Prepare for a double feature, because today we're showing you who the top ten weakest militaries in the world in 2022 are going to be, and why the top ten strongest militaries in the world really aren't. Did your nation make the cut on either list? 10th Weakest: Panama Panama is the second country in Latin America to abolish a standing army, After having its government overthrown by the military, Panama remained a military dictatorship until the removal of the infamous Manuel Noriega in a US invasion. After the invasion President Guillermo Endara prohibited the nation from having a standing military, and instead the nation operates a Panamanian Public Force made up of paramilitary units such as police which can be supplemented by a drafted standing army in case of external aggression.
Today the country can call upon a total force of 35,000 in case of a hostile invader, though the nation is severely limited by its lack of military equipment. It has no air force other than a few transport planes and helicopters, and only 55 lightly armored vehicles- mostly reinforced civilian models seized by its police forces from drug offenders. With US forces frequently based out of Panama though, the nation has little to fear from an invader.
10th Strongest: Pakistan In 2022 Pakistan is set to continue to widen the gap between itself and Turkey, the nation from which it took the number 10 strongest military power in the world from. While this is no small achievement given the capabilities of the Turkish military, Pakistan isn't nearly as strong as numbers suggest. Today the nation boasts a military of 654,000 personnel, though the quality of armaments varies greatly. Even outdated equipment is still fairly effective though against everything but a modern superpower, and Pakistan has no threat of facing such a conflict today. Its biggest threat comes from India, and its historical rival has shown the great weakness of the Pakistan military.
India's new war doctrine in case of conflict with Pakistan, dubbed 'Cold Start', aims to drive a spear deep into the heart of Pakistan with very little advance warning. The strategy was developed to attempt to counter Pakistan's nuclear weapons, and shows why the nation is actually weaker than most people think. In the late 1980s, Pakistan began to accept that its decades of sheer hubris and pride in its military was greatly misplaced, and India had not just matched Pakistan in terms of ability, but greatly outmatched it. To balance the equation once more, Pakistan turned to expanding its nuclear options, including the use of tactical nuclear weapons. Without the
tactical nuclear option, Pakistan's armies simply cannot withstand an Indian offensive- and even with them the nation's leadership accepts that they will still be forced to cede large tracts of territory to the Indian army before stopping its advance with a dug-in defense. But that's the entire point of Cold Start- force Pakistan to use tactical nuclear weapons on its own soil, and not on Indian army formations in India. Such a move would be absolutely catastrophic, and using nuclear weapons on Indian territory would only prompt a swift nuclear response from India itself. Pakistan today faces two equally horrible choices- nuke itself or nuke India and get nuked in response- and without the ability to stop an Indian invasion with conventional power, the nation is not nearly as powerful as its rank suggests it is.
9th Weakest Nation: Central African Republic The Central African Republic is a nation with an extremely troubled relationship with its military. The military has launched multiple coups since its independence in the mid 20th century, and in the 21st century has been responsible for large-scale unrest and even outright crimes against humanity. The biggest problem with the CAR military has been the domination of its military by a single ethnic group, which has often left it unreliable or in outright rebellion against sitting presidents from the northern tribes. However, recently France and now Russia has been working to reorganize the
CAR military, with Russia even going so far as to push for a greater ethnic mix within the ranks of the CAR armed forces in order to stabilize the cultural unrest within its ranks. Russia's efforts so far have been successful, and the nation has donated a large amount of military equipment to the CAR after its latest internal conflict left it with only 70 rifles. Today the CAR has a military of 7200, with 65 armored vehicles- mostly donated from Russia- and 3 antiquated Cold War era T-55 tanks. It's one-time inventory of just 70 rifles has been revitalized by a donation of 900 modern pistols, 5200 AK family assault rifles, and 270 rocket launchers of an unspecified make and type. The CAR's navy is made up of a single US-made river patrol boat, and it has no air force to speak of. Our next nation dominates its sphere of influence, but has a crippling weakness.
