|
UNMEE |
United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea—since July 2000 (328) |
|
UNMIK |
United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo—since June 1999 (391) |
|
UNMIL |
United Nations Mission in Liberia— since September 2003 (13,934) |
|
UNMIS |
United Nations Mission in the Sudan— since March 2005 (9,924) |
|
UNMIT |
United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste—since August 2006 (1,5502) |
|
UNMOGIP |
United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan—since January 1949 (45) |
|
UNOCI |
United Nations Operation in Cote d’Ivoire—since April 2004 (9,174) |
|
UNOMIG |
United Nations Observer Mission in Georgia—since August 1993 (149) |
|
UNTSO |
United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (in Jerusalem)—since May 1948 (153) |
|
MINURCAT |
United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad—since September 2007 (145) |
|
MINURSO |
United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara— since April 1991 (230) |
|
MINUSTAH |
United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti—since June 2004 (9,055) |
|
MONUC |
United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo— since November 1999 (18,428) |
|
UNAMID |
African Union/United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur—since July 2007 (9,563) |
|
UNDOF |
United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (in the Golan Heights)— since May 1974 (1,046) |
|
UNFICYP |
United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus—since March 1964 (925) |
|
UNIFIL |
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon—since March 1978 (12,383) |
Nations with Largest Armed Forces
Countries with a military strength of at least 100,000 active personnel. Personnel numbers are in thousands (’000) and reflect November 2007 data; spending totals are from 2007 budgets except where noted. Source: The International Institute of Strategic Studies, The Military Balance 2008.
|
|
|
|
DEFENSE |
MAIN |
MAJOR |
|
|
STRATEGIC |
|
|
MILITARY PERSONNEL |
SPENDING |
BATTLE |
WARSHIPS/ |
SUB- |
COMBAT |
NUCLEAR |
|
|
COUNTRY |
ACTIVE |
RESERVES |
;US$ BILLIONS) |
TANKS |
CARRIERS |
MARINES |
AIRCRAFT |
WEAPONS |
|
China |
2,105.0 |
800.0 |
46.7 |
8,810+ |
75/0 |
62 |
2,554 |
yes |
|
United States |
1,498.2 |
1,082.7 |
622.0 |
8,023+ |
113/11 |
136 |
4,191 |
yes |
|
India |
1,288.0 |
1,155.0 |
28.5 |
4,249 |
48/1 |
16 |
599 |
yes |
|
North Korea |
1,106.0 |
4,700.0 |
2.31 |
4,060+ |
8/0 |
63 |
590 |
yes |
|
Russia |
1,027.0 |
20,000.0 |
33.0 |
23,669 |
113/1 |
136 |
2,345 |
yes |
|
South Korea |
687.0 |
4,500.0 |
26.9 |
2,390 |
44/0 |
12 |
563 |
|
|
Pakistan |
619.0 |
304.02 |
4.5 |
2,461+ |
7/0 |
8 |
376 |
yes |
|
Iran |
545.0 |
350.0 |
7.2 |
1,613+ |
5/0 |
3 |
319 |
|
|
Turkey |
510.6 |
378.7 |
10.9 |
4,205 |
24/0 |
13 |
435 |
|
|
Iraq |
494.8 |
0.0 |
- |
77+ |
0/0 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
Egypt |
468.5 |
479.0 |
3.4 |
3,505 |
11/0 |
4 |
489 |
|
|
Vietnam |
455.0 |
5,000.0 |
3.7 |
1,935 |
11/0 |
2 |
219 |
|
|
Myanmar |
406.0 |
107.32 |
6.91 |
255 |
3/0 |
