Prepare for a double feature, because
today we're showing you who the top ten weakest militaries in the world in 2022 are
going to be, and why the top ten strongest militaries in the world really aren't. Did
your nation make the cut on either list? 10th Weakest: Panama Panama is the second country in Latin
America to abolish a standing army, After having its government overthrown by the
military, Panama remained a military dictatorship until the removal of the infamous Manuel
Noriega in a US invasion. After the invasion President Guillermo Endara prohibited the
nation from having a standing military, and instead the nation operates a Panamanian
Public Force made up of paramilitary units such as police which can be supplemented by a drafted
standing army in case of external aggression. Today the country can call upon a total
force of 35,000 in case of a hostile invader, though the nation is severely limited by
its lack of military equipment. It has no air force other than a few transport planes
and helicopters, and only 55 lightly armored vehicles- mostly reinforced civilian models
seized by its police forces from drug offenders. With US forces frequently
based out of Panama though, the nation has little to fear from an invader. 10th Strongest: Pakistan In 2022 Pakistan is set to continue to
widen the gap between itself and Turkey, the nation from which it took the number 10
strongest military power in the world from. While this is no small achievement given
the capabilities of the Turkish military, Pakistan isn't nearly as
strong as numbers suggest. Today the nation boasts a military of 654,000
personnel, though the quality of armaments varies greatly. Even outdated equipment is still fairly
effective though against everything but a modern superpower, and Pakistan has no threat of facing
such a conflict today. Its biggest threat comes from India, and its historical rival has shown
the great weakness of the Pakistan military. India's new war doctrine in case of
conflict with Pakistan, dubbed 'Cold Start', aims to drive a spear deep into the heart of
Pakistan with very little advance warning. The strategy was developed to attempt
to counter Pakistan's nuclear weapons, and shows why the nation is actually
weaker than most people think. In the late 1980s, Pakistan began to accept
that its decades of sheer hubris and pride in its military was greatly misplaced, and India
had not just matched Pakistan in terms of ability, but greatly outmatched it. To balance the
equation once more, Pakistan turned to expanding its nuclear options, including the
use of tactical nuclear weapons. Without the tactical nuclear option, Pakistan's armies
simply cannot withstand an Indian offensive- and even with them the nation's leadership
accepts that they will still be forced to cede large tracts of territory to the Indian army
before stopping its advance with a dug-in defense. But that's the entire point of Cold Start- force
Pakistan to use tactical nuclear weapons on its own soil, and not on Indian army formations
in India. Such a move would be absolutely catastrophic, and using nuclear weapons on
Indian territory would only prompt a swift nuclear response from India itself. Pakistan
today faces two equally horrible choices- nuke itself or nuke India and get nuked in response-
and without the ability to stop an Indian invasion with conventional power, the nation is not
nearly as powerful as its rank suggests it is. 9th Weakest Nation: Central African Republic The Central African Republic is a nation with an
extremely troubled relationship with its military. The military has launched multiple coups since its
independence in the mid 20th century, and in the 21st century has been responsible for large-scale
unrest and even outright crimes against humanity. The biggest problem with the CAR military has been
the domination of its military by a single ethnic group, which has often left it unreliable or in
outright rebellion against sitting presidents from the northern tribes. However, recently France
and now Russia has been working to reorganize the CAR military, with Russia even going so far
as to push for a greater ethnic mix within the ranks of the CAR armed forces in order to
stabilize the cultural unrest within its ranks. Russia's efforts so far have been successful,
and the nation has donated a large amount of military equipment to the CAR after its latest
internal conflict left it with only 70 rifles. Today the CAR has a military of 7200,
with 65 armored vehicles- mostly donated from Russia- and 3 antiquated Cold
War era T-55 tanks. It's one-time inventory of just 70 rifles has been revitalized
by a donation of 900 modern pistols, 5200 AK family assault rifles, and 270 rocket
launchers of an unspecified make and type. The CAR's navy is made up of a single US-made river
patrol boat, and it has no air force to speak of. Our next nation dominates its sphere of
influence, but has a crippling weakness. 9th Strongest: Brazil The Brazilian military is
South America's own superpower, and the undisputed heavyweight in the
region. However, several key weaknesses plague Brazil's military, and while on paper
it is the 9th strongest power in the world, in reality Brazil risks losing a conflict against
a much weaker opponent if ever forced into combat. The nation boasts a total military
force of 334,500, with over three times as many reservists. In the air it has
a capable, if aging fleet of 43 fighters, 77 ground-attack aircraft, and just 12 attack
helicopters. It's fleet of 439 tanks is made up of Leopard 1s and American-made Patton M60s.