9th Strongest: Brazil The Brazilian military is South America's own superpower, and the undisputed heavyweight in the region. However, several key weaknesses plague Brazil's military, and while on paper it is the 9th strongest power in the world, in reality Brazil risks losing a conflict against a much weaker opponent if ever forced into combat. The nation boasts a total military force of 334,500, with over three times as many reservists. In the air it has a capable, if aging fleet of 43 fighters, 77 ground-attack aircraft, and just 12 attack helicopters. It's fleet of 439 tanks is made up of Leopard 1s and American-made Patton M60s. It's navy though is where the nation shines, with a fleet of 112 vessels- including 1 helicopter carrier for amphibious operations, 7 frigates and 2 corvettes capable of sea, air, and underwater defense operations, and 6 submarines.
One of the problems facing the Brazilian military is its lack of modernity- its entire fleet of main battle tanks is hopelessly antiquated and heralds from the Cold War era, though 116 of its Leopards will soon be upgraded with modern upgrades, with the rest decommissioned. However, the Leopard platform is still based on Cold War era engineering and tank design, severely limiting its abilities against a modern foe even with future upgrades. Thus Brazil is turning to its Novo Couraga Program to design and develop a modern main battle tank that will fully replace its fleet. Its air force is in a similar state, with it relying heavily on American-made F-5s, a light attack platform hailing from all the way back in the 1950s and 1960s. The jet remains very
capable for regional conflicts, but would be easy prey for any modern air force. The nation is modernizing with its purchase of Swedish-made JAS 39 Gripens, a very capable multirole fighter which can stand toe-to-toe with most 4th gen aircraft. As the world enters the 4.5 generation and 5th generation era though, the Grippen is unlikely to remain competitive. Brazil's biggest weakness however is its lack of experience. Despite providing support to the Allies in WW2, and sending a small amount of forces in support of various US global operations since then, the Brazilian military has zero experience fighting a modern conflict, which is a delicate ballet of coordinated logistics and combined arms warfare.
This lack of experience, combined with a majorly deficient air force, means Brazil is simply not as strong as numbers suggest in a modern conflict. While it would be difficult if not impossible for any nation to attempt a total invasion of the huge country, securing its major cities and choking off trade outside those cities would be relatively easy for any nation with a large amphibious capability and long-range airpower. 8th Weakest: Gabon The Gabonese national army is a tiny force incapable of defending its own territory from a hostile invader. Its active personnel number only at 5,000, and it has no main battle tanks. Its air force consists of 6 Mirage F1 fighters and 3 Gazelle light attack helicopters along with a variety of transport and utility helicopters and two transport planes- one a C-130 Hercules capable of paradrop operations for the nation's single Airborne regiment- a rare feather in the Gabonese military's cap.
The biggest problem with the Gabonese military- other than its paltry size- is its lack of experience and training. While its 1800-strong Presidential guard is very well trained by any nation's standards, the rest of its army is largely left to its own devices, with just a select few individuals receiving premier military training abroad. Another significant issue with the Gabonese military is its uncertain loyalty. For decades the ruling elite relied on gifts and promotions to keep military leadership loyal, but as the government's coffers run low and these gifts become ever more rare, the future relationship between the government and its military remains uncertain. This,
more than anything else, remains the reason why the Presidential guard is so large and well-trained in comparison to the rest of its armed forces. Our next nation used to be a superpower, but today is barely strong enough to defend itself. 8th Strongest: United Kingdom Once it was a global superpower, today it's a shadow of its former self, plagued by what has been termed the British 'era of retreat'. That however doesn't mean that the UK doesn't still pack a serious bite, it's just that the British military's teeth are increasingly irrelevant in a modern war.
It's military is made up of 195,000 active duty personnel, and unlike most militaries in the world those personnel enjoy modern equipment and high levels of training. What's so wrong then with the UK military? For one, its famous Royal Navy, once in undisputed command of all seven seas, is now incapable of carrying out operations far from its own shores. Even in what should have been a mismatched conflict against Argentina, the UK military covertly relied heavily on the US military for assistance just getting its forces into theater, with the US lending the nation the use of various air strips, millions of gallons of fuel, thousands of rounds of mortars, and the aid of various reconnaissance platforms to include satellites. As the British publication The Economist detailed in the late 1980s, the entire campaign “could not have been mounted, let alone won, without American help”. Since then, things haven't improved much.
