We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm. ― Winston Churchill
10. Turkey – frontline personnel: 410,500; budget: $18.2 billion.
9. United Kingdom – frontline personnel: 146,980; budget: $60.5 billion.
8. Italy – frontline personnel: 320,000; budget: $34 billion.
7. South Korea – frontline personnel: 624,465; budget: $62.3 billion.
6. France – frontline personnel: 202,761; budget: $62.3 billion.
5. India – frontline personnel: 1,325,000; budget: $50 billion.
4. Japan – frontline personnel: 247,173; budget: $41.6 billion.
3. China – frontline personnel: 2,333,000; budget: $216 billion.
2. Russia – frontline personnel: 766,055; budget: $84.5 billion.
1. United States – frontline personnel: 1,400,000; budget: $601 billion.[1]
War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other’s children. – Jimmy Carter, Nobel Lecture, December 10, 2002
Canada is ranked 20th by Credit Suisse’s research institute report, with a budget of $15.7 billion and 92,000 active personnel.[2]
Eric Sigurdson
Endnotes:
[1] Michael O’Sullivan and Krithika Subramanian, The End of Globalization or a more Multipolar World?, Research Institute: Credit Suisse, page 41 (military strength indicator, based on weighted military strength index of six elements: active personnel, tanks, attack helicopters, aircraft, aircraft carriers, submarines), September 2015, http://publications.credit-suisse.com/tasks/render/file/index.cfm?fileid=EE7A6A5D-D9D5-6204-E9E6BB426B47D054; Jeremy Bender, Ranked: The world’s 20 strongest militaries, Business Insider, October 3, 2015. Also see – Top 10 Largest & Strongest Armies in the World: 2016-2017, Top 101 News; 40 most powerful military nations of 2016, MSN.com, Feb. 12, 2016; Countries Ranked by Military Strength: 2016, Global Fire Power, April 1, 2016.
[2] Michael O’Sullivan and Krithika Subramanian, The End of Globalization or a more Multipolar World?, Research Institute: Credit Suisse, page 41 (military strength indicator, based on weighted military strength index of six elements: active personnel, tanks, attack helicopters, aircraft, aircraft carriers, submarines), September 2015, http://publications.credit-suisse.com/tasks/render/file/index.cfm?fileid=EE7A6A5D-D9D5-6204-E9E6BB426B47D054; Jeremy Bender, Ranked: The world’s 20 strongest militaries, Business Insider, October 3, 2015.