It's navy though is where the nation shines, with a fleet of 112 vessels- including 1
helicopter carrier for amphibious operations, 7 frigates and 2 corvettes capable of sea, air, and
underwater defense operations, and 6 submarines. One of the problems facing the Brazilian military
is its lack of modernity- its entire fleet of main battle tanks is hopelessly antiquated and
heralds from the Cold War era, though 116 of its Leopards will soon be upgraded with modern
upgrades, with the rest decommissioned. However, the Leopard platform is still based on
Cold War era engineering and tank design, severely limiting its abilities against
a modern foe even with future upgrades. Thus Brazil is turning to its
Novo Couraga Program to design and develop a modern main battle tank
that will fully replace its fleet. Its air force is in a similar state, with
it relying heavily on American-made F-5s, a light attack platform hailing from all the way
back in the 1950s and 1960s. The jet remains very capable for regional conflicts, but would
be easy prey for any modern air force. The nation is modernizing with its purchase of
Swedish-made JAS 39 Gripens, a very capable multirole fighter which can stand toe-to-toe with
most 4th gen aircraft. As the world enters the 4.5 generation and 5th generation era though,
the Grippen is unlikely to remain competitive. Brazil's biggest weakness however is its lack
of experience. Despite providing support to the Allies in WW2, and sending a small amount
of forces in support of various US global operations since then, the Brazilian military
has zero experience fighting a modern conflict, which is a delicate ballet of coordinated
logistics and combined arms warfare. This lack of experience, combined
with a majorly deficient air force, means Brazil is simply not as strong as numbers
suggest in a modern conflict. While it would be difficult if not impossible for any nation to
attempt a total invasion of the huge country, securing its major cities and choking
off trade outside those cities would be relatively easy for any nation with a large
amphibious capability and long-range airpower. 8th Weakest: Gabon The Gabonese national army is a tiny
force incapable of defending its own territory from a hostile invader. Its
active personnel number only at 5,000, and it has no main battle tanks. Its air
force consists of 6 Mirage F1 fighters and 3 Gazelle light attack helicopters along
with a variety of transport and utility helicopters and two transport planes- one a
C-130 Hercules capable of paradrop operations for the nation's single Airborne regiment- a
rare feather in the Gabonese military's cap. The biggest problem with the Gabonese
military- other than its paltry size- is its lack of experience and training. While
its 1800-strong Presidential guard is very well trained by any nation's standards, the
rest of its army is largely left to its own devices, with just a select few individuals
receiving premier military training abroad. Another significant issue with the
Gabonese military is its uncertain loyalty. For decades the ruling elite relied on gifts and
promotions to keep military leadership loyal, but as the government's coffers run low
and these gifts become ever more rare, the future relationship between the government
and its military remains uncertain. This, more than anything else, remains the reason
why the Presidential guard is so large and well-trained in comparison to
the rest of its armed forces. Our next nation used to be a superpower, but
today is barely strong enough to defend itself. 8th Strongest: United Kingdom Once it was a global superpower, today
it's a shadow of its former self, plagued by what has been termed
the British 'era of retreat'. That however doesn't mean that the
UK doesn't still pack a serious bite, it's just that the British military's teeth
are increasingly irrelevant in a modern war. It's military is made up of
195,000 active duty personnel, and unlike most militaries in the world
those personnel enjoy modern equipment and high levels of training. What's
so wrong then with the UK military? For one, its famous Royal Navy, once in
undisputed command of all seven seas, is now incapable of carrying out operations
far from its own shores. Even in what should have been a mismatched conflict against Argentina,
the UK military covertly relied heavily on the US military for assistance just getting
its forces into theater, with the US lending the nation the use of various
air strips, millions of gallons of fuel, thousands of rounds of mortars, and the aid
of various reconnaissance platforms to include satellites. As the British publication
The Economist detailed in the late 1980s, the entire campaign “could not have been
mounted, let alone won, without American help”. Since then, things haven't improved much. Famously the UK Navy has
been forced to cannibalize parts from other ships to keep a
number of its ships operational, and UK soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan quickly
got the nickname of 'the borrowers' because of their reputation for trading random
bits of hardware for basic equipment. Today the UK operates the smallest
military force it has had in 300 years, and incredibly is set to shrink even further in
coming years. Internal reviews have criticized the nation for relying on its nuclear weapons
as a shield, while allowing its conventional power to atrophy and wane. Today the UK
military's relevancy is rapidly fading, and without the capability of launching operations
