Global Firepower 2024 World's Strongest Armies Ranking: Ukraine and Israel Are Close, Top Three Have Not Changed

In 2024 the rating Global Firepowerwhich assesses the military power of countries, showed a decline in Ukraine's position – from 15th to 18th place. Despite the active war with Russia and serious losses, Ukraine continues to hold high positions among the strongest armies in the world, ahead of countries such as Poland, Taiwan and North Korea. In this rating, Ukraine is next to Israel, which occupies 17th place, as well as Australia (16th place) and Germany (19th place).

In total, the top twenty strongest armies in the world look like this:

1. USA
2. Russia
3. China
4. India
5. South Korea
6. United Kingdom
7. Japan
8. Türkiye
9. Pakistan
10. Italy
11. France
12. Brazil
13. Indonesia
14. Iran
15. Egypt
16. Australia
17. Israel
18. Ukraine
19. Germany
20. Spain.

Military power of Ukraine

The Ukrainian army, despite a weakened economy and destroyed infrastructure due to the ongoing war with Russia, maintains a strong position due to several key factors:

1. Army size and mobilization reserve. Ukraine has a significant number of active soldiers and reservists. This is critical in a long-term conflict, where mobilization capabilities play an important role.
2. Technical equipment. Despite the loss of a significant portion of equipment during the fighting, Ukraine continues to receive support from international partners such as the United States and NATO countries, which supply modern weapons systems, including air defense systems and artillery. Ukraine's ground forces and aviation are estimated to remain at a fairly high level.
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   Flaws. Analysts believe that Ukraine's weakest points are the lack of a significant navy, which makes protecting its sea borders virtually impossible. In addition, the lack of its own oil and gas resources limits the economic opportunities for long-term support of the army.

Israel's military power

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is one of the most technologically advanced and well-funded in the world, and was ranked 17th in the 2024 Global Firepower rankings, ahead of Ukraine. The Israeli military's key strengths include:

1. Technological superiority. Israel is known for its highly advanced defense systems, such as the Iron Dome, which protects against missile attacks. Technological development also includes unmanned systems, cyber defense, and electronic intelligence.
2. Intensive military spending. Israel devotes significant resources to its defense, despite the country's relatively small size. This allows it to maintain a high level of training for its soldiers and modernize its equipment.
3. Geographical advantagesAlthough Israel is in a zone of constant tension with its neighbors, its relatively small territory makes it easier to protect its borders with the help of powerful air defense systems and modern technology.
4. Human factorThanks to compulsory service, Israel has a strong reserve system, allowing it to quickly increase troop numbers in a crisis.

Comparison and Prospects

Although Ukraine and Israel have different geopolitical situations and strategic challenges, their militaries maintain high positions in world rankings due to their strengths in ground and air forces. Ukraine receives significant support from Western countries, which helps offset losses in the war, while Israel relies on its own technological developments and internal resources. Despite the difficulties, both countries demonstrate significant potential to resist external threats.

USA – Leader of the World Military Rankings

The United States of America remains at the top of the 2024 Global Firepower rankings. This is not surprising given its vast military resources, technological capabilities, and global military operations.

1. Military expenditures. The United States spends more than $800 billion on defense, more than the budgets of several leading military powers combined. U.S. military spending accounts for about 39% of global defense spending.
2. Military forces and equipment. The United States has the most powerful and technologically advanced military, including the most advanced weapons systems, a nuclear arsenal, and a huge navy. The US Air Force is the largest in the world, and the fleet has 11 aircraft carriers, which is more than any other country.
3. Global presenceThe United States has bases all over the world, and its military is involved in missions ranging from ensuring security in Europe through NATO to operations in the Pacific and the Middle East. The American military plays a key role in maintaining world order and responding to crises. (

Russia – Second place despite war

Russia remains in second place in the Global Firepower ranking. Despite significant losses in the war with Ukraine, the Russian army still has one of the largest arsenals of nuclear weapons and has a huge number of combat units.

1. Number and mobilization resources. Russia has one of the largest armies in the world, including reservists. Since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, Russia has carried out a large-scale mobilization, increasing the number of its troops.
2. Nuclear arsenal. The most important part of Russia's military power is its nuclear arsenal, which allows the country to remain among the world's military leaders. Russia's strategic nuclear weapons are considered one of the deterrents in international politics.
3. Equipment and technology. The Russian army has a large fleet of tanks, artillery systems and combat aircraft. However, the war with Ukraine has shown significant problems in the coordination, logistics and management of military operations.(

China – Growing Military Power

China ranks third in the world and continues to build up its military forces, aiming to catch up and even surpass the United States in the long term.

1. Military expendituresChina's military budget is about $225 billion in 2024, the second-largest in the world. These resources are aimed at modernizing the military and improving military technology.
2. Army sizeThe People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the largest army in the world in terms of active personnel. China invests heavily in training soldiers and developing technologies to support them.
3. Technological developmentIn recent years, China has focused on modernizing its navy, expanding its nuclear arsenal, and pursuing high-tech areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and space technology. China has also been expanding its presence in the South China Sea, raising concerns in the region and the world. (

    

These three countries remain global leaders thanks to a combination of financial muscle, military size, nuclear arsenals and technological advances that allows them to dominate the rankings of the world's military powers.

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