1. The United States:
The U.S. defense budget is $612 billion. Despite sequestration and other spending cuts, the United States spends more money on defense than the next ten highest spending countries combined.America's biggest conventional military advantage is its fleet of 19 aircraft carriers
, compared to 12 carriers operated by the rest of the world combined.
These massive carriers allow the U.S. to set up forward operating bases
anywhere
2. Russia:
Two decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia's military
is growing again. The Kremlin's military spending has increased by almost a third since 2008 and is expected to grow 44% more in the next three years. Today, the Russian defense budget stands at $76.6 billion.Russia
currently has 766,000 active frontline personnel with a reserve force
of 2,485,000 personnel. These troops are backed up by 15,500 tanks, the
largest
3. China:
China has embarked upon a relentless policy of massive military spending, with a 12.2% increase in spending
over the past year. China's defense budget stands at $126 billion but
could unofficially be higher, prompting concern across Asia as China
attempts to project its power to settle border disputes with Japan and the Philippines.
The size of the Chinese army is staggering, with 2,285,000 active frontline personnel with an additional
4. India:
India's defense spending is expected to rise as it pursues a
modernization drive. Currently, it is estimated that India only spends
$46 billion on its budget, and it is slated to become the fourth highest spender by 2020. It is already the world's largest importer of military goods. India
has ballistic missiles with a range capable of hitting all of Pakistan
or most of China. Indian military strategy has been dominated by its
5. The United Kingdom:
British
Army Corporal Birendra Limbu of the 2nd Battalion, The Royal Gurkha
Rifles, shows his rifle to Afghan children as he secures an area near an
Afghan National Police (ANP) checkpoint outside the town of Lashkar Gah
in Helmand province, southern Afghanistan, July 13, 2011.The U.K. is planning on reducing the size of its armed forces by 20% between 2010 and 2018, with smaller cuts to the Royal Navy and RAF. The defense
6. France:
French soldiers stand on a street during a patrol ahead of Sunday's presidential election in Timbuktu, July 25, 2013.France effectively froze
its military spending in 2013 while cutting 10% of its defense jobs in
an effort to save money for purchasing high-tech equipment. The country
spends $43 billion a year on defense, which is 1.9% of its GDP, below the spending target set by NATO for member countries.Despite a leveling off of its
7. Germany:
German military strength falls short of its economic strength on the world stage. Recently, Germany has started considering offering military support
to eastern European NATO members. It has also considered a more active
international role militarily. Germany spends $45 billion on its
military annually, making it the eighth largest spender in the world.Following the aftermath of World War II, the German population generally became
8. Turkey:
Turkish military spending is expected to rise 9.4%
in 2014 over the 2013 budget. The ongoing conflict in Syria and
possible clashes with the Kurdish separatist organization, the PKK, were
key reasons for the spending increase. Turkey's defense budget stands
at $18.2 billion.The NATO
member has contributed soldiers to various initiatives around the world.
The Turkish military took part in operations in Afghanistan, as well as
in
South Korea has been increasing its defense spending due to both the increasing armament of Japan and China, and the constant threat from North Korea. South Korea spends $34 billion on defense.
South Korea has a
relatively large military force for its small size. It has 640,000
active personnel with an additional 2,900,000 personnel in the reserves.
South Korea also has 2,346 tanks and 1,393 aircraft. The South Korean
military is
10. Japan:
Japan increased its defense spending for the first time in 11 years in response to growing disputes with China. It has also started its first military expansion in over 40 years by placing a new military base on its outer islands. Japan spends $49.1 billion on defense, the sixth most in the world.Japan's
military is fairly well-equipped. It currently has 247,000 active
personnel with an additional 57,900 in reserve. Japan also has
11. Israel:
Israel spends significantly more than its neighbors proportionally for defense. In 2009, Israel spent 18.7% of its national budget on defense. Israel's defense budget stands at $15 billion.A
large percentage of the Israeli defense budget goes toward defense
technology. One of the best examples of this is Israel's Iron Dome, a
missile defense shield that can intercept rockets shot into Israel from
the Palestinian territories. Israel