NATO and partners have chosen November 2018 for saber rattling - Norway is hosting the largest military exercise since the Cold War. Russia, of course, is not happy, and in response, too, decided to "flex its muscles." The Russian military cruiser Peter the Great has gone to sea in the vicinity of Norway for a missile exercise, which will take place from November 6 to 9. This entire arms display is taking place against the backdrop of a closely watched Europe, a part of the world home to some of the most heavily armed armies in the world.
The data on the most powerful armies was taken from the annual report of a website called Global Firepower. Experts determine the strongest armies by 55 parameters (they include geography, logistics, territorial resources, the degree of industrial development, a variety of weapons, and so on). As a result, even the troops of small nations can rank higher than their larger neighbors.
According to the results of calculations, the index is determined, and the higher it is, the more the army, paradoxically, is worse. Below you will find top 10 most powerful armies in Europe.
10.Ukraine
- Place in ranking of armies of the world: 29.
- Expert rating: 0,5383.
- Human resources: 44 033 874.
- Of these, the military: 1 182 000.
- Number of aircraft: 240.
- Of these fighters: 39.
- Tank units: 2 214.
- Navy: 25.
- The military budget of the country: $ 4.88 billion.
The head of state, Petro Poroshenko, is firmly convinced that the army of Ukraine is the strongest in Europe. However, the experts of the Global Firepower website disagree with him: according to their version, Ukraine is assigned the 29th place in the world ranking and 10th in Europe. She, of course, confidently bypasses Monaco, Liechtenstein and prosperous Scandinavian neighbors, but before leadership she still has to work and work.
Like many republics of the former USSR, Ukraine is not yet able to send the legacy of the Soviet era to a landfill - there are no opportunities. This is hampered by both the tense situation inside the country and the high level of corruption.
9.Greece
- Place in the world ranking: 28.
- Expert rating: 0,5255.
- Human resources: 10 768 477.
- Of these, the military: 413 750.
- Number of aircraft: 567.
- Of these fighters: 189.
- Tank units: 1 345.
- Navy: 115.
- The military budget of the country: $ 6.54 billion.
Does the changing of the guard of honor in Athens make you smile? Think carefully before laughing and pointing your fingers at the guardsmen's skirts and pom-poms on their shoes. Greece is not in vain among the ten most powerful European armies in 2018. The reason for this is the centuries-old history of difficult relations with Turkey; both nations, rightly fearing each other, try to keep their military forces in good shape. Although both countries are part of the same North Atlantic Alliance.
8. Poland
- Place in the world ranking: 22.
- Expert rating: 0,4276.
- Human resources: 38 476 269.
- Of these, the military: 184 650.
- Number of aircraft: 466.
- Of these fighters: 99.
- Tank units: 1 065.
- Navy: 83.
- The military budget of the country: $ 9.36 billion.
In 2016, the Minister of War of Poland, Anthony Macerevich, announced that the country's military forces would be increased by at least one and a half times. Macerevich himself is an odious figure in his own way; he is firmly convinced that the world behind the scenes is led by Russia together with Israel.At the beginning of 2018, he was removed from his post. However, three new brigades, created to serve as a barrier to the eastern barbarians, continue to serve on the border.
And more recently, Ukraine has also been included in the Eastern barbarians, since the Poles are not happy with their problematic neighbor.
7. Spain
- Place in the world ranking: 19.
- Expert rating: 0,4079.
- Human resources: 48 958 159.
- Of these, the military: 174 700.
- Number of aircraft: 524.
- Of these fighters: 122.
- Tank units: 327.
- Navy: 46 (of which one aircraft carrier).
- The military budget of the country: $ 11.6 billion.
Military service in Spain is under the patronage of the royal family. The crowned head of state is the captain-general of both the ground forces and the naval and air forces. King Philip VI himself once served in the army and independently rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel and captain of the second rank.
In general, serving in the army in Spain is considered prestigious and capable of bringing bonuses to the citizen in the future, therefore they go into the army willingly.
6.Italy
- Place in the world ranking: 11.
- Expert rating: 0,2565.
- Human resources: 62 137 802.
- Of these, the military: 267 500.
- Number of aircraft: 828.
- Of these fighters: 90.
- Tank units: 200.
- Navy: 143 (two aircraft carriers).
- The military budget of the country: $ 37.7 billion.
Despite the six-year-old downsizing reform in Italy, Italy's army remains one of the strongest in Europe. And much has been cut
for example, personnel costs have been cut in half.
Like Spain, Italy long ago canceled the general conscription after reaching a certain age and switched to a contract basis. And although Italy itself does not produce nuclear weapons, it stores them for the United States. On the military bases of the country lie a deadly cargo of about 50 bombs.
