Overview
Which NATO country has the largest military force?
The country with the largest military force in NATO is United States with a force strength of 2,233,050 personnel. At second and third, are Turkey with a 890,700-strong military and France with a military force of 375,100 personnel.
In comparison, the average size of military forces in NATO is around 204,438.7 military personnel.
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DEFENSE SPENDING
Defense Budget. United States has the highest military budget at US$731,751M . Average size of defense budgets among NATO countries stand at US$34,512.7M.
Percentage of GDP on Defense. United States's defence budget makes up 3.40% of its GDP - the highest among countries in NATO. On average, NATO countries spend %1.7 of their GDPs on defense.
FORCE STRUCTURE
Active Forces. United States has the largest active military, with 1,388,100 personnel. Average size of active military forces among NATO countries stand at 108,725.3 personnel.
Reserve Forces. United States has the largest reserve military, with 844,950 personnel. On average, countries in NATO maintain a reserve strength of 70,228.3 personnel.
Paramilitary Forces. Italy has the largest paramilitary force, with 175,750 personnel. The average paramilitary force size is 25,485.0 personnel.
Total Military Force Per Capita. Greece has the highest total military per capita at 34.2 per 1000 in population - the highest among NATO countries. The average total military force per capita for NATO countries is around 8.6 per 1000 in population.
These are the NATO countries with the largest military forces:
United States's defence budget is the highest in the world. United States's defence expenditure is estimated to be US$731,751M (3.40% of its GDP). Its percentage of GDP allocated to defence spending is the highest in North America.
With a 2,233,050-strong military, United States has a per-capita ratio of 6.8 military personnel per 1000 in population. Its total military consists of 1,388,100 active personnel (third-largest in the world) and 844,950 reserve personnel.
United States's battle tank force is the largest in North America. On land, United States has a mobile force of 8,850 tanks. For aerial defence, United States has an air force of 14,061 military aircrafts and 3,720 attack helicopters.
United States's naval fleet is the second-largest in the world. United States has a naval fleet of 254 vessels, including 11 aircraft carriers and 70 nuclear submarines. Rounding up the fleet of warships are 21 frigates, 69 destroyers and 27 corvettes.
Turkey allocates about 2.70% of its GDP (estimated at US$20,448M) for its defence budget.
Turkey's military force is the third-largest in Europe. Turkey has a military that is composed of 355,200 active personnel (second-largest in Europe), 378,700 in reserve and 156,800 from paramilitary forces, totalling 890,700 or 11 military personnel per 1000 in population.
Turkey's battle tank force is the second-largest in Europe. On land, Turkey has a mobile force of 2,504 tanks. For aerial defence, Turkey has an air force of 335 military aircrafts and 339 attack helicopters.
Turkey's naval fleet is the second-largest in Europe. Turkey has a naval fleet of 38 vessels, including 14 non-nuclear submarines. Rounding up the fleet of warships are 18 frigates and 6 corvettes.
The country with the second-highest defence budget in Europe is France. France allocates about 1.90% of its GDP (estimated at US$50,119M) for its defence budget.
With a 375,100-strong military, France has a per-capita ratio of 5.6 military personnel per 1000 in population. Its total military consists of 203,250 active personnel, 41,050 reserve personnel and 130,800 from paramilitary forces.
On land, France has a mobile force of 200 tanks. For aerial defence, France has an air force of 395 military aircrafts and 293 attack helicopters.
France's naval fleet is the third-largest in Europe. France has a naval fleet of 36 vessels, including 1 aircraft carriers and 10 nuclear submarines. The naval fleet also possesses numerous warships, including 11 frigates and 11 destroyers.
Greece allocates about 2.60% of its GDP (estimated at US$5,472M) for its defence budget.
Greece has a military that is composed of 142,700 active personnel, 221,350 in reserve and 4,000 from paramilitary forces, totalling 368,050 or 34.2 military personnel per 1000 in population.
Greece has the third-largest battle tank force in Europe. On land, Greece has a mobile force of 1,354 tanks. For aerial defence, Greece has an air force of 244 military aircrafts and 48 attack helicopters.
Greece has a naval fleet of 25 vessels, including 8 non-nuclear submarines. The naval fleet also possesses numerous warships, including 13 frigates and 4 corvettes.
Italy's defence expenditure is estimated to be US$26,790M (1.40% of its GDP).
Italy has a military that is composed of 165,500 active personnel, 18,300 in reserve and 175,750 from paramilitary forces, totalling 359,550 or 5.8 military personnel per 1000 in population.
On land, Italy has a mobile force of 200 tanks. For aerial defence, Italy has an air force of 258 military aircrafts and 211 attack helicopters.
Italy has a naval fleet of 30 vessels, including 2 aircraft carriers and 6 non-nuclear submarines. The naval fleet also possesses numerous warships, including 10 frigates, 4 destroyers and 5 corvettes.
Portugal's defence expenditure is estimated to be US$4,513M (1.90% of its GDP).
Portugal has a military of 263,650 personnel, with 27,250 active, 211,700 in reserve and 24,700 from paramilitary forces, making up 25.5 military personnel per 1000 in population.
On land, Portugal has a mobile force of 56 tanks. For aerial defence, Portugal has an air force of 42 military aircrafts and 18 attack helicopters.
Portugal has a naval fleet of 12 vessels, including 2 non-nuclear submarines. Rounding up the fleet of warships are 5 frigates and 5 corvettes.
The defence budget of United Kingdom is estimated at US$48,650M at around 1.70% of its GDP.
United Kingdom has a military of 227,100 personnel, with 148,500 active and 78,600 in reserve, making up 3.5 military personnel per 1000 in population.
On land, United Kingdom has a mobile force of 227 tanks. For aerial defence, United Kingdom has an air force of 278 military aircrafts and 285 attack helicopters.
United Kingdom's naval fleet is the second-largest in Europe. United Kingdom has a naval fleet of 38 vessels, including 2 aircraft carriers and 11 nuclear submarines. Other offensive warships in the naval arsenal include 13 frigates and 6 destroyers.
Germany has the third-highest defence budget in Europe. The defence budget of Germany is estimated at US$49,277M at around 1.30% of its GDP.
With a 213,550-strong military, Germany has a per-capita ratio of 2.7 military personnel per 1000 in population. Its total military consists of 183,500 active personnel and 30,050 reserve personnel.
On land, Germany has a mobile force of 410 tanks. For aerial defence, Germany has an air force of 245 military aircrafts and 43 attack helicopters.
Germany has a naval fleet of 21 vessels, including 5 non-nuclear submarines. Rounding up the fleet of warships are 11 frigates and 5 corvettes.
The defence budget of Spain is estimated at US$17,177M at around 1.20% of its GDP.
Spain has a military of 211,300 personnel, with 120,350 active, 15,150 in reserve and 75,800 from paramilitary forces, making up 4.4 military personnel per 1000 in population.
On land, Spain has a mobile force of 343 tanks. For aerial defence, Spain has an air force of 166 military aircrafts and 81 attack helicopters.
Spain has a naval fleet of 18 vessels, including 1 aircraft carriers and 3 non-nuclear submarines. The naval fleet of warships also include 6 frigates and 5 destroyers.
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