outside of its own shores without US aid, the country is unlikely to stay in the
top 10 of military powers much longer. 7th Weakest: North Macedonia North Macedonia is a rare entry into this
list of weakest militaries in the world. Unlike most other nations on this list,
North Macedonia is a NATO member whose military is in full compliance with NATO
training standards, and the nation has solid operational experience thanks to its
robust participation in various NATO missions. Its relatively small army of 8,000 personnel
is well equipped with a match of American and late-era Soviet equipment that is still
very relevant on a battlefield. A $30 million donation by the US will help
North Macedonia's arsenal expand with US-made Stryker vehicles, some of
which will be of the anti-tank variant. Its air force consists of only a handful
of transport helicopters and 6 Soviet Hind attack helicopters which are still of
great potency on a modern battlefield. So why is North Macedonia's military so weak?
It's largely due to the nation's inability to wage a long-term conflict. A measure of military
might is more than just equipment or personnel, it also includes a nation's ability
to actually support war financially, and its resource security. North Macedonia's tiny
population of just over 2 million is amongst the smallest in the world and it simply can't
support a long-term conflict of any scope, with an estimated labor force of only 793,000. The
nation is also completely incapable of securing any imports or exports, its tiny military leaving
its economy extremely vulnerable to disruption. Despite this though, North Macedonia would
handily defeat any other military force on this list of weakest militaries in
a short-engagement stand-up fight. Our next nation rose from the ashes of World War
II to become one of the best militaries in Europe, but today faces seriously challenges
if actually forced to fight a war. 7th Strongest: France The French military is a well-trained,
well-equipped professional fighting force, and of all the nations on this list likely
has the fewest weaknesses undermining its capabilities in a future conflict. However,
those weaknesses could prove to be fatal. In the early 2000s, France quickly recognized
a critical lack of ability in conducting global operations, relying heavily on
the United States for logistical support. Unlike most other European powers, France
quickly set to correcting this flaw, and as has been proven by its
ongoing presence in Africa, today the French military is more than ready
to flex its muscles as far from its own shores as needed- including even the Indo-Pacific
region as China threatens regional stability. French armed forces are 270,000 strong, but its
lack of a ready reservist force- numbering only 35,000- is a critical vulnerability in the face
of major conflict. In the air, France operates one of the world's finest air forces, with
269 modern or very near-modern fighters and 69 attack helicopters. However, the nation relies
heavily on multi-role fighters for ground-attack, having zero dedicated ground-attack platforms-
yet another massive vulnerability if facing off against a modern power such as Russia. For too
long European nations have relied on the United States to 'fill in' capability gaps, and this
has left the French air force in dire straits. On the ground, the French army operates
406 very capable main battle tanks, and has a fleet of over 6,000 armored vehicles to
provide protected mobility to its infantry. At sea France really shines, with 1 aircraft carrier,
3 amphibious assault helicopter carriers, 11 destroyers, 11 frigates, and 10 submarines-
all of which are extremely capable platforms. France's biggest weakness however doesn't
come from its military or equipment. First, the French military faces increasing
fatigue as its forced to conduct on-going domestic patrols as part of Operation Sentinelle,
which sees French military forces stationed throughout major cities to act as deterrent to
a spike in terrorist activity. Around 10,000 personnel are deployed throughout France on the
lookout for terrorist activity, and to provide rapid response in case of an attack. This not
only places on-going operational strain on equipment and personnel, but ties up a significant
portion of the French military in case of war. Secondly, France's extreme right-wing element
is a major threat to its ability to continue to support NATO operations, especially in
light of growing hostility from the Russian and Chinese governments. A significant element of
the French population holds far right sentiments, and the nation is rife for infiltration by
Russian propaganda agents. Ongoing Russian public influence campaigns in the nation have been
wildly successful to date, and as these far-right sentiments infiltrate the French government at a
growing rate, the nation's war-fighting capability may become sabotaged from inside in case NATO is
called upon to defend Eastern Europe from Russia. 6th Weakest: Eritrea Eritrea has one of the largest armies in Africa, and yet is ranked as the world's 6th
weakest military- how can that be? The nation has a standing force of 200,000, a
mostly conscript force as service is mandatory at age 18 for a period of 18 months. Training is
sparse, with an initial training period before conscripts are sent out to either perform
military duties, or more likely serve in an industrial role throughout the country such
as working farms or building roads. This leaves the Eritrea military a very undisciplined,
