Approximate Strengths of Selected Regular Armed Forces of the Wolrd

▪ Table

Approximate Strengths of Selected Regular Armed Forces of the World

Combat aircraft¹

Warships Bombers Defense

Military personnel in 000s Submarines Aircraft and Recon- expenditure

Carriers/ Destroyers/ fighter- nais- as % of

Country Total Army Navy Air Force² Nuclear Diesel Cruisers Frigates ground attack Fighters sance Tanks³ 1995 GDP

I. NATO

Belgium 46.3⁴ 30.1 2.6 12.3 — — — 2 132 — — 334 1.7

Canada 70.5⁴ 21.5 9.5 16.4 — 3 — 20 123 — 18 114 1.6

Denmark 32.9  19.0 6.0  7.9 — 5 — 3 66 — — 353 1.8

France 398.9⁴ 236.6 63.3⁵ 88.6 11 6 3 40 424 126 66 766 3.1

Germany 358.4⁴ 252.8 28.5 77.1 — 17 — 14 484 241 29 2,988 2.0

Greece 168.3 122.0 19.5 26.8 — 8 — 14 214 154 24 1,735 4.6

Italy 325.1⁴ 167.2 44.0 68.0 — 8 2 30 227 92 18 1,164 1.8

Netherlands, The 63.1⁴ 32.4 14.0 12.4 — 4 — 16 108 — 13 734 2.2

Norway 30.0⁴ 14.7 6.4 7.9 — 12 — 4 59 15 6 170 2.6

Portugal 54.2⁴ 29.7 12.5 7.3 — 3 — 11 84 — 6 186 2.9

Spain 206.8  142.2 36.1⁵ 28.5 — 8 1 17 49 137 21 698 1.5

Turkey 639.0  525.0 51.0⁵ 63.0 — 15 — 21 284 110 40 4,280 3.6

United Kingdom 226.0  113.0 48.0⁵ 65.0 14 — 3 35 393 122 23 462 3.1

United States 1483.8  495.0 600.6⁵ 388.2 95 — 43 101 3,420 869 243 10,900 3.8

II. NON-NATO EUROPE

Albania 54.0  45.0 2.5 6.5 — 2 — — 47 51 — 721 2.8

Armenia 57.4⁴ 56.6 — — — — — — 5 1 — 102 4.4

Austria 55.8  51.5 — 4.3 — — — — 53 — — 170 1.0

Azerbaijan 70.7  57.3 2.2 11.2 — — — 2 16 30 — 300 5.0

Belarus 85.5⁴ 50.5 — 25.7² — — — — 141 166 42 2,320 3.3

Bosnia and Herzegovina 92.0 92.0 — — — — — — — — — 75 18.8

Bulgaria 103.5⁴ 51.6 6.1 20.1 — 2 — 1 167 84 21 1,550 3.3

Croatia 64.7 63.0 1.1 0.6 — 2 — — 25 — — 250 12.6

Czech Republic 70.0⁴ 28.0 — 16.0² — — — — 60 66 — 953 2.8

Finland 32.5 26.0 2.5 4.0 — — — — — 118 — 232 2.0

Hungary 64.3 48.0 — 16.3 — — — — — 115 12 835 1.4

Poland 248.5  178.7 17.8 52.2² — 3 — 2 115 329 23 1,721 2.5

Romania 228.4⁴ 129.8 18.5⁵ 47.6 — 1 — 6 88 256 24 1,375 3.1

Slovakia 42.6⁴ 25.0 — 12.2 — — — — 33 84 8 478 2.8

Sweden 62.6 43.1 10.0 9.5 — 14 — — 177 185 51 664 2.9

Ukraine 400.8⁴ 187.8 16.0⁵ 124.0² — 3 — 4 404 457 112 4,026 3.0

Yugoslavia 113.9  90.0 7.2 16.7 — 4 — 4 94 78 32 1,360 22.1

III. RUSSIA

Russia 1,270.0⁴ 460.0 190.0 420.0⁶ 102 31 25 141 1,517 1,560 225 17,650 7.4

IV. MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA; SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA; LATIN AMERICA

