The 10 Largest Armies in the World



As much as we would love to have a world full of peace, it is just not the case. Countries all over the world have been forced to build up armies to protect themselves and sometimes other nations that need the extra hand. Below are the top ten armies in the world and what they bring to the table. 
 
1. China


It should be easy to figure that the world’s most highly populated nation, also has the largest army. China established its first army, known as the China People’s Liberation Army, in 1927. This army has been broken down into six branches. These branches are the Ground Force, the Navy, the Second Artillery Corps, and the Air Force. In all, the total number of members in all of these branches is about 2.3 million. Although joining is completely voluntary, the government strongly urges young men to join when they are old enough. There forces include about 8500 tanks, 4000 fighter jets and 54 surface ships. 
 
2. The United States

With over 1.4 million members in their armed forces, the United States has grown from its 1775 enlistments. In the reserves (those not on active duty) there are another 1.4 million ready to go. The number of possible army entrants is about 4.2 million every year. This too is a society where joining is voluntary. All of these members are highly trained and ready to go to combat when needed. They have the potential to take with them, over 8000 tanks, 18000 armored vehicles, almost 2000 self-propelled guns, 1800 towed artillery pieces and over 1300 rocket launchers. 
 
3. India



India is considered the world’s largest arms importer.It’s military is made up of over 1.3 million people. In addition, the nation of India states that it has missiles in its inventory that can easily outdistance any other nation’s missile launches on the planet. With this in mind, they take pride in their armed forces being strong enough to defend any threat to their nation. 
 
4. Russia


The Russian Military is known as the Ground Forces of the Russian Federation. Its training is rigorous and is among the World’s best when it comes to experience. This nation requires all of its citizens to either take part in military education or become actively involved in the service. They are required to do this between the ages of 18 and 27. Because of this, they boast a military of over 1.2 million members and a reserve of over 750,000. They have an armament made up of over 2800 tanks, 10,700 armored vehicles, about 2700 self-propelled guns and over 2000 towed artillery pieces. This gives them the required ingredients to be a powerful army ready to serve. 
 
5. North Korea


Although North Korea’s active armed forces are made up of over 1.1 million members, their reserve has about 8.2 million waiting in the wings. They are a formidable army with over 5400 tanks, 2600 armored fighting vehicles, 1600 self-propelled guns, 3500 towed artillery pieces and 1600 rocket projectors. Like Russia, North Korea requires service from the entire male populace. Each man is required to serve up to 10 years of full and active military service. The nation does have nuclear capabilities which makes it a large international threat even though most of their other military technology is considered outdated. 
 
6. South Korea


Far different from their northern neighbors, South Korea has formed their own Republic of Korea Army. Unlike North Korea, the males in South Korea are only required to give 21 months to the armed forces of the nation. As far as troops, South Korea has a much smaller 506,000 actively serving members. Their equipment is both imported and produced domestically. In 2012, the nation of South Korea had approximately 2300 tanks, 2600 armored vehicles, 30 missile systems, and 5300 artillery pieces. All of its ground forces population is about 1.2 million. For this reason, it considers its northern neighbor a foe and threat.
 
7. Pakistan


Neighbors with India, Pakistan also has a large army ready for combat whenever needed. It’s active frontline personnel tops 617,000 and has a sizeable reserve personnel inventory of over 515,000. For equipment, the nation of Pakistan is very well stocked. It boasts an inventory of about 3500 tanks, 5700 armored vehicles, over 1000 self-propelled guns and almost 3200 towed artillery vehicles. The air force also has over 1500 aircraft and almost 600 helicopters. The Navy in Pakistan is also very strong. It has 11 frigates and 8 submarines. Although Pakistan is a smaller nation, their armies and their capabilities are anything but small. It is completely capable and ready for warfare should it come their way. They are, at times, even seen as a threat to their neighbors. 
 
8. Iran


Iran is considered to be among the strongest countries in the Middle East region when it comes to its armed forces and their capabilities. They separate there armed forces as land division and air force. There are 14 land division and 15 air force groups. Iran has an active military personnel of over 545,000 people. They are also highly equipped with weapons and craft. They have almost 2900 tanks, 1500 armored vehicles, 310 self-propelled guns and 860 rocket projectors. It also has over 1800 aircraft and over 800 helicopters. As the Middle East goes, they are very well prepared to take on a threat. Its strong troops are ready to go when needed. 
 
9. Turkey


Number nine on our list is the nation of Turkey. Turkey is at the crossroads of both Europe and Asia and has had a strong military since Constantine. The nation of Turkey requires all young men at twenty years of age to serve in their military in some capacity. There required length of There are over 1 million members in their military.Turkey has almost 613,000 members is active frontline personnel and about 430,000 in active reserve. It is also very well equipped with over 4400 tanks, 1500 self-propelled guns, 7100 armored combat vehicles, and over 400 rocket projectors. For aircraft, Turkey has 1512 aircraft and 570 helicopters.
 
10. Israel


The final army on our list of largest armies on the planet is Israel. Israel’s army is known as IDF or Israel Defense Forces. Although one of the smallest nations in the world, it is by far one of the most volatile. From the age of 18, men are required to join the armed forces of Israel. Each year, this includes approximately 122,000 young men joining the armed forces to serve their country in any division of their military. The IDF has an active frontline personnel of over 187,000 members. In reserve, the nation of Israel has over 565,000. They are also well equipped for defense with almost 3900 tanks, 1800 armored vehicles, 700 self-propelled guns, 350 towed artillery pieces and 48 rocket projectors. 
 
Conclusion

No matter what country you go into on this planet, you will find some form of military protecting it. It is a harsh fact of life, but if we want to be able to maintain any form of peace, we ironically need to have an armed forces.We all hope that we will never again need to see military use as we saw in the previous centuries, but we also need to prepare for the worst case scenarios that could occur. Many nations are well equipped to keep the peace, it is up to the general population of the world to insure that we never need to use them.

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