Anyone who has studied military history knows that the number of troops is a misleading measure. There are several factors that make the troops of one army more effective than others. The most obvious modifying factor is weapons and equipment (quantity and quality). Closely related to this are the “combat support” elements. The most important of these are logistics (being able to move troops, and their supplies, long distances and in a timely manner) and maintenance (keeping things in repair and running under all conditions.) Then there are the intangibles (like leadership, training and the most intangible item of all; military tradition.) Apply all of those to the raw number of troops and you get different number. This number is called "combat power."Nearly every country in the world has its own army to protect its interests against internal and external enemies. The top ten armies of the world were chosen based on their military history, current operations and size of force as well as their reputation as a military force. Most of these armies were involved in the major conflicts of the modern day world including World War I, World War II and the Korean War. In addition, many of these armies have been involved in conflicts fighting for their own country’s independence.
According to the CIA and other Intelligence Services (European, Asian, African) this is the tally - based on a Combination of Manpower, Technology, Firepower, Training, Resources, Available Reserves, and Nuclear Potential (Current or Likely):
1. USA
2. Russia
3. China
4. India
5. UK
6. France
7. North Korea
8. Israel
9. Pakistan
10. Turkey
By Technology:
Israel
USA
North Korea
Russia
India
(rest are even)
By Quality:
Israel
USA
India
Russia
France (maybe!?)
By Nukes:
USA
Russia
UK
France
India
Israel
china
North Korea
(Note: Israel is immune to nukes, check arrow missile)
By Air Force:
Israel
USA
Russia
India
North Korea
By Tanks:
Israel (Merkavah - The best in the world)
India
USA
North Korea
By Navy:
USA
UK
Russia
India
By Intel:
Israel
USA
India
Russia
By Secret Service:
Mossad (Israel)
CIA (U.S)
RAW (India)
MI5 (UK)
10. Turkey
The Turkish Army dates back more than 2,000 years. The modern day Turkish Army is one of the few notable armies that stayed neutral during World War II.
Although the Turkish Army was involved in the Korean War, the largest conflict in the 1900s was in the Turkish Independence War where it fought Russia, Britain, Greece, France and Italy along its borders.
Military service in Turkey is required with few exceptions and it has resulted in Turkey having the second largest ground force in NATO.
Strength (as for 2011):
* Active Military: 612,900
* Active Reserve: 429,000
* Total Land Weapons: 69,774
* Tanks: 4,246
* APCs / IFVs: 6,592
* Towed Artillery: 1,838
* SPGs: 1,419
* MLRSs: 559
* Mortars: 7,574
* AT Weapons: 47,546
* AA Weapons: 5,547
* Logistical Vehicles: 24,906
* Total Aircraft: 1,940
* Helicopters: 874
* Serviceable Airports: 99
* Defense Budget: $25,000,000,000
9. Pakistan
Pakistan’s Army was founded in 1947 and maintains a force of over 500,000 strong who have all volunteered for service.
Pakistan’s military history includes conflicts with its bordering neighbors of Afghanistan and India, the Gulf War and Mogadishu, Somalia in the early 90s.
Pakistan has also served as an ally to the United States in the Global War on Terrorism by assisting in fighting the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and along the border of Pakistan.
Strength (as for 2011):
* Active Military: 617,000
* Active Reserve: 515,500
* Total Land Weapons: 16,461
* Tanks: 2,640
* APCs / IFVs: 4,620
* Towed Artillery: 1,806
* SPGs: 595
* MLRSs: 200
* Mortars: 3,200
* AT Weapons: 3,400
* AA Weapons: 2,500
* Logistical Vehicles: 11,500
* Total Aircraft: 1,414
* Helicopters: 535
* Serviceable Airports: 148
* Defense Budget: $6,410,000,000
8. Israel
Israel is the only country in the world that requires military service from both male and female citizens with few exceptions.
The Israel Defense Force was founded in 1948 and maintains an active duty force of over 100,000.
The Israeli military history includes the Arab-Israel War, the Six-Day War and numerous conflicts with Lebanon and Palestine. The United States remains one of Israel’s largest allies.
Additional Note:
KD (Kill of Dead) ratio between USA and Israel is; Israel: 1 - America: 50
Israel has least deaths from any army EVER in modern history.