Algeria 123.7  107.0 6.7 10.0 — 2 — 3 55 116 9 960 2.5

Egypt 440.0  310.0 20.0 110.0² — 8 — 7 176 371 20 3,650 4.3

Iran 513.0⁴ 345.0 18.0⁵ 30.0 — 2 — 5 170 125 14 1,440 3.9

Iraq 382.5 350.0 2.5 30.0 — — — 1 136 180 — 2,700 14.8

Israel 175.0  134.0 9.0 32.0 — 2 — — 222 205 22 4,300 9.2

Jordan 98.6 90.0 0.6 8.0 — — — — 67 30 — 1,051 6.7

Lebanon 48.9 47.5 0.6 0.8 — — — — — 3 — 300 5.3

Libya 65.0  35.0 8.0 22.0 — 4 — 2 200 209 11 2,210 5.5

Morocco 194.0 175.0 6.0 13.0 — — — 1 97 15 — 224 4.3

Saudi Arabia 105.5 70.0 13.5⁵ 22.0² — — — 8 167 124 10 1,055 10.6

Sudan, The 89.0  85.0 1.0 3.0 — — — — 50 10 — 280 4.3

Syria 421.0  315.0 6.0 100.0 — 3 — 2 240 325 14 4,600 6.8

Tunisia 35.0  27.0 4.5 3.5 — — — — 44 — — 84 2.0

United Arab Emirates 64.5  59.0 1.5 4.0 — — — 1 65 26 8 201 4.8

Yemen 42.0  37.0 1.5 3.5 — — — — 33 32 — 1,125 3.9

Angola 97.0  90.0 1.5 5.5 — — — — 26 10 — 400 4.8

Burundi 22.0⁴ 18.5 — — — — — — 7 — — — 5.3

Cameroon 22.1⁴ 11.5 1.3 0.3 — — — — 9 — — — 1.8

Chad 30.3⁴ 25.0 — 0.3 — — — — — — — — 25.4

Kenya 24.2 20.5 1.2 2.5 — — — — 30 — — 76 2.3

Mozambique 34.8  30.0 0.8 4.0 — — — — 43 — — 80 3.7

Nigeria 77.1 62.0 5.6 9.5 — — — 1 92 — — 200 2.9

South Africa 137.9⁴ 118.0 5.5 9.0 — 3 — — 234 — 8 250 2.9

Tanzania 34.6 30.0 1.0 3.6 — — — — — 24 — 65 2.7

Uganda 50.0 48.8 0.4⁵ 0.8 — — — — 9 — — 20 2.6

Zaire 49.1⁴ 25.0 1.3⁵ 1.8 — — — — 22 — — 60 2.0

Zimbabwe 43.0  39.0 — 4.0 — — — — 44 14 15 40 4.2

Argentina 72.5 36.0 24.5⁵ 12.0 — 3 — 13 225 — 8 296 1.7

Bolivia 33.5 25.0 4.5 4.0 — — — — 38 10 — — 2.6

Brazil 295.0 195.0 50.0⁵ 50.0 — 5; 1 18 259 16 5 61 1.7

Chile 89.7  51.7 24.0⁵ 14.0 — 4 — 9 91 15 20 119 3.8

Colombia 146.3  121.0 18.0⁵ 7.3 — 2 — 4 74 — — — 2.0

Cuba 100.0  85.0 5.0⁵ 10.0 — 2 — 2 14 116 — 1,500 2.8

Dominican Republic 24.5 15.0 4.0⁵ 5.5 — — — — 10 — — — 1.3

Ecuador 57.1 50.0 4.1⁵ 3.0 — 2 — 2 38 14 — — 3.4

Guatemala 44.2  42.0 1.5⁵ 0.7 — — — — 14 — — — 1.3

Mexico 175.0  130.0 37.0⁵ 8.0 — — — 7 87 10 9 — 0.9

Peru 125.0  85.0 25.0⁵ 15.0 — 8 2 5 66 23 7 300 1.6

Uruguay 25.6  17.6 5.0⁵ 3.0 — — — 3 36 — 1 — 2.6

Venezuela 79.0⁴ 34.0 15.0⁵ 7.0 — 2 — 6 104 — 4 70 1.1

V. SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA; EAST ASIA AND OCEANIA

Australia 57.8 26.0 14.7 17.1 — 4 — 11 103 — 23 71 2.5

Bangladesh 117.5 101.0 10.0 6.5 — — — 4 57 — — 140 1.8

