Who has the largest military in the world?
THE military is responsible for protecting and defending the people of their country in times of war.
Amid speculation that there could be a World War III, many have been left questioning which nation has the largest armed forces.
Who has the biggest army in the world?
The five countries in the world with the largest militaries are China, India, the United States, North Korea and Russia.
These armed forces include the army, navy and air force.
China
As of February 2022, China has the largest armed forces by active-duty military personnel, according to .
The People's Liberation Army reportedly has more than two million active soldiers.
India
India is second in the rankings with 1.45 million soldiers.
This includes those serving in the navy, army and air force.
They also have 1.5 million reserve troops.
United States
The US military trails just behind India with 1.39 million active-duty soldiers.
The armed forces consists of six service branches - the army, marine corps, navy, air force, space force, and coast guard.
North Korea
The Korean People's Army (KPA) is the armed forces in North Korea.
The military was boosted in 2015 with the introduction of mandatory military service for young women as well as men.
They reportedly have 1.2 million active soldiers at any given time.
Russia
Russia has just over 850,000 active-duty military members.
Conscription of one year is mandatory for men aged 18–27.
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The next five largest armies in the world are:
- Pakistan: 640,000
- Iran: 575,000
- South Korea: 555,000
- Vietnam: 470,000
- Egypt: 450,000
How big is Ukraine's armed forces?
Ukraine's total active military personnel numbers about 196,600 far les than their neighbors, Russia.
The two states' armies are said to be comparable in number, with Ukraine claiming 125,600 soldiers to Russia's 280,000.
But Russia dwarfs its neighbor when it comes to air and sea battalions.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, Ukrainian civilians took up arms to aid their active-duty compatriots.
Will there be a World War 3?
Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, has led to sanctions being imposed by the UK, US and European Union.
There are no plans to go to war.
On February 22, 2022, President Joe Biden introduced more sanctions against Russia which included a "full blocking" for two of Russia's largest financial institutions.
Biden said during his speech: “That means we’ve cut off Russia’s government from Western finance.
“It can no longer raise money from the West and cannot trade in its new debt on our markets or European markets either.”
He continued: "The United States and our allies and partners remain open to diplomacy if it is serious.
“When all is said and done, we’re going to judge Russia by its actions, not its words.”
And in a speech on February 24, 2022, Biden added: "I’m authorizing additional strong sanctions and new limitations on what can be exported to Russia.
"This is going to impose severe costs on the Russian economy, both immediately and over time.
"We have purposefully designed these sanctions to maximize the long-term impact on Russia and to minimize the impact on the United States and our Allies.".
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "Our mission is clear. Diplomatically, politically, economically – and eventually, militarily – this hideous and barbaric venture of Vladimir Putin must end in failure."
Officials have warned that escalation of the crisis may see the bloodiest conflict in Europe since WW2, leading to thousands of civilian deaths and sparking a significant refugee crisis in Europe.
The first world war, also referred to as the Great War, lasted from July 1914 to November of 1918.
WWII began in 1939 and lasted until September 2, 1945.
Who are allies?
On April 4, 1949, 28 European countries and two North American countries signed The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, also called the North Atlantic Alliance.
Nato's purpose is to "guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means".
It was originally signed to counter the threat of post-war Russian expansion in Europe, reports.
Because of Nato, certain countries are allies, meaning that if they need help, we must go.
After Nato was signed in 1949, Soviet Russia signed its own military alliance agreement, called the Warsaw Pact, which included the Soviet Union, East Germany, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, and Albania.
The Warsaw Pact later ended in 1991 anti-Soviet and anticommunist movements throughout Eastern Europe began, according to .
Members of Nato include:
- Belgium
- Canada
- Denmark
- France
- Iceland
- Italy
- Luxembourg
- The Netherlands
- Norway
- Portugal
- The United Kingdom
- The United States
- Greece
- Turkey
- Germany
- Spain
- Czech Republic
- Hungary
- Poland
- Bulgaria
- Estonia
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Albania
- Croatia
- Montenegro
- North Macedonia
At this time, China is not a part of a military alliance but is reportedly allied with North Korea as the two share a mutual defense treaty.
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