Famously the UK Navy has been forced to cannibalize parts from other ships to keep a number of its ships operational, and UK soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan quickly got the nickname of 'the borrowers' because of their reputation for trading random bits of hardware for basic equipment. Today the UK operates the smallest military force it has had in 300 years, and incredibly is set to shrink even further in coming years. Internal reviews have criticized the nation for relying on its nuclear weapons as a shield, while allowing its conventional power to atrophy and wane. Today the UK military's relevancy is rapidly fading,
and without the capability of launching operations outside of its own shores without US aid, the country is unlikely to stay in the top 10 of military powers much longer. 7th Weakest: North Macedonia North Macedonia is a rare entry into this list of weakest militaries in the world. Unlike most other nations on this list, North Macedonia is a NATO member whose military is in full compliance with NATO training standards, and the nation has solid operational experience thanks to its robust participation in various NATO missions. Its relatively small army of 8,000 personnel is well equipped with a match of American and late-era Soviet equipment that is still very relevant on a battlefield. A $30 million
donation by the US will help North Macedonia's arsenal expand with US-made Stryker vehicles, some of which will be of the anti-tank variant. Its air force consists of only a handful of transport helicopters and 6 Soviet Hind attack helicopters which are still of great potency on a modern battlefield. So why is North Macedonia's military so weak? It's largely due to the nation's inability to wage a long-term conflict. A measure of military might is more than just equipment or personnel, it also includes a nation's ability to actually support war financially, and its resource security. North Macedonia's tiny population of just over 2 million is amongst the smallest in the world and it simply can't support a long-term conflict of any scope, with an estimated labor force of only 793,000. The nation is also completely incapable of securing any imports or exports, its tiny military leaving its economy extremely vulnerable to disruption.
Despite this though, North Macedonia would handily defeat any other military force on this list of weakest militaries in a short-engagement stand-up fight. Our next nation rose from the ashes of World War II to become one of the best militaries in Europe, but today faces seriously challenges if actually forced to fight a war. 7th Strongest: France The French military is a well-trained, well-equipped professional fighting force, and of all the nations on this list likely has the fewest weaknesses undermining its capabilities in a future conflict. However, those weaknesses could prove to be fatal. In the early 2000s, France quickly recognized a critical lack of ability in conducting global operations, relying heavily on the United States for logistical support. Unlike most other European powers, France quickly set to correcting this flaw, and as has been proven by its ongoing presence in Africa, today the French military is more than ready to flex its muscles as far from its own shores as needed- including even the Indo-Pacific region as China threatens regional stability.
French armed forces are 270,000 strong, but its lack of a ready reservist force- numbering only 35,000- is a critical vulnerability in the face of major conflict. In the air, France operates one of the world's finest air forces, with 269 modern or very near-modern fighters and 69 attack helicopters. However, the nation relies heavily on multi-role fighters for ground-attack, having zero dedicated ground-attack platforms- yet another massive vulnerability if facing off against a modern power such as Russia. For too long European nations have relied on the United
States to 'fill in' capability gaps, and this has left the French air force in dire straits. On the ground, the French army operates 406 very capable main battle tanks, and has a fleet of over 6,000 armored vehicles to provide protected mobility to its infantry. At sea France really shines, with 1 aircraft carrier, 3 amphibious assault helicopter carriers, 11 destroyers, 11 frigates, and 10 submarines- all of which are extremely capable platforms.