unprofessional force, as evidenced by the numerous massacres performed by Eritrean forces
in Ethiopia during the ongoing Tigray War. Logistically the nation operates almost
exclusively antiquated equipment, very old Soviet Cold War leftovers and a mishmash of international
personal equipment such as battle rifles and machine guns. Despite a force of 300 tanks, only
150 of which are in service, these are all T-55s who would have a tough time defending themselves
from even the anti-tank capability of a modern infantry company. The nation also has absolutely
no air force and only a token, and antiquated, air defense capability that would be absolutely
useless against even a modestly capable foe. A lack of training, discipline,
and equipment, as well as a very weak national economy make the Eritrean
military amongst the weakest in the world. The next nation on our list far
outweighs its historical rival in terms of raw power- but that power
can’t hide a deadly vulnerability. 6th Strongest: South Korea South Korea is a modern military miracle. At
the end of the 1990s the nation was a relatively primitive military power, operating aging Cold War
hand-me-downs and utterly incapable of combined arms operations. Today, South Korea operates
an extremely capable military outfitted with modern hardware, and its navy and air force is
one of the best in the region- if not the world. So why is South Korea not
nearly as strong as it seems? One of the biggest problems with the South Korean
military is its ongoing reliance on conscription, with something like half of its military forces
being conscripts serving out mandatory terms. The nation has a difficult time luring volunteers
or conscripts to remain for full-time military service, seriously weakening its capabilities
due to a lack of military professionals. But conscription directly impacts another major weakness of the South
Korean military- its funding. Back in 2010 the South Korean government
implemented a plan to modernize its military, opting for the Cold War strategy employed by the
west of outperforming the Soviet bloc by fielding a smaller, but much more capable military than
its adversary- North Korea. In order to do this, the nation downsized its military
significantly, and called for even greater reductions by 2020- a trend which
has slowed, but not stopped. The plan also called for a 10% increase to the defense budget
every year, a goal which has never been met. In order to quell national dissatisfaction with
mandatory service, the ROK diverted large amounts of badly-needed funds to increasing pay and
benefits for both conscripts and volunteers. Then, the nation poured much of available funds directly
to the Navy and Air Force, developing a modern and extremely capable fighting force in both the air
and sea. Its army however was left to languish, with planned replacement main battle tanks
never appearing in sufficient quantities, and equipment shortages so severe that regular
infantry units lack everything from body armor to night vision and even basic weapon optics. To
make matters worse, the army continues to shrink year by year, as the ROK focuses almost
myopically on its navy and air force. Today, South Korea relies on a ground fighting force of 463,00 to fend off a North
Korean force of over one million, and to make matters worse its army is expected
to shrink to just over 350,000 by 2025. 5th Weakest: Suriname Suriname has a tiny military of between 2,000
and 2,500, and operates only a very small number of armored vehicles. Donated by Brazil in 1983,
its fleet of 55 armored vehicles have some light anti-tank capabilities but mostly operate in an
infantry support role. Thanks to an agreement with Brazil, the Brazilian government has been
slowly refurbishing this tiny fleet over time, though much of it remains in
need of maintenance and upgrades. The United States maintains a training program
with the Suriname military, though recently China has sought to expand its influence in South
America and as part of those efforts has donated a number of small arms and patrol boats to the
Suriname armed forces. Due to a military coup in the 1980s, the US has also been engaged in the
training of the Suriname armed forces on the role a military plays in a civilian-led government,
hoping to avoid a repeat of the previous coup. With little in the way of equipment,
and entirely reliant on Brazil and the Netherlands for protection, Suriname is one
of the weakest militaries in South America. The next strongest nation on our
list is strong enough to fight off a kaiju- but only if the battle
happened right off its own shores. 5th Strongest: Japan For much of its modern history Japan was
a military powerhouse, with a cult-like devotion by its population to the strength
of its armed forces. That was a path that led to disaster though, and after the defeat of
the nation by the US in the second world war, a similarly strong anti-war sentiment swept
through the country. This made the Japanese Self-Defense Forces an object of ridicule
for much of their lifetime, with the civilian population seeing their own military as inept,
useless, and something worthy of only mockery. That attitude began to change in the
2000s, and today the Japanese military is a modern force that routinely impresses
its American allies in joint exercises with their discipline and training. Its navy
sports modern and highly capable ships, and its air force is now equipped with the F-35.
