4th position in terms of troops' size.

French Armed Forces
The French Armed Forces - military service of France, has been playing an important role in coalition and unilateral peacekeeping in various parts of the world. It comprises four service branches - the French Army, the French Navy, the French Air Force and the National Gendarmerie, of which the National Gendarmerie happens to be a paramilitary force in charge of public safety. The $62.7 billion (which doesn't include the expenditure on National Gendarmerie) that the French administration spends on defense purpose amounts to 2.1 percent of the nation's GDP. All the forces combined, the French Armed Forces has 250,582 active personnel and 419,000 to its credit.

Republic of Korea Armed Forces (South Korea)
The age-old rivalry between North Korea and South Korea has seen some sparks fly of late, with both sides boasting of immense military power. The military forces for South Korea - the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, are grouped in four service branches - the Republic of Korea Army, Republic of Korea Navy, Republic of Korea Air Force and the Republic of Korea Reserve Forces. (The Republic of Korea Marine Corps comes under the direct supervision of the South Korean Naval branch.) The country spends 2.6 percent of its GDP - which roughly amounts to $26.10 billion, on defense services. With 653,000 active personnel (the 6th largest in the world) and 3,200,000 reserve personnel, South Korean military is not one to be taken lightly for sure.

Korean People's Army (North Korea)
If South Korean armed forces are well-equipped with technicalities of modern warfare, their North Korean counterparts - Korean People's Army (KPA), are not far behind. Also referred to as Inmin Gun, the KPA consists of five service branches - the KPA Army Ground Force, KPA Navy, KPA Air Force, the Artillery Guidance Bureau and the North Korean Special Operation Force. The annual military budget for Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is not known. It is estimated that the total troops strength of this military dictatorship is somewhere around 9,306,000 - of which 1,106,000 are active personnel, while 8,200,000 are reserved personnel.

Israel Defense Forces
The military forces of the State of Israel - the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) may not be the largest, but its power cannot be undermined for sure. The Israel Defense Forces has three service branches - the Israeli Army, Israeli Air Force and the Israeli Navy. Even though the $13.4 billion that Israel spends on its military expenditure may seem to be a small amount, it amounts to 6.9 percent of its GDP, and that shows how serious the nation is when it comes to defense. In terms of troops, Israel Defense Forces combined have 187,000 active personnel and 565,000 to its credit.

Pakistani Armed Forces
The second nation from the Indian sub-continent to feature in the list of 10 top militaries in the world is Pakistan. The military forces of Pakistan - known as the Pakistani Armed Forces, is made up of three main service branches: the Pakistan Army, Pakistan Navy and the Pakistan Air Force. (The Pakistan Marines come under the direct supervision of the Pakistani Navy.) All these three service branches work along with the paramilitary forces of the country when it comes to national defense. At $6.41 billion, Pakistan spends 2.6 percent of its total GDP on defense services every year. It is ranked 7th largest in the world with a total of 617,000 active troops and 513,000 reserve troops.

Of the ten nations mentioned above, the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, India, Pakistan and North Korea have nuclear weapons in their arsenal (see top 10 nuclear weapons countries). Even though the nuclear power of these nations has helped them enter the list of top ten military powers of the world, it's highly unlikely that any of them would resort to such destructive power in present times. At the same time, there is no doubt about the fact that if at all they do, it would cause far more destruction than what was caused in Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the World War II.