Overview
ASEAN, or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is an alliance of 10 nations in Southeast Asia. It is both an economic and political alliance and is increasingly caught up in the geo-political tensions between USA and China.
Which ASEAN country has the largest military force?
The country with the largest military force in ASEAN is Vietnam with a force strength of 5,522,000 personnel. At second and third, are Indonesia with a 1,075,500-strong military and Thailand with a military force of 699,550 personnel.
In comparison, the average size of military forces in ASEAN is around 921,790.0 military personnel.
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DEFENSE SPENDING
Defense Budget. Singapore has the highest military budget at US$11,211M . Average size of defense budgets among ASEAN countries stand at US$4,921.5M.
Percentage of GDP on Defense. Brunei's defence budget makes up 3.30% of its GDP - the highest among countries in ASEAN. On average, ASEAN countries spend %1.8 of their GDPs on defense.
FORCE STRUCTURE
Active Forces. Vietnam has the largest active military, with 482,000 personnel. Average size of active military forces among ASEAN countries stand at 211,205.0 personnel.
Reserve Forces. Indonesia has the largest reserve military, with 400,000 personnel. On average, countries in ASEAN maintain a reserve strength of 103,580.0 personnel.
Paramilitary Forces. Vietnam has the largest paramilitary force, with 5,040,000 personnel. The average paramilitary force size is 607,005.0 personnel.
Total Military Force Per Capita. Vietnam has the highest total military per capita at 108.4 per 1000 in population - the highest among ASEAN countries. The average total military force per capita for ASEAN countries is around 24.9 per 1000 in population.
These are the ASEAN countries with the largest military forces:
Vietnam's military force is the third-largest in the world. Vietnam has a military of 5,522,000 personnel, with 482,000 active and 5,040,000 from paramilitary forces, making up 108.4 military personnel per 1000 in population. Its per-capita military is the third-highest in Asia.
On land, Vietnam has a mobile force of 1,800 tanks. For aerial defence, Vietnam has an air force of 97 military aircrafts and 47 attack helicopters.
Vietnam has a naval fleet of 14 vessels, including 6 non-nuclear submarines. Other offensive warships in the naval arsenal include 2 frigates and 6 corvettes.
Indonesia has a military of 1,075,500 personnel, with 395,500 active, 400,000 in reserve and 280,000 from paramilitary forces, making up 4.1 military personnel per 1000 in population.
On land, Indonesia has a mobile force of 378 tanks. For aerial defence, Indonesia has an air force of 97 military aircrafts and 45 attack helicopters.
Indonesia has a naval fleet of 36 vessels, including 2 non-nuclear submarines. Rounding up the fleet of warships are 11 frigates and 18 corvettes.
Thailand's defence expenditure is estimated to be US$7,315M (1.30% of its GDP).
Thailand has a military that is composed of 360,850 active personnel, 200,000 in reserve and 138,700 from paramilitary forces, totalling 699,550 or 10.2 military personnel per 1000 in population.
On land, Thailand has a mobile force of 288 tanks. For aerial defence, Thailand has an air force of 143 military aircrafts and 47 attack helicopters.
Thailand has a naval fleet of 19 vessels, including 1 aircraft carriers. The naval fleet of warships also include 10 frigates and 7 corvettes.
With a 513,000-strong military, Myanmar has a per-capita ratio of 9.2 military personnel per 1000 in population. Its total military consists of 406,000 active personnel and 107,000 from paramilitary forces.
On land, Myanmar has a mobile force of 185 tanks. For aerial defence, Myanmar has an air force of 155 military aircrafts and 27 attack helicopters.
Other offensive warships in the naval arsenal include 4 frigates and 2 corvettes.
Malaysia allocates about 1% of its GDP (estimated at US$3,769M) for its defence budget.
Malaysia has a military of 431,800 personnel, with 113,000 active, 51,600 in reserve and 267,200 from paramilitary forces, making up 13.6 military personnel per 1000 in population.
On land, Malaysia has a mobile force of 48 tanks. For aerial defence, Malaysia has an air force of 67 military aircrafts and 32 attack helicopters.
Malaysia has a naval fleet of 16 vessels, including 2 non-nuclear submarines. The naval fleet of warships also include 10 frigates and 4 corvettes.
Philippines allocates about 1% of its GDP (estimated at US$3,472M) for its defence budget.
Philippines has a military that is composed of 143,100 active personnel, 131,000 in reserve and 62,300 from paramilitary forces, totalling 336,400 or 3.2 military personnel per 1000 in population.
For aerial defence, Philippines has an air force of 22 military aircrafts and 27 attack helicopters.
Singapore allocates about 3.20% of its GDP (estimated at US$11,211M) for its defence budget. Its percentage of GDP allocated to defence spending is the third-highest in Asia.
Singapore has a military of 310,900 personnel, with 51,000 active, 252,500 in reserve and 7,400 from paramilitary forces, making up 51.9 military personnel per 1000 in population.
On land, Singapore has a mobile force of 96 tanks. For aerial defence, Singapore has an air force of 126 military aircrafts and 25 attack helicopters.
Singapore has a naval fleet of 22 vessels, including 6 non-nuclear submarines. The naval fleet of warships also include 6 frigates and 6 corvettes.
Laos.
Laos has a military that is composed of 29,100 active personnel and 100,000 from paramilitary forces, totalling 129,100 or 17.8 military personnel per 1000 in population.
On land, Laos has a mobile force of 25 tanks. For aerial defence, Laos has an heli-force of 12 attack helicopters.
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