Most of XX passed in wars. By the beginning of the new millennium, serious geopolitical changes took place in the world, the Cold War ended, the Soviet Union collapsed, and after it the world socialist system. It would seem that the passions around the issue of world leadership should have decreased, and if the arms race did not stop, then at least slow down. Unfortunately, this did not happen.
Economics and army
War is a continuation of politics when diplomatic norms cease to apply. And the attachés and plenipotentiaries feel much more confident if threatening silhouettes of aircraft carriers, tanks, strategic bombers and intercontinental missiles are guessed behind the cracks of their tailcoats.
Which army in the world is stronger? By what criteria can this be determined? By the sum of the military budget, the number of troops, the availability of modern weapons or information saturation? For example, it is worth considering the four most significant armies in the world: the American, Israeli, Chinese and Russian. They differ both in terms of configuration, in terms of numbers, and in the amount of funds consumed, representing unique models of the armed forces.
US Army
The defeat of the command and administrative system in the field of production and distribution of material wealth caused a certain euphoria in the camp of the winners. The immediate conclusion was that if economically the free market countries are stronger, then in the military sense superiority is indisputable, as is the assertion that the most powerful army in the world is the American one.
By the size of the military budget, the USA is a world leader. The annual amount of funds utilized by the Pentagon amounts to an astronomical amount approaching seven hundred billion dollars. This money is enough to ensure that five types of troops (Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard and the army itself) constantly receive the most amazing weapons, ahead of time and at a fantastic technical level. At least, this is what the situation looks like, according to the media (of course, American). In practice, things are not so rosy. After an impressive victory over Iraq, Hussein and the "exponential beating" of Yugoslavia, the list of military victories somehow declined. In other words, none of the tasks set by the government and the president could be accomplished by the US armed forces. Afghanistan, Libya and Syria are actually controlled by armed groups, which are called illegal. The most powerful army in the world is powerless in its confrontation with international terrorism. Instead of the notorious “point strikes”, it damages the civilian population, which causes increased resistance. It should be borne in mind that it was the solution of local problems that became a priority for the Pentagon after 1991.
US Army Issues
Over the past two decades, the level of training of personnel has decreased. The Americans do not want to serve in the armed forces, they are not satisfied with the salaries and the risk to which the soldiers are exposed. The most powerful army in the world today is largely equipped with visitors, foreigners who are ready to wear uniforms for the sake of the prospect of obtaining citizenship. The bet on technical superiority also influenced the physical training of the US military.
Nevertheless, the American army remains strong, and the entire globe is still in its area of responsibility (as Pentagon leaders understand their mission). The US fleet is the largest in the world (almost 2,400 units), the nuclear potential is about the same as that of Russia (about 2,000 warheads), and the personnel numbers almost one and a half million people. Abroad, there are numerous military bases.
As for the latest models of military equipment, then, apparently, among them there are successful ones, and those that do not deserve such laudatory epithets. The military-industrial complex is interested in large orders, which dictates the requirements for armaments. They must be, firstly, large, secondly, look impressive, and thirdly, they simply have to be expensive. What any country can learn from the Americans is the ability to provide their soldiers with everything they need - from food and medicine to clothes and toilet paper. In terms of supply, the US Army is the best army in the world.
Chinese folk
According to the tradition laid back in the distant, hot 1927 by Mao Zedong, the Chinese army is called the People's Liberation. She really fought against the Japanese invaders. The issue was decided by itself after the successful offensive of the Soviet troops.
In 1950-1953, the PLA tried to liberate the southern part of the Korean Peninsula from capitalists, but it did not succeed. There were also unsuccessful attacks on the USSR (Damansky Island, 1969) and Vietnam (1979). Yes, even Tibet was freed from the monks. At present, China has no foreign policy problems requiring a military solution, except, perhaps, for the semi-recognized Taiwan and Senkaku archipelago, but these issues have long passed into the category of diplomatic.
Chinese assets
The military glory of the PLA banners are not fanned. However, this does not prevent us from saying that if it is not the most powerful army in the world, then at least it represents the power with which neighboring countries are forced to reckon. The military budget is one hundred billion (translated into US dollars). The nuclear potential is approximately equal to the French. By the number of soldiers and officers, the Chinese army knows no equal (almost 2.3 million). There is also a militia (12 million people). Artillery - 25 thousand guns. Three quarters of aviation consists of fighter aircraft, which indirectly indicates the defensive nature of military doctrine. In the event of an attack on the PRC, the mobilization reserve is estimated at 300 million bayonets. It can be assumed that no one will dare to aggression against China. This country has the strongest army in the world in numbers.
Tzahal
Israel is a small country. There are, of course, smaller states, but they did not have to fight so much. The hostile environment, over and over again, sought not only to harm Israel, but to destroy it. The situation in modern conditions is exacerbated by short distances, and therefore, the short flying time of the means of delivery of ammunition. Tsakhal, of course, is not the strongest army in the world, the country simply does not have enough economic potential and population to compare with China, the USA or Russia in terms of power and quantity of weapons, but the fact of the existence of the Jewish state is more eloquent than any statistics high efficiency of its defense system.
Jewish "chips"
In order to defeat a numerically superior enemy, special methods and techniques are needed. Those in the Middle East case include:
- The maximum possible military training of the population. Both men and women (unmarried) serve in the Tsakhal.
- Powerful intelligence network. Special services, the main one of which is Mossad, provide the country's leadership with detailed information about possible risks and timely inform them of the problems that have arisen.
- The best possible models of military equipment, both imported and produced in the country.
- Ideological training, expressed in the education of young people of the desire to protect their homeland.
- The unique organizational and managerial structure of the armed forces.
There is reason to believe that, even with its small size, the Zahal today is the best army in the world. This refers to the ability to quickly solve the tasks necessary to maintain the viability of the state of Israel.
Armed forces of Russia after the collapse of the USSR
After the collapse of the USSR, hard times came for the former Soviet military. The soldiers and officers of the Union, who knew from childhood that the strongest army in the world is ours, experienced a real shock in 1991. The media persistently and intelligibly explained that the Afghan war was in vain, the Czechoslovak events of 1968 were criminal, the USSR lost the war with Finland, and the holiness of the Victory itself was a big question. The moral crisis was accompanied by a material one. The monetary content of the Russian military under the conditions of the rampant spontaneous market looked like a mockery. The first Chechen campaign revealed many systemic defects. The place of the Russian army in the world could no longer be attributed to the leading. It seemed that the complete collapse of the armed forces was inevitable, and beyond it the collapse of the federal state into separate principalities. But…
Russian army today
The crisis was overcome. The country's leadership was able to maintain the basis of defense capability - a nuclear shield that protects against direct military pressure from the outside.
However, new threats arose in the form of numerous local conflicts. With a modest military budget of $ 56 billion (in comparable prices), Russia surpassed all its likely rivals in terms of efficiency in the use of funds. Military personnel receive decent wages and are socially protected. Systematic modernization of the material part is carried out. Even analysts who are unfriendly towards Russia are forced to admit that today the Russian army is the strongest in the world, at least in the circle of tasks outlined for it. The criteria for such a high assessment are such indicators as mobility, communication, coordinated actions, good supply and high morale of the personnel. Local conflicts of recent years, in which the Russian military took part, confirm the opinion of experts.
Unfortunately, the army gains experience in wars. A country that has long been at peace often ceases to value its defenders. But there is another important aspect to this issue. Even the most efficient army in the world will be powerless if the task assigned to it is criminal or does not correspond to national interests. The successes of the Russian armed forces demonstrate that this is all right with us.