France's biggest weakness however doesn't come from its military or equipment. First, the French military faces increasing fatigue as its forced to conduct on-going domestic patrols as part of Operation Sentinelle, which sees French military forces stationed throughout major cities to act as deterrent to a spike in terrorist activity. Around 10,000 personnel are deployed throughout France on the lookout for terrorist activity, and to provide rapid response in case of an attack. This not only places on-going operational strain on equipment and personnel, but ties up a significant portion of the French military in case of war. Secondly, France's extreme right-wing element is a major threat to its ability to continue to support NATO operations, especially in light of growing hostility from the Russian and Chinese governments. A significant element of the French population holds far right sentiments, and the nation is rife for infiltration by Russian propaganda agents. Ongoing Russian
public influence campaigns in the nation have been wildly successful to date, and as these far-right sentiments infiltrate the French government at a growing rate, the nation's war-fighting capability may become sabotaged from inside in case NATO is called upon to defend Eastern Europe from Russia. 6th Weakest: Eritrea Eritrea has one of the largest armies in Africa, and yet is ranked as the world's 6th weakest military- how can that be? The nation has a standing force of 200,000, a mostly conscript force as service is mandatory at age 18 for a period of 18 months. Training is sparse, with an initial training period before conscripts are sent out to either perform military duties, or more likely serve in an industrial role throughout the country such as working farms or building roads. This leaves the Eritrea military a very undisciplined, unprofessional force, as evidenced by the numerous massacres performed by Eritrean forces in Ethiopia during the ongoing Tigray War. Logistically the nation operates almost exclusively antiquated equipment, very old Soviet Cold War leftovers and a mishmash of international personal equipment such as battle rifles and machine guns. Despite a force of 300 tanks, only 150 of which are in service, these are all T-55s
who would have a tough time defending themselves from even the anti-tank capability of a modern infantry company. The nation also has absolutely no air force and only a token, and antiquated, air defense capability that would be absolutely useless against even a modestly capable foe. A lack of training, discipline, and equipment, as well as a very weak national economy make the Eritrean military amongst the weakest in the world.
The next nation on our list far outweighs its historical rival in terms of raw power- but that power can’t hide a deadly vulnerability. 6th Strongest: South Korea South Korea is a modern military miracle. At the end of the 1990s the nation was a relatively primitive military power, operating aging Cold War hand-me-downs and utterly incapable of combined arms operations. Today, South Korea operates an extremely capable military outfitted with
modern hardware, and its navy and air force is one of the best in the region- if not the world. So why is South Korea not nearly as strong as it seems? One of the biggest problems with the South Korean military is its ongoing reliance on conscription, with something like half of its military forces being conscripts serving out mandatory terms. The nation has a difficult time luring volunteers or conscripts to remain for full-time military service, seriously weakening its capabilities due to a lack of military professionals. But conscription directly impacts another major weakness of the South Korean military- its funding. Back in 2010 the South Korean government implemented a plan to modernize its military, opting for the Cold War strategy employed by the west of outperforming the Soviet bloc by fielding a smaller, but much more capable military than its adversary- North Korea. In order to do this, the nation downsized its military significantly, and called for even greater reductions by 2020- a trend which has slowed, but not stopped. The plan also
called for a 10% increase to the defense budget every year, a goal which has never been met. In order to quell national dissatisfaction with mandatory service, the ROK diverted large amounts of badly-needed funds to increasing pay and benefits for both conscripts and volunteers. Then, the nation poured much of available funds directly to the Navy and Air Force, developing a modern and extremely capable fighting force in both the air and sea. Its army however was left to languish, with planned replacement main battle tanks never appearing in sufficient quantities, and equipment shortages so severe that regular infantry units lack everything from body armor to night vision and even basic weapon optics. To make matters worse, the army continues to shrink year by year, as the ROK focuses almost myopically on its navy and air force.