0 |
125 |
|
|
(Burma) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Brazil |
367.9 |
1,340.0 |
21.6 |
353 |
15/1 |
5 |
327 |
|
|
Thailand |
306.6 |
200.0 |
3.4 |
848 |
20/1 |
0 |
182 |
|
|
Indonesia |
302.0 |
400.0 |
3.6 |
405 |
29/0 |
2 |
94 |
|
|
Syria |
292.6 |
314.0 |
1.5 |
4,950 |
2/0 |
0 |
583 |
|
|
Taiwan |
290.0 |
1,657.0 |
9.6 |
1,831+ |
26/0 |
4 |
510 |
|
|
France |
254.9 |
25.4 |
51.7 |
996 |
35/2 |
10 |
316 |
yes |
|
Colombia |
254.3 |
61.9 |
7.1 |
0 |
4/0 |
4 |
115 |
|
|
Mexico |
248.7 |
39.9 |
4.0 |
0 |
7/0 |
0 |
86 |
|
|
Germany |
245.7 |
161.8 |
43.2 |
2,035 |
17/0 |
12 |
298 |
|
|
Japan |
240.4 |
41.8 |
43.7 |
900 |
53/0 |
16 |
360 |
|
|
Saudi Arabia |
223.5 |
15.52 |
33.3 |
910 |
11/0 |
0 |
278 |
|
|
Eritrea |
201.8 |
120.0 |
0.13 |
150 |
0/0 |
0 |
18 |
|
|
Morocco |
195.8 |
150.0 |
2.5 |
696 |
3/0 |
0 |
89 |
|
|
Italy |
186.0 |
41.9 |
17.8 |
320 |
25/2 |
7 |
267 |
|
|
United Kingdom 180.5 |
199.3 |
61.1 |
386 |
28/3 |
13 |
354 |
yes |
|
|
Israel |
176.5 |
565.0 |
9.5 |
3,501 |
3/0 |
3 |
393 |
4 |
|
Greece |
156.6 |
251.0 |
5.5 |
1,514 |
17/0 |
9 |
357 |
|
|
Sri Lanka |
150.9 |
5.5 |
1.2 |
62 |
0/0 |
0 |
22 |
|
|
Bangladesh |
150.0 |
63.92 |
1.0 |
220 |
4/0 |
0 |
76+ |
|
|
Spain |
149.2 |
319.0 |
11.0 |
339 |
12/1 |
4 |
197 |
|
|
Algeria |
147.0 |
150.0 |
3.7 |
895 |
9/0 |
2 |
141 |
|
|
Ethiopia |
138.0 |
0.0 |
0.3 |
246+ |
0/0 |
0 |
48 |
|
|
Dem. Rep. of |
134.5 |
0.0 |
0.2 |
89 |
0/0 |
0 |
5 |
|
|
the Congo |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ukraine |
129.9 |
1,000.0 |
1.8 |
2,984 |
5/0 |
1 |
221 |
|
|
Poland |
127.3 |
234.0 |
7.7 |
946 |
8/0 |
5 |
103 |
|
|
Cambodia |
124.3 |
67.02 |
0.1 |
170+ |
0/0 |
0 |
24 |
|
|
Venezuela |
115.0 |
8.0 |
2.6 |
190 |
8/0 |
2 |
104 |
|
|
Peru |
114.0 |
188.0 |
1.3 |
336 |
9/0 |
6 |
70 |
|
|
The Sudan |
109.3 |
85.02 |
0.6 |
465 |
0/0 |
0 |
51 |
|
|
Malaysia |
109.0 |
51.6 |
4.0 |
32 |
11/0 |
0 |
68 |
|
|
Angola |
107.0 |
10.02 |
2.3 |
300+ |
0/0 |
0 |
90 |
|
|
Philippines |
106.0 |
131.0 |
1.11 |
65 |
1/0 |
0 |
30 |
|
|
Jordan |
100.5 |
65.0 |
1.6 |
1,145 |
0/0 |
0 |
100 |
|
1Spending estimate based on 2006 budget. 2Paramilitary forces. 3Spending based on 2005 budget. 4Although believed by many to possess the world’s sixth largest arsenal of nuclear weapons, Israel has never declared a nuclear capability nor has one been proven to exist.
Crafted of laminated birch wood and popularly known as the “Spruce Goose,” Howard Hughes’s HK-1 Hercules was designed during World War II in an effort to build a troop-and-cargo transport plane that did not rely on precious wartime materials in its construction. On 2 Nov 1947, Hughes piloted the aircraft for its first and only flight, which lasted for roughly a mile. At the time the Spruce Goose was three times larger than any plane ever built, and it still holds the record for the largest wingspan of any aircraft. The plane was put in its hangar and kept in flight-ready condition for nearly 30 years, as per Hughes’s orders. It is now on permanent display at the Evergreen Aviation Educational Center in McMinnville OR.