The IDF is maybe a small army, yes, but it has quality.
Strength (as for 2011):
* Active Military: 187,000
* Active Reserve: 565,000
* Total Land Weapons: 12,552
* Tanks: 3,230
* APCs / IFVs: 6,278
* Towed Artillery: 550
* SPGs: 706
* MLRSs: 138
* Mortars: 750
* AT Weapons: 900
* AA Weapons: 200
* Logistical Vehicles: 7,684
* Total Aircraft: 1,964
* Helicopters: 689
* Serviceable Airports: 48
* Defense Budget: $16,000,000,000
7. North Korea
The North Korean People’s Army was established in 1939 and has an impressive force of more than one million soldiers. When reserve unit numbers are counted in this total, estimates are more than seven million soldiers who could be activated if needed.
Major conflicts in North Korea’s history are the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Tensions between North and South Korea still exist today and, technically, the conflict has not officially ended between the two.
North Korea has confirmed its nuclear and chemical weapons capability in recent years with threats against various countries including the United States, mainly for its alliance with South Korea.
Strength (as for 2011):
* Active Military: 1,106,000
* Active Reserve: 8,200,000
* Total Land Weapons: 20,692
* Tanks: 5,410
* APCs / IFVs: 2,582
* Towed Artillery: 1,500
* SPGs: 1,600
* MLRSs: 600
* Mortars: 2,000
* AT Weapons: 7,000
* AA Weapons: 650
* Logistical Vehicles: 8,000
* Total Aircraft: 1,650
* Helicopters: 328
* Serviceable Airports: 79
* Defense Budget: $5,000,000,000
6. France
Having started in 1996, there are still two years to go before the French Army completes its process of "restructuration" and professionalization to be funded under the 1997-2002 military programming law. While requiring the retention of a full spectrum of capabilities from warfighting ("coercition des forces") to operations other than war ("maitrise de la violence"), the law's objective has essentially been to change the orientation of the armed forces from one of deterrence to one of action, possessing the attendant rapid external deployment capability needed for crisis prevention.
The first permanent army, paid with regular wages, was established under Charles VII of France. From 1792, the French Revolutionary Army fought the allies. Under Napoleon I, the French Army conquered most of Europe during the Napoleonic Wars.
At the beginning of the Second World War the Army deployed 2,240,000 combatants grouped into 94 divisions (of which 20 were active and 74 were reservists) from the Swiss border to the North Sea. These numbers were limited to 12% of the Wehrmacht forces, however, the Army of the Alps facing Italy and 600,000 men dispersed through the French colonial empire are not included in this figure.[citation needed] After 1945, despite enormous efforts in the First Indochina War of 1945–1954 and the Algerian War of 1954–62, both lands eventually left French control.
Strength (as for 2011):
* Active Military: 362,485
* Active Reserve: 419,000
* Total Land Weapons: 10,621
* Tanks: 406
* APCs / IFVs: 8,468
* Towed Artillery: 466
* SPGs: 211
* MLRSs: 44
* Mortars: 550
* AT Weapons: 476
* AA Weapons: 350
* Logistical Vehicles: 13,748
* Total Aircraft: 1,757
* Helicopters: 810
* Serviceable Airports: 475
* Defense Budget: $44,788,000,000
5. United Kingdom
The British Army was organized in 1661 and has been involved in various conflicts including the Napoleonic Wars, Revolutionary War and both world wars.
The British Army has had a significant presence in Northern Ireland and the Balkans while standing beside the United States in the Gulf War in the 1990s as well as the Global War on Terrorism after the attacks of September 11, 2001.
The active duty force of the British Army is more than 212,000 strong, making it the second largest army in the European Union behind France.
Strength (as for 2011):
* Active Military: 224,500
* Active Reserve: 187,130
* Total Land Weapons: 11,630
* Tanks: 420
* APCs / IFVs: 4,347
* Towed Artillery: 138
* SPGs: 120
* MLRSs: 42
* Mortars: 2,563
* AT Weapons: 4,000
* AA Weapons: 653
* Logistical Vehicles: 16,011
* Total Aircraft: 1,663
* Helicopters: 606
* Serviceable Airports: 505
* Defense Budget: $73,746,170,000
4. India
The Indian Army dates back to the Stone Age. According to World Development Indicators database, today, it is known as being the largest all volunteer ground force in the world with a total of 3,047,000 active duty soldiers.