Today, South Korea relies on a ground fighting force of 463,00 to fend off a North Korean force of over one million, and to make matters worse its army is expected to shrink to just over 350,000 by 2025. 5th Weakest: Suriname Suriname has a tiny military of between 2,000 and 2,500, and operates only a very small number of armored vehicles. Donated by Brazil in 1983, its fleet of 55 armored vehicles have some light anti-tank capabilities but mostly operate in an infantry support role. Thanks to an agreement with Brazil, the Brazilian government has been slowly refurbishing this tiny fleet over time, though much of it remains in need of maintenance and upgrades. The United States maintains a training program with the Suriname military, though recently China has sought to expand its influence in South America and as part of those efforts has donated a number of small arms and patrol boats to the Suriname armed forces. Due to a military coup
in the 1980s, the US has also been engaged in the training of the Suriname armed forces on the role a military plays in a civilian-led government, hoping to avoid a repeat of the previous coup. With little in the way of equipment, and entirely reliant on Brazil and the Netherlands for protection, Suriname is one of the weakest militaries in South America. The next strongest nation on our list is strong enough to fight off a kaiju- but only if the battle happened right off its own shores. 5th Strongest: Japan For much of its modern history Japan was a military powerhouse, with a cult-like devotion by its population to the strength of its armed forces. That was a path that
led to disaster though, and after the defeat of the nation by the US in the second world war, a similarly strong anti-war sentiment swept through the country. This made the Japanese Self-Defense Forces an object of ridicule for much of their lifetime, with the civilian population seeing their own military as inept, useless, and something worthy of only mockery. That attitude began to change in the 2000s, and today the Japanese military is a modern force that routinely impresses its American allies in joint exercises with their discipline and training. Its navy sports modern and highly capable ships, and its air force is now equipped with the F-35. Even its army, the least important arm of its military in most people's minds, is equipped with very modern and capable main battle tanks. But the Japanese military is all but useless in anything but a defensive mission.
Due to its constitution, Japan has a self-imposed ban on any and all long-range offensive capabilities. That means that while it boasts formidable defensive firepower, and it would be a nightmare for an enemy to invade the nation, Japan completely lacks the ability to engage any enemy far from its own shores with anything other than air power. The Japanese navy sports impressive anti-ship and anti-air capabilities, but has a complete lack of ground-strike assets, and likewise the Japanese air force relies on multi-role fighters for the ground-attack role because it has no bombers. As tensions with China ratchet up, it's becoming clearer that if Japan is to successfully defend its sphere of influence from Chinese forces it must invest in long-range attack capabilities. While some progress is being made in this regard, the Japanese people have for too long had the luxury of remaining pacifists due to the US's protection, and now the Japanese military faces a steep uphill battle to properly arm itself for coming conflicts.
4th Weakest: Sierra Leone The Sierra Leone military consists of 8500 personnel, with officers trained by the British. Other than coast guard operations though, the military is incapable of conducting any other major operations. Its soldiers are armed with a hodgepodge of various different small arms, all of them donated by various countries or purchased on the international arms market. This lack of standardization makes maintenance and training extremely difficult. While on paper it operates 2 Soviet-built Hind attack helicopters, it is not believed that they nor the two T-72 tanks in its inventory are currently operable due to a lack of trained personnel.
Its navy operates a small fleet of patrol craft, donated or funded by both Britain and China, and regularly undertakes anti-piracy operations within its territorial waters. With no assets to speak of though, the Sierra Leone military is completely incapable of doing much more than police actions against pirates from neighboring countries. The next nation on our list skyrocketed in power to completely dominate its long-time foe and next-door neighbor, but today would doubtlessly lose a war to its new regional rival. 4th Strongest: India
India is the world's largest democracy, and with a population well over 1 billion strong, it should be able to field a significant military. The reality is far from this though. The Indian navy is a very capable force with an aircraft carrier, 17 submarines, 10 destroyers, 13 frigates, and 23 smaller corvettes. The navy has proven its worth time and again in conflicts with Pakistan, and unlike its greatest modern rival, China, the Indian military is thoroughly tested in battle. However, the rest of its armed forces are in a very sorry state. The greatest problem with the Indian military is a constant switching of priorities from Pakistan to China as India's number one threat. This has often led to a confused deployment of its
military assets and even greater confusion by its bureaucracy in budget priorities. The Indian Air Force has long languished from an inadequate budget, and Indian aircraft suffer from a lack of modern avionics and sensors. Much to India's embarrassment, in 2019 two Pakistani F-16s shot down an aging Mig-21 sent to intercept them, showcasing the complete overmatch of the Indian air force even by a weaker power such as Pakistan. A border clash with China in 2020 drove the Indian government to place an order for 36 French Rafale fighters, as well as 12 Sukhoi MKI-30 and 21 Mig-29 fighters from Russia. These will take years to appear in the Indian inventory, but even after their inclusion only highlight another major problem for the Indian military: standardization. For a long time India has walked a fine line between world powers, refusing to be forced to pick a side. While this strategy has served it well politically,
its military has suffered dramatically for it. India's mish-mosh of various weapon systems from nations all over the world means that maintenance is an absolute nightmare, and attrition will be a debilitating issue in any prolonged conflict due to a lack of available parts. Compounding India's problems is the fact that what little defense industry it does have is not suited for developing much needed modern replacements for its ground and air forces, with the last attempt at building a domestic tank ending in a 30 year disaster that produced a tank too heavy and too lightly armored to be of any practical use. Thanks to a growing relationship with the United States though, India is gaining access to US surveillance and recon assets it badly needs, and in the future an even closer relationship may help India modernize and standardize its equipment- otherwise the nation cannot hope to win a war against its greatest threat: the People's Liberation Army. 3rd Weakest: Somalia Somalia has a long warrior tradition, but today its military forces are almost the weakest in the world. The nation can only field an army of 20,000, and has no heavy equipment to speak of save for a few dozen armored vehicles donated by various nations.