Even its army, the least important arm of its military in most people's minds, is equipped
with very modern and capable main battle tanks. But the Japanese military is all but
useless in anything but a defensive mission. Due to its constitution, Japan has
a self-imposed ban on any and all long-range offensive capabilities.
That means that while it boasts formidable defensive firepower, and it would be
a nightmare for an enemy to invade the nation, Japan completely lacks the ability to engage
any enemy far from its own shores with anything other than air power. The Japanese navy sports
impressive anti-ship and anti-air capabilities, but has a complete lack of ground-strike
assets, and likewise the Japanese air force relies on multi-role fighters for the
ground-attack role because it has no bombers. As tensions with China ratchet up, it's becoming
clearer that if Japan is to successfully defend its sphere of influence from Chinese forces it
must invest in long-range attack capabilities. While some progress is being made in this
regard, the Japanese people have for too long had the luxury of remaining pacifists
due to the US's protection, and now the Japanese military faces a steep uphill battle
to properly arm itself for coming conflicts. 4th Weakest: Sierra Leone The Sierra Leone military
consists of 8500 personnel, with officers trained by the British.
Other than coast guard operations though, the military is incapable of
conducting any other major operations. Its soldiers are armed with a hodgepodge
of various different small arms, all of them donated by various countries or
purchased on the international arms market. This lack of standardization makes maintenance
and training extremely difficult. While on paper it operates 2 Soviet-built Hind attack
helicopters, it is not believed that they nor the two T-72 tanks in its inventory are currently
operable due to a lack of trained personnel. Its navy operates a small fleet of patrol craft,
donated or funded by both Britain and China, and regularly undertakes anti-piracy operations within
its territorial waters. With no assets to speak of though, the Sierra Leone military is completely
incapable of doing much more than police actions against pirates from neighboring countries.
The next nation on our list skyrocketed in power to completely dominate its long-time foe and
next-door neighbor, but today would doubtlessly lose a war to its new regional rival.
4th Strongest: India India is the world's largest democracy, and
with a population well over 1 billion strong, it should be able to field a significant
military. The reality is far from this though. The Indian navy is a very capable force with an
aircraft carrier, 17 submarines, 10 destroyers, 13 frigates, and 23 smaller corvettes. The
navy has proven its worth time and again in conflicts with Pakistan, and unlike its greatest
modern rival, China, the Indian military is thoroughly tested in battle. However, the rest
of its armed forces are in a very sorry state. The greatest problem with the Indian military is
a constant switching of priorities from Pakistan to China as India's number one threat. This
has often led to a confused deployment of its military assets and even greater confusion
by its bureaucracy in budget priorities. The Indian Air Force has long languished from an
inadequate budget, and Indian aircraft suffer from a lack of modern avionics and sensors. Much to
India's embarrassment, in 2019 two Pakistani F-16s shot down an aging Mig-21 sent to intercept them,
showcasing the complete overmatch of the Indian air force even by a weaker power such as Pakistan.
