The very word military reminds me of the fact that we live in peace because there are men facing violence for us. Many of us are thrilled by the organization and operations of the military and information about this sector interests’ people a lot. So, let’s get to know about the military-
Introduction
Military (also called Armed Forces) is a tightly organized force maintained by nations (in most cases) for the protection of the country, its interests, and its people from any external or internal threat among various other duties.
Generally, it contains various branches like Army (land force), Navy, Air Force, Marines, etc.
Manpower
As estimated by World Bank there are 27 million-plus army personnel worldwide (excluding reserve and paramilitary) with India (3 million) and China (2.6 million) being the two largest armies of the world.
Their training is physically and psychologically demanding to resocialize an individual and condition him to handle various extremities. Discipline is often viewed as a fundamental value of the military.
Expenses
To maintain a large army, to procure the latest equipment and weapons, or to develop new defense technologies; countries all over the world annually allocate a huge defense budget to ensure the smooth operations of the military.
As of 2018, military expenditure of the world stood at a whopping 1.78 trillion US Dollars with the USA (nearly 650 billion) and China (nearly 250 billion) being two major players. India spent 66.5 billion during that time.
Strongest Military
Perhaps one of the most asked questions and most debated topic as to “which are the strongest military nations of the world”. There may be several parameters like personnel, combat and attack vehicles, missiles, tactical capabilities, alliances, etc to assess this query.
However, nearly all the indexes rank the USA, Russia, China, and India as the top 4 military powers respectively. It is worth noting the fact that all four of them are nuclear powers and three of them are permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Apart from it, the most powerful intergovernmental military alliance is NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) with North American and European countries being its members. NATO members account for 70 percent of the world’s total military spending and have been crucial in the Bosnia War and wars in Afghanistan.