India has never had to institute a draft to staff its ground force. The Indian Army has been involved in both world wars as well as several conflicts to fight for its own independence.
Pakistan has been its target on more than one occasion in its military history.
Strength (as for 2011):
* Active Military: 1,325,000
* Active Reserve: 1,747,000
* Total Land Weapons: 75,191
* Tanks: 5,000
* APCs / IFVs: 3,000
* Towed Artillery: 10,000
* SPGs: 100
* MLRSs: 292
* Mortars: 5,000
* AT Weapons: 51,799
* AA Weapons: 15,508
* Logistical Vehicles: 70,000
* Total Aircraft: 2,462
* Helicopters: 848
* Serviceable Airports: 352
* Defense Budget: $36,030,000,000
3. China
The People’s Liberation Army of China is the largest in the world numbering over two million soldiers even after significant cuts in forces in recent years.
The Chinese Army was established in 1927 and involved in the Sino-Japanese conflict, World War II, Korean War and Vietnam.
While technically service is required for all men over the age of 18, China has never had to draft soldiers as there has always been more than enough Chinese men who have volunteered for military service to their country.
Strength (as for 2011-2012)
* Active Military: 2,285,000
* Active Reserve: 800,000
* Total Land Weapons: 47,575
* Tanks: 7,500 [2012]
* APCs / IFVs: 7,700
* Towed Artillery: 25,000
* SPGs: 2,475
* MLRSs: 2,600
* Mortars: 1,050
* AT Weapons: 1,250
* AA Weapons: 750
* Logistical Vehicles: 55,850
* Total Aircraft: 5,176
* Helicopters: 632
* Serviceable Airports: 502
* Defense Budget: $100,000,000,000
2. Russia
Russia has undergone numerous changes throughout its military history dating back to 863. The modern day army is known as the Russian Ground Force and was founded in 1992.
Previous Russian military organizations, including the Red Army, have been involved in regional conflicts, both world wars and the Cold War. Before the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, it was the known as the superpower of the world and had surpassed the United States in terms of the number of soldiers and nuclear weapons.
The Russian Ground Force is staffed through mandatory service; though many in the country have either deferred under exceptions or offered bribes to officials not to serve.
The Ground Forces included an estimated total of 395,000 persons, including an estimated 190,000 conscripts and 35,000 personnel of the Airborne Forces (VDV) in 2006. These numbers should be treated with caution, however, due to the difficulty for those outside Russia to make accurate assessments, and confusion even within the General Staff on the numbers of conscripts within the force.
Strength (as for 2011):
* Active Military: 1,200,000
* Active Reserve: 754,000
* Total Land Weapons: 91,715
* Tanks: 22,950
* APCs / IFVs: 24,900
* Towed Artillery: 12,765
* SPGs: 6,000
* MLRSs: 4,500
* Mortars: 6,600
* AT Weapons: 14,000
* AA Weapons: 4,644
* Logistical Vehicles: 12,000
* Total Aircraft: 2,749
* Helicopters: 588
* Serviceable Airports: 1,213
* Defense Budget: $56,000,000,000
1. United States
The United States Army dates back to 1775 when the Continental Army was created to fight in the Revolutionary War. The U.S. Army has participated in every major world war, the Korean War, Vietnam, the Gulf War and the Global War on Terrorism.
The modern day Army is an all volunteer force with permanent posts throughout the United States as well as Germany, Italy, Kosovo, Japan and Korea.
Strength (as for 2011):
* Active Military: 1,477,896
* Active Reserve: 1,458,500
* Total Land Weapons: 56,269
* Tanks: 9,573
* APCs / IFVs: 26,653
* Towed Artillery: 2,163
* SPGs: 950
* MLRSs: 1,430
* Mortars: 7,500
* AT Weapons: 8,000
* AA Weapons: 2,106
* Logistical Vehicles: 267,247
* Total Aircraft: 18,234
* Helicopters: 6,417
* Serviceable Airports: 15,097
* Defense Budget: $692,000,000,000
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