5. Germany
- Place in the world ranking: 10.
- Expert rating: 0,2461.
- Human resources: 80 594 017.
- Of these, the military: 208 641.
- Number of aircraft: 714.
- Of these fighters: 94.
- Tank units: 432.
- Navy: 81.
- The military budget of the country: $ 45.2 billion.
After the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, Germany, like many other NATO members, began to reduce weapons and personnel. And she did it from the heart and on a grand scale - if at the time of the beginning of perestroika there were more than 370 thousand people in the armed forces, now there are barely 200 thousand servicemen.
The main goal of the German army is peacekeeping, whatever that means. And like many other European countries, Germany canceled the general conscription 7 years ago, in 2011.
4. Turkey
- Place in the world ranking: 9.
- Expert rating: 0,2216.
- Human resources: 80 845 215.
- Of these, the military: 710 565.
- Number of aircraft: 1 056.
- Of these fighters: 207.
- Tank units: 2 446.
- Navy: 194.
- The military budget of the country: $ 10.2 billion.
Turkey has rather difficult relations with Greece and Russia, especially against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Syria. Ankara has long hinted that it would be nice for the Turkish troops to invade Syria, which Russia, naturally, cannot allow. And in recent years, Turkey has continued to build up its military power (this was not even prevented by the military's attempt to stage a coup d'etat).
The Turkish army is considered one of the wealthiest and best trained among the NATO member countries. The dreams of some politicians to establish a "Turkic peace" centered in Ankara also cause considerable concern.
3. England
- Place in the world ranking: 6.
- Expert rating: 0,1917.
- Human resources: 64 769 452.
- Of these, the military: 279 230.
- Number of aircraft: 832.
- Of these fighters: 103.
- Tank units: 227.
- Navy: 76 (two of them are aircraft carriers).
- The military budget of the country: $ 50 billion.
Top 3 most powerful armies in Europe in 2018 are opened by the military forces of foggy Albion. Like many NATO armies, the British have significantly diminished their power since the end of the Cold War. The apotheosis of the military cuts was the disassembly for parts of aircraft that had just been released from the factory in 2010.
The cut in the military budget raises concerns among many politicians, who fear that Russian-flagged military submarines may emerge from the bottom of the Thames tomorrow.Both the Daily Mail and the Telegraph are stirring up hysteria - these two newspapers assure that in the event of a war between Russia and England, "Russian bears" will win. Will there be one of the most powerful armies in the world to build up armaments is still unknown.
2. France
- Place in the world ranking: 5.
- Expert rating: 0,1869.
- Human resources: 67 106 161.
- Of these, the military: 388 635.
- Number of aircraft: 1 262.
- Of these fighters: 299.
- Tank units: 406.
- Navy: 118 (of which four aircraft carriers).
- The military budget of the country: $ 40 billion.
France has always loved to demonstrate its independence from NATO. In 1966, the country withdrew from this organization and only returned in 2009, which created some friction between the organizations. Moreover, last week the French President said that it was high time to create a pan-European army, independent of the United States (and, apparently, NATO).
Like many other countries, France switched to a contract army. However, the military is not satisfied with the service, and after its completion more than 40% of the military personnel prefer to do other things. One of the reasons is the poor conditions of service, plus attractive offers from private companies that like to lure military specialists to themselves.
1.Russia
- Place in the world ranking: 2.
- Expert rating: 0,0841.
- Human resources: 142 257 519.
- Of these, the military: 3 586 128.
- Number of aircraft: 3 914.
- Of these fighters: 818.
- Tank units: 20 300.
- Navy: 352 (one of them is an aircraft carrier).
- The military budget of the country: $ 47 billion.
Looking at the first place in the rating, patriotic pride fills the soul. Global Firepower experts recognized the Russian army as the strongest in Europe. And in the world it is second only to its eternal enemy and rival - the United States. In terms of the level of technical development, the Russian army is one of the most powerful, because it is one of those rare countries that are able to completely and independently create the entire cycle of nuclear bomb development, from collecting raw materials to delivering them to a potential enemy. The Russian army is still being replenished by conscription, but thanks to the latest reforms, it has become more prestigious to serve in it, especially if a person is from a small town or village where there are no other social lifts. There are also contract units - these include the permanent reaction forces, which recruit the elite from the elite.
However, other voices are heard from across the ocean: some American experts argue that if there is a military conflict between Russia and China, the latter will win. Because China's technologies are more advanced, and the country's financial capabilities allow them to be built up without hindrance. While Moscow had to tearfully abandon the idea of building a new aircraft carrier. The reason is trivial - there is no money. Whether the US military power will be reoriented towards confrontation with China - time will tell.