A border clash with China in 2020 drove the Indian government to place an order for 36 French
Rafale fighters, as well as 12 Sukhoi MKI-30 and 21 Mig-29 fighters from Russia. These will take
years to appear in the Indian inventory, but even after their inclusion only highlight another major
problem for the Indian military: standardization. For a long time India has walked
a fine line between world powers, refusing to be forced to pick a side. While
this strategy has served it well politically, its military has suffered dramatically for
it. India's mish-mosh of various weapon systems from nations all over the world means
that maintenance is an absolute nightmare, and attrition will be a debilitating issue
in any prolonged conflict due to a lack of available parts. Compounding India's problems
is the fact that what little defense industry it does have is not suited for developing much
needed modern replacements for its ground and air forces, with the last attempt at building
a domestic tank ending in a 30 year disaster that produced a tank too heavy and too
lightly armored to be of any practical use. Thanks to a growing relationship
with the United States though, India is gaining access to US surveillance
and recon assets it badly needs, and in the future an even closer relationship may help India
modernize and standardize its equipment- otherwise the nation cannot hope to win a war against its
greatest threat: the People's Liberation Army. 3rd Weakest: Somalia Somalia has a long warrior tradition, but
today its military forces are almost the weakest in the world. The nation can only
field an army of 20,000, and has no heavy equipment to speak of save for a few dozen
armored vehicles donated by various nations. As part of an effort to stabilize the government
and the overall region, the United States and European Union have engaged in regular training
of the Somali military, but readiness is still a major issue. As recently as 2013 less than half
of available troops were fit for service, and the situation has yet to significantly improve.
Clan and tribal influences make cohesion of the armed forces difficult to maintain. An effort to
enhance cohesion was undertaken by the US starting in 2014, with special commando units of mixed
ethnicity trained by American private military contractors and reimbursed by the US State
Department. The program has apparently been a success, and Somalia has been able to help the US
fight against extremists within its own borders. Despite this, the nation remains completely
incapable of the necessary intelligence gathering, monitoring, and direct action needed to eliminate
terror threats, and relies heavily on US aid. Now we enter the top 3 most powerful nations,
but while number 3 may seem like a superpower, it’s barely able to fight
and win in its own backyard. 3rd Strongest: China A rising military juggernaut, China may be
history's greatest success story. In the span of two decades, China has uplifted hundreds
of millions from poverty and reinvented itself from a second-world nation to a first-world
power. Its military now operates the world's largest navy, and it has an entire branch of the
military dedicated to missile warfare. To date, it is one of three nations to successfully
develop a fifth generation fighter. Despite this, China may be a paper tiger. The Chinese military is very impressive on paper,
but faces a large amount of real-world problems that seriously threaten its ability to win a
war against a peer power such as Russia or the United States. Chief of these problems
is its lack of experience- the last war China fought was against the comparatively
tiny Vietnam, and this resulted in thousands of casualties and a hasty retreat after only
a few weeks. Until only relatively recently, China even refused to send troops to aid
in international peacekeeping operations- a critical source of experience for many
military powers- due to fear it would be embarrassed by its troops’ performance.
While the situation is improving, its troops suffer from a lack of adequate
and realistic training. Most training has historically been conducted under extremely
favorable conditions meant to make troops look good for visiting dignitaries, with little
effort put into simulating real-world conditions. Famously, in one of its first attempts to conduct
a real-world training scenario in the early 2000s, a group of Chinese troops became so demoralized
by the harsh conditions that entertainers were brought in to lift their spirits. This is
a far cry from the regular and realistic training conditions that Russian and American
troops routinely undergo to maintain readiness. While China does not employ conscription
and is able to recruit enough volunteers to fulfill its military needs, it
has notably dropped its recruitment standards at least three times since 2000.
As has been noted, many Chinese recruits do not meet physical or mental health
standards set by other modern militaries. Bureaucracy is another major
problem for the Chinese military. Deeply entrenched bureaucratic processes lead
to an inefficient top-down command structure reminiscent of the Soviet Union. While the
Chinese Communist Party's absolute control makes gearing the Chinese military to specific
threats much easier, it also leads to a rigid, inflexible force that cannot react quickly to
a rapidly evolving battlefront. By comparison, western militaries encourage a large degree of
autonomy within its command structure, allowing even individual unit commanders the initiative
needed to rapidly adjust to evolving threats. The People's Liberation Army's biggest problem
however is decades of rampant corruption, and despite a massive anti-corruption effort
the PLA's command structure is still riddled with inefficiencies and incompetent officers
promoted only by buying their rank. The military also suffers from a longtime lack of a joint
command structure, preventing the various arms of the Chinese military from working together.