As part of an effort to stabilize the government and the overall region, the United States and European Union have engaged in regular training of the Somali military, but readiness is still a major issue. As recently as 2013 less than half of available troops were fit for service, and the situation has yet to significantly improve. Clan and tribal influences make cohesion of the armed forces difficult to maintain. An effort to enhance cohesion was undertaken by the US starting in 2014, with special commando units of mixed ethnicity trained by American private military contractors and reimbursed by the US State Department. The program has apparently been a
success, and Somalia has been able to help the US fight against extremists within its own borders. Despite this, the nation remains completely incapable of the necessary intelligence gathering, monitoring, and direct action needed to eliminate terror threats, and relies heavily on US aid. Now we enter the top 3 most powerful nations, but while number 3 may seem like a superpower, it’s barely able to fight and win in its own backyard. 3rd Strongest: China A rising military juggernaut, China may be history's greatest success story. In the
span of two decades, China has uplifted hundreds of millions from poverty and reinvented itself from a second-world nation to a first-world power. Its military now operates the world's largest navy, and it has an entire branch of the military dedicated to missile warfare. To date, it is one of three nations to successfully develop a fifth generation fighter. Despite this, China may be a paper tiger. The Chinese military is very impressive on paper, but faces a large amount of real-world problems that seriously threaten its ability to win a war against a peer power such as Russia or the United States. Chief of these problems is its lack of experience- the last war
China fought was against the comparatively tiny Vietnam, and this resulted in thousands of casualties and a hasty retreat after only a few weeks. Until only relatively recently, China even refused to send troops to aid in international peacekeeping operations- a critical source of experience for many military powers- due to fear it would be embarrassed by its troops’ performance. While the situation is improving, its troops suffer from a lack of adequate and realistic training. Most training has historically been conducted under extremely favorable conditions meant to make troops look good for visiting dignitaries, with little effort put into simulating real-world conditions.
Famously, in one of its first attempts to conduct a real-world training scenario in the early 2000s, a group of Chinese troops became so demoralized by the harsh conditions that entertainers were brought in to lift their spirits. This is a far cry from the regular and realistic training conditions that Russian and American troops routinely undergo to maintain readiness. While China does not employ conscription and is able to recruit enough volunteers to fulfill its military needs, it has notably dropped its recruitment standards at least three times since 2000. As has been noted, many Chinese recruits do not meet physical or mental health standards set by other modern militaries. Bureaucracy is another major problem for the Chinese military.
Deeply entrenched bureaucratic processes lead to an inefficient top-down command structure reminiscent of the Soviet Union. While the Chinese Communist Party's absolute control makes gearing the Chinese military to specific threats much easier, it also leads to a rigid, inflexible force that cannot react quickly to a rapidly evolving battlefront. By comparison, western militaries encourage a large degree of autonomy within its command structure, allowing even individual unit commanders the initiative needed to rapidly adjust to evolving threats.
