10. Italy
With a population of more than 60 million, the country has a total available manpower of 28,000,000, 267,500 military personnel, 828 aircrafts, 425 helicopters, 200 combat tanks, 10,688 armored fighting vehicles, 2 aircraft carriers, 8 submarines and a defense budget of $37,700,000,000. The shortage of tanks and ships is what hurts its ranking. Since WWII, the country has been focusing more on international United Peace operations in many countries around the world.
9. Germany
With a defense budget of $45 billion, 1,45,000 reservists, alongside 714 aircrafts, 432 combat tanks, 81 naval assets, over 6,000 armored vehicles as well as 180,000 well-trained active troops, Germany is well-positioned for a defensive war. The reason why they are most effective at defensive war is due to the lack of aircraft carriers, troop transports and only five submarines. Germany also has a highly developed social market economy, has the largest national economy in Europe and the fourth-largest by nominal GDP in the world.
8. Turkey
Turkey has a manpower of 41,640,000 active troops, 360,565 reserve troops, 1,056 aircrafts including fighter jets, 475 helicopters, 3,778 tanks, 9,031 armored fighting vehicles, 418 rocket projectors, 194 naval fleets and 12 submarines. The Turkish military also utilizes cutting edge technology, including some that was purchased from the US like the MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System (shown above). This technology is extremely advanced and is capable of finding targets of up to 100 miles (160 km) away. The Turkish army purchased 100 of them from the US as well as three US made MQ-1 drones. This places them just behind the US with the second highest number of these drones.
7. Japan
Although Japan has a population of 126,451,398, its military is extremely small. The Japanese military consists of only 250,000 frontline personnel and 57,900 active reserve personnel. Despite this, the country makes up for the lack of manpower with technology and an array of fleets. For instance, the Japanese military is extremely well equipped with 1595 aircrafts and 622 helicopters; making it the world’s fifth largest air force. Apart from the air power, Japan also has the fourth largest submarine fleet and four aircraft carriers.
The Japanese military also contains 679 tanks, 3,178 armored vehicles and a defense budget of $44,000,000,000. In 2016, Japan launched its first military satellite, that is capable of allowing a broader range in communication. The satellite is one of three planned launches.
6. The United Kingdom
The British Army in the UK is charged with national defense and is one of the most highly disciplined and well-trained militaries in the world. Britain’s Special Forces Unit and the SAS are just two of the many elite forces the country has to offer. Apart from that, the UK has 279,230 military personnel, 879 aircrafts, 333 helicopters, 227 combat tanks, 5,371 armored fighting vehicles, 76 naval fleets including two aircraft carriers and 10 submarines, as well as a defense budget of $50,000,000,000.
When it comes to cyber warfare, the UK has GCHQ, an intelligence and security organization, famous for breaking German Enigma Codes during WWII. By 2020, Britain is planning to add additional aircraft carriers that are capable of hauling 40 F-35B joint strike fighters across the globe.