Cambodia 87.7⁴ 36.0 1.2 0.5 — — — — 6 19 — 100 4.7

China 2,935.0 2,200.0 265.0⁵ 470.0 6 57 — 54 1,006 4,411 298 8,000 5.7

India 1,145.0 980.0 55.0⁵ 110.0 — 19 2 24 413 379 54 3,500 2.5

Indonesia 299.2 235.2 43.0⁵ 21.0 — 2 — 17 65 12 25 — 1.6

Japan 235.5⁴ 148.0 43.0 44.5 — 17 — 60 110 249 130 1,130 1.1

Kazakstan 40.0 25.0 — 15.0 — — — — 69 77 27 630 3.0

Korea, North 1,054.0 923.0 46.0 85.0 — 25 — 3 611 — — 3,400 25.2

Korea, South 660.0 548.0 60.0⁵ 52.0 — 4 — 40 303 130 51 2,050 3.4

Laos 37.0 33.0 0.5 3.5 — — — — 31 — — 30 4.2

Malaysia 114.5 90.0 12.0 12.5 — — — 6 39 33 7 — 4.5

Mongolia 21.1⁴ 15.5 — 2.0 — — — — 13 — — 650 2.8

Myanmar (Burma) 321.0 300.0 12.0⁵ 9.0 — — — — 55 36 — 106 6.2

Pakistan 587.0 520.0 22.0⁵ 45.0 — 9 — 11 168 243 16 2,050 6.5

Philippines 107.5 68.0 23.0⁵ 16.5 — — — 1 36 7 8 — 1.6

Singapore 53.9 45.0 2.9 6.0 — — — — 93 38 6 60 5.9

Sri Lanka 115.3 95.0 10.3 10.0 — — — — 24 — — 25 4.9

Taiwan 376.0 240.0 68.0⁵ 68.0 — 4 — 36 386 — 37 630 5.0

Thailand 254.0 150.0 64.0⁵ 43.0 — — — 12 192 51 30 253 2.5

Uzbekistan 30.0⁴ 25.0 — 4.0 — — — — 52 64 10 404 3.6

Vietnam 572.0 500.0 42.0⁵ 30.0² — — — 8 71 125 4 1,300 4.3

See as table:

Note: Data exclude most paramilitary, security, and irregular forces. Naval data exclude vessels of less than 100 tons standard displacement. Figures are for June 1996. Because of

substantive changes in national forces and reassessments of evidence, data may not be comparable with previous editions.

¹Includes combat aircraft from all services, including naval and air defense. Light strike/counterinsurgency aircraft are included in bomber/fighter-ground-attack category. Reconnaissance

includes maritime reconnaissance and antisubmarine warfare aircraft.

²Includes air defense troops.

³Main battle tanks (MBT), weighing at least 16.5 metric tons with gun of at least 75-mm calibre.

⁴Some countries have staffs, centrally controlled units, support services, military police, regular armed forces not responsible to the Ministry of Defense, and the like, which means total

armed forces are greater than the sum of the three armed forces.

⁵Includes marines or naval infantry.

⁶Includes strategic missile forces.

Source: International Institute for Strategic Studies, 23 Tavistock Street, London, The Military Balance 1996–1997.

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