The People's Liberation Army's biggest problem however is decades of rampant corruption, and despite a massive anti-corruption effort the PLA's command structure is still riddled with inefficiencies and incompetent officers promoted only by buying their rank. The military also suffers from a longtime lack of a joint command structure, preventing the various arms of the Chinese military from working together. Though Xi Jinping has taken steps to rectify this, the lack of combined arms experience still haunts the Chinese military, and a lack of realistic training only compounds this problem.
While China remains a formidable military power, it is unclear if its military is capable of navigating a dynamic modern battlefield. 2nd Weakest: Liberia With a military of just 2200 personnel, Libera is one of the weakest militaries in the world- and for many years was not even commanded by a Liberian, but rather by a Nigerian officer. Recently command of the Liberian military is now once again under one of its own, but its armed forces remain small, poorly equipped, and poorly trained. The nation has no heavy equipment save for 55 armored vehicles in varying states of repair. Efforts to reestablish the nation's coast guard have met with difficulty due to funding problems, despite the training of 40 personnel by the United States Coast Guard and America's donation of two Defender class patrol boats. The US Navy also constructed a boat ramp and perimeter wall for a coast guard installation.
The nation operates no aircraft, as its small air force was dissolved in 2005 as part of its armed forces demobilization program. At number 2, Russia is a fierce fighting bear- but this bear’s teeth are getting old and starting to fall out. 2nd Strongest: Russia Increasingly isolated on the world stage, the Russian military under Vladimir Putin's command remains a formidable power, and the world's second best fighting force- but its position in the number two spot has been eroding for years, and it's doubtful Russia will retain it for much longer. There's few militaries more terrifying on paper: 1 million active duty personnel, 789 fighters, 538 attack helicopters, 13,000 tanks, 6,540 self-propelled artillery, 3,860 rocket artillery, and 27,100 armored vehicles. Without a doubt the Russian military
brings enough firepower to make any nation second-guess getting into the ring with it. But in reality, an insidious decay has been gnawing at the heart of the Russian military for three decades. The nation faces multiple crisis points that see its military power very quickly eroding, as well as its international relevancy. The first problem Russia faces is an exodus of professionals from the nation due to international sanctions and an economy that's not very well diversified. Every year Russia loses thousands of engineers, scientists, and artists who seek out better opportunities abroad. This brain drain directly affects the already faltering Russian economy, and in turn a military force that has been struggling to modernize and remain relevant for decades.
Funding for the Russian military has been inadequate almost since the end of the Cold War. This has only been compounded by sanctions leveled against Russia due to Putin's invasion of Crimea. But it's not only a lack of money, it's also sanctions on the sale of dual-use technology which can be converted to military use, such as satellite and reconnaissance technology. This has left the Russian military with a great deal of firepower, and very little certainty that it's actually going to hit what it's aiming at. Against a modern foe such as the United States, armed almost exclusively with precision-guided weapons, this represents an immediately lethal deficiency.
Despite attempts to create an all-volunteer force by increasing pay and benefits, Russia still relies heavily on conscription, with almost half of its military made of draftees. A conscripted force not only under performs versus an all-volunteer force, but is more susceptible to enemy psychological warfare operations and makes it more difficult to retain trained military professionals for long-term service. Russia's biggest problem however is its inability to field modern equipment. While the nation regularly achieves great technological breakthroughs, it's unable to translate these breakthroughs into suitable numbers capable of affecting a military campaign. Most famously, Russia's Su-57 ranks well above China's J-20 in capabilities, but to date only a dozen aircraft are in operation, and 10 of these are still test platforms. The T-14 main battle tank likewise was a significant accomplishment, and would have outclassed even modern variant American M-1 Abrams, but Russia could never afford to bring the tank to a full production run, and so far plans to acquire it have been canceled.
While Russia has begun to acquire some of the next generation weapons it will need to remain a relevant military power, such as hypersonic missiles, the nation is unable to fully modernize its military and keep pace with the United States or China. Inevitably this will lead to the slow but certain decay of the Russian military, leaving it a power capable of threatening its neighbors- but little else. Number 1 Weakest Military In The World: Kosovo Established in 2008, the Kosovo Security Force is not technically a military just yet, but steps are being taken towards formalizing it as such. Overseen by NATO since the end
of the Kosovo War, the KSF is made up of 5,000 personnel, all trained by NATO staff. In a bid to lessen ethnic tensions and prevent another catastrophic flareup of violence, NATO led the effort in recruitment of ethnic minorities into the KSF to expand diversity. Well trained and equipped with light arms, the KSF lacks any form of heavy military hardware except for armored trucks. Despite its small size and lack of equipment, the KSF is a professional and capable force.