Though Xi Jinping has taken steps to rectify this, the lack of combined arms experience
still haunts the Chinese military, and a lack of realistic training
only compounds this problem. While China remains a formidable military power, it is unclear if its military is capable
of navigating a dynamic modern battlefield. 2nd Weakest: Liberia With a military of just 2200 personnel, Libera
is one of the weakest militaries in the world- and for many years was not even commanded by
a Liberian, but rather by a Nigerian officer. Recently command of the Liberian military
is now once again under one of its own, but its armed forces remain small,
poorly equipped, and poorly trained. The nation has no heavy equipment save for 55
armored vehicles in varying states of repair. Efforts to reestablish the nation's
coast guard have met with difficulty due to funding problems, despite the training
of 40 personnel by the United States Coast Guard and America's donation of two
Defender class patrol boats. The US Navy also constructed a boat ramp and
perimeter wall for a coast guard installation. The nation operates no aircraft, as its small
air force was dissolved in 2005 as part of its armed forces demobilization program.
At number 2, Russia is a fierce fighting bear- but this bear’s teeth are
getting old and starting to fall out. 2nd Strongest: Russia Increasingly isolated on the world stage,
the Russian military under Vladimir Putin's command remains a formidable power, and
the world's second best fighting force- but its position in the number two
spot has been eroding for years, and it's doubtful Russia will
retain it for much longer. There's few militaries more terrifying on paper:
1 million active duty personnel, 789 fighters, 538 attack helicopters, 13,000 tanks,
6,540 self-propelled artillery, 3,860 rocket artillery, and 27,100 armored
vehicles. Without a doubt the Russian military brings enough firepower to make any nation
second-guess getting into the ring with it. But in reality, an insidious
decay has been gnawing at the heart of the Russian military for three decades. The nation faces multiple crisis points that
see its military power very quickly eroding, as well as its international relevancy. The first
problem Russia faces is an exodus of professionals from the nation due to international sanctions
and an economy that's not very well diversified. Every year Russia loses thousands of engineers,
scientists, and artists who seek out better opportunities abroad. This brain drain directly
affects the already faltering Russian economy, and in turn a military force that has been struggling
to modernize and remain relevant for decades. Funding for the Russian military has been
inadequate almost since the end of the Cold War. This has only been compounded by sanctions leveled
against Russia due to Putin's invasion of Crimea. But it's not only a lack of money, it's also
sanctions on the sale of dual-use technology which can be converted to military use, such as
satellite and reconnaissance technology. This has left the Russian military with a great deal of
firepower, and very little certainty that it's actually going to hit what it's aiming at. Against
a modern foe such as the United States, armed almost exclusively with precision-guided weapons,
this represents an immediately lethal deficiency. Despite attempts to create an all-volunteer
force by increasing pay and benefits, Russia still relies heavily on conscription,
with almost half of its military made of draftees. A conscripted force not only under
performs versus an all-volunteer force, but is more susceptible to enemy
psychological warfare operations and makes it more difficult to retain trained
military professionals for long-term service. Russia's biggest problem however is its
inability to field modern equipment. While the nation regularly achieves
great technological breakthroughs, it's unable to translate these breakthroughs into
suitable numbers capable of affecting a military campaign. Most famously, Russia's Su-57 ranks
well above China's J-20 in capabilities, but to date only a dozen aircraft are in operation,
and 10 of these are still test platforms. The T-14 main battle tank likewise
was a significant accomplishment, and would have outclassed even modern variant
American M-1 Abrams, but Russia could never afford to bring the tank to a full production run,
and so far plans to acquire it have been canceled. While Russia has begun to acquire some
of the next generation weapons it will need to remain a relevant military
power, such as hypersonic missiles, the nation is unable to fully modernize its
military and keep pace with the United States or China. Inevitably this will lead
to the slow but certain decay of the Russian military, leaving it a power capable
of threatening its neighbors- but little else. Number 1 Weakest Military In The World: Kosovo Established in 2008, the Kosovo Security
Force is not technically a military just yet, but steps are being taken towards formalizing
it as such. Overseen by NATO since the end of the Kosovo War, the KSF is made up of
5,000 personnel, all trained by NATO staff. In a bid to lessen ethnic tensions and prevent
another catastrophic flareup of violence, NATO led the effort in recruitment of ethnic
minorities into the KSF to expand diversity. Well trained and equipped with light arms, the
KSF lacks any form of heavy military hardware except for armored trucks. Despite
its small size and lack of equipment, the KSF is a professional and capable force. Honorable mention: Bhutan Bhutan is another military force overseen by a
foreign power- this time India. India remains largely responsible for defense of Bhutan, and
regularly helps train a small force of 7,000 as well as provides small arms and equipment.
