Introduction
Military capability is the ultimate yardstick of National power. Even as military power is assessed on a straight measure of military spending, fighting forces, comparisons with other countries, or estimates of firepower coupled with combat forces, some different yardsticks also measure military capability. Without a doubt, based on these parameters, the USA is the strongest military in the world.
Military spending is not the only indicator of military capability. For example, a country like Russia has 4%+ of spending global share while its capabilities were pegged at 9.1 %. On the other side, a country like Saudi Arabia has around 5% of global military spending. Still, it shares the military capability of only 1 % of the total world capability. This shows that not all military spending translates to proportional capabilities.
USA – The Strongest Military in the World
The USA outscores most of the other major countries in the world on all parameters. With the highest military spending in 2020 of 778 billion, the USA is number one in terms of military spending, accounting for 39% of the global military expenditure. Yet, it spends only 3.4% of its GDP and is lower than countries like Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Israel.
Conventional military strength is calculated by taking the weighted average measured in terms of armed forces, weapons, platforms, Asian military postures, defense spending, and signature capabilities. Based on 22 indicators and 5 sub measures, the most scores were again with the USA at 93.5, followed by China and Russia.
The Top Militaries in the World
According to Global Firepower, some of the strongest militaries in the world are based on military strength, financial and logistical capabilities.
The Strongest Military in the World backed by Nuclear Strength
The USA is the most powerful military with the biggest defense budget in the world. It has the most potent air force with its 5th generation fighter planes and 1.30 million active military personnel, and 0.90 million reserves. Regarding nuclear capabilities, it has 3000+ warheads that can be used anytime. The US has an annual budget of 700+ million dollars and increasing every year. It is clearly the strongest military in the world.
This military supremacy of the USA is not restricted to own geographical borders or regional surroundings only. Like Hollywood and Coca-Cola, which has the cultural hegemony globally depending on the dynamics; similarly, their military presence across many countries outlines its supremacy.
The USA has its military bases spread across continents from Honduras to Qatar, Japan, Pakistan, South Korea, and Australia. It has 800+ military bases in more than seventy countries and has troops numbering from 0.15 million to 0.20 million stationed in around 150 countries. This also includes covert operations in many as 138 countries.
With US military presence covering about 70 percent of the global territory, they are now considered the best military in the world.
Military Manpower
Many consider China as one who has the strongest military in the world. This is based on the assumption that China has the largest active military manpower of about 2.19 million. Countries like China and India have large manpower owing to their massive population size and contribute 50% of their population to armed forces.
The US has around 44% of the population available for its military personnel’s which stands at 1.50 million today.
Conclusion
Despite the rise of countries like China and India, the USA remains the only global military superpower with its strong air force power having sophisticated fighters and helicopters. The ground military force of 1.50 million and backed by tanks, submarines, and nuclear warheads makes it the strongest military in the world.