Honorable mention: Bhutan Bhutan is another military force overseen by a foreign power- this time India. India remains largely responsible for defense of Bhutan, and regularly helps train a small force of 7,000 as well as provides small arms and equipment. With its complete reliance on India and small numbers though, Bhutan's military is more a paramilitary organization than a proper army. Sitting at the number one spot the United States is the most powerful nation to ever exist, but today a dizzying number of problems and mistakes makes it uncertain if it’s able to win a war against a near-peer adversary like China or Russia. Number 1 Strongest: United States A superpower is defined as a nation able to extend military, economic, cultural, and scientific power across the entire world- today, the United States remains the only nation capable of meeting these requirements. Its military is the best fighting force the planet has ever seen, operating almost completely modern equipment and maintaining a program of constant modernization to keep weapon platforms on or near the state of the art- an accomplishment matched by no other military in the world.
Despite this, the United States military is more vulnerable than it has ever been in the last 100 years, and while it faces no threat of being toppled as the world's premier power, its ability to win a war against Russia or China is far from certain. The follies of the US military are numerous, and staggeringly expensive. Untold billions have been completely wasted away by the US Department of Defense over the last two decades, resulting in weapons programs that have yielded zero, or very little, benefit to the fighting force. Boondoggle after boondoggle have wasted enough tax payer money that it could have funded other nation's entire militaries for years.
Perhaps the US military's greatest folly was its rush to redefine warfare by embracing cutting edge technology at the start of the 21st century. After 50 years of technological breakthroughs that completely overmatched any opponent's capabilities, the US military was quick to embrace 21st century technologies and engaged in a whirlwind sprint to develop the next break-trough technological achievements, no matter the cost or probability of success. The Future Warrior concept promised to completely redefine how the individual American soldier operated on the battlefield, and after years of cost overruns and no operational technology, the program was finally canceled. The US Navy was quick to join the US Army in burning taxpayer money as quick as it could get its hands on it, resulting in the Zumwault destroyer program and the Littoral Combat Ship design. The Zumwault ended up needing ammunition so expensive that the navy couldn't afford to arm its main cannon, and the Littoral Combat Ship was not just unsurvivable in any combat scenario due to poor armaments, but the design is so bad that the navy has begun to prematurely retire the ships a decade or more before their projected end of lifetime date. After purchasing 40 of them.
The Air Force however takes the cake, and its motto of 'Aim High' is well suited as the service tried its best to absolutely bankrupt the United States with the F-35 program, costing US taxpayers over a trillion dollars over its lifetime for a jet that both the Navy and Air Force have so little faith in, both services have placed orders for the same 4th generation planes the F-35 was supposed to replace by now. A history of constantly failed moonshots throughout the 21st century have cost the US military decades in responsible technological development, and its once insurmountable advantage has now eroded to the point that victory against a near-peer power is in question. It has even been completely outclassed in some regards, and today the United States remains the only nation out of the top 3 with no hypersonic weapons- a critical vulnerability that for the first time since World War II sees the US military the one facing a technological overmatch from an adversary. To make matters worse, many fear that the US is failing to recognize the next shift in naval doctrine, as it stubbornly adheres to the employment of large, extremely vulnerable aircraft carriers as the preeminent naval weapon. These massive ships are not just expensive and take years to build, but with the advent of hypersonic weapons and unmanned drone swarm tactics, are more vulnerable than they have ever been to weapons a tiny fraction of their price. The loss of even a single supercarrier worth billions of dollars and with a crew of thousands to a weapon system that costs a few million in comparison would be a strategic disaster the US Navy would take years to recover from- and might clinch victory at sea for the enemy.
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2022-02-20