With its complete reliance on India and small numbers though, Bhutan's military is more a
paramilitary organization than a proper army. Sitting at the number one spot the United
States is the most powerful nation to ever exist, but today a dizzying number
of problems and mistakes makes it uncertain if it’s able to win a war against
a near-peer adversary like China or Russia. Number 1 Strongest: United States A superpower is defined as a nation
able to extend military, economic, cultural, and scientific power
across the entire world- today, the United States remains the only nation
capable of meeting these requirements. Its military is the best fighting force the planet
has ever seen, operating almost completely modern equipment and maintaining a program of constant
modernization to keep weapon platforms on or near the state of the art- an accomplishment
matched by no other military in the world. Despite this, the United States military is
more vulnerable than it has ever been in the last 100 years, and while it faces no threat
of being toppled as the world's premier power, its ability to win a war against
Russia or China is far from certain. The follies of the US military are numerous,
and staggeringly expensive. Untold billions have been completely wasted away by the US
Department of Defense over the last two decades, resulting in weapons programs that
have yielded zero, or very little, benefit to the fighting force. Boondoggle
after boondoggle have wasted enough tax payer money that it could have funded other
nation's entire militaries for years. Perhaps the US military's greatest folly was
its rush to redefine warfare by embracing cutting edge technology at the start of the
21st century. After 50 years of technological breakthroughs that completely overmatched any
opponent's capabilities, the US military was quick to embrace 21st century technologies and
engaged in a whirlwind sprint to develop the next break-trough technological achievements,
no matter the cost or probability of success. The Future Warrior concept promised to completely
redefine how the individual American soldier operated on the battlefield, and after years
of cost overruns and no operational technology, the program was finally canceled.
The US Navy was quick to join the US Army in burning taxpayer money as
quick as it could get its hands on it, resulting in the Zumwault destroyer program and
the Littoral Combat Ship design. The Zumwault ended up needing ammunition so expensive that
the navy couldn't afford to arm its main cannon, and the Littoral Combat Ship was not just
unsurvivable in any combat scenario due to poor armaments, but the design is so bad that the
navy has begun to prematurely retire the ships a decade or more before their projected end of
lifetime date. After purchasing 40 of them. The Air Force however takes the cake, and
its motto of 'Aim High' is well suited as the service tried its best to absolutely bankrupt
the United States with the F-35 program, costing US taxpayers over a trillion
dollars over its lifetime for a jet that both the Navy and Air Force have so
little faith in, both services have placed orders for the same 4th generation planes
the F-35 was supposed to replace by now. A history of constantly failed moonshots
throughout the 21st century have cost the US military decades in responsible technological
development, and its once insurmountable advantage has now eroded to the point that victory against
a near-peer power is in question. It has even been completely outclassed in some regards, and today
the United States remains the only nation out of the top 3 with no hypersonic weapons- a critical
vulnerability that for the first time since World War II sees the US military the one facing
a technological overmatch from an adversary. To make matters worse, many fear that the
US is failing to recognize the next shift in naval doctrine, as it stubbornly adheres to the
employment of large, extremely vulnerable aircraft carriers as the preeminent naval weapon. These
massive ships are not just expensive and take years to build, but with the advent of hypersonic
weapons and unmanned drone swarm tactics, are more vulnerable than they have ever been
to weapons a tiny fraction of their price. The loss of even a single supercarrier worth
billions of dollars and with a crew of thousands to a weapon system that costs a few million
in comparison would be a strategic disaster the US Navy would take years to recover from-
and might clinch victory at sea for the enemy. Now go check out Why this could be
the most powerful military in 2050, or click this other video instead!
