Most of the XX took place 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 the world socialist system followed it. It would seem that the intensity of passions around the issue of world leadership should have decreased, and the arms race, if not stopped, then at least slowed down. Unfortunately, this did not happen.
Economy and army
War is the continuation of politics in conditions when diplomatic norms cease to operate. And attachés and plenipotentiaries feel much more confident if behind the tails of their tailcoats the menacing silhouettes of aircraft carriers, tanks, strategic bombers and intercontinental missiles are guessed.
Which army is stronger in the world? By what criteria can this be determined? According to the amount of the military budget, the number of military personnel, the availability of modern weapons or informationsaturation? For example, it is worth considering the four most significant armies in the world: American, Israeli, Chinese and Russian. They differ both in the principles of configuration, and in numbers, and in the amount of funds consumed, representing unique models of the armed forces.
U. S. Army
The defeat of the command-administrative system in the field of production and distribution of vital material goods caused a certain euphoria in the camp of the winners. The immediate conclusion was that if the free market countries are economically stronger, then militarily superiority is undeniable, as is the assertion that the strongest army in the world is the American one.
The US military budget is the world leader. The Pentagon's annual disbursements are astronomical, approaching $700 billion. This money is enough to ensure that five types of troops (Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and the army itself) constantly receive the most amazing weapons that are ahead of their time and are at a fantastic technical level. At least, this is how the situation looks, according to the media (of course, American). In practice, things are not so rosy. After Hussein's impressive victory over Iraq and the "demonstrative beating" of Yugoslavia, the list of military victories somehow began to decline. In other words, none of the tasks set by the government and the president, the US armed forces could not perform. Afghanistan, Libya and Syria are actually controlled by armed groups, which are commonly calledillegal. The most powerful army in the world is powerless in its confrontation with international terrorism. Instead of the notorious "pinpoint strikes", it causes damage to the civilian population, which causes increased resistance. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that it was the solution of local problems that became a priority for the Pentagon after 1991.
American Army Trouble
Over the past two decades, the level of training of personnel has decreased. Americans do not want to serve in the armed forces, they are not satisfied with the salaries and the risk that soldiers are exposed to. The most powerful military in the world today is largely composed of outsiders, foreigners willing to put on uniforms for the prospect of citizenship. The emphasis on technical superiority also affected the physical training of the US military.
Nevertheless, the American army remains strong, and its area of responsibility still includes the entire globe (this is how the Pentagon leaders understand their mission). The US Navy is the largest in the world (nearly 2,400 units), its nuclear capability is about the same as that of Russia (about 2,000 warheads), and its personnel numbers nearly 1.5 million people. Numerous military bases are maintained abroad.
As for the latest models of military equipment, then, apparently, among them there are both successful and those that do not deserve such laudatory epithets. The military-industrial complex is interested in large orders, which dictates the requirements for weapons. They must be, first,large, secondly, to 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 clothing and toilet paper. In matters of supply U. S. Army is the best army in the world.
Chinese folk
According to the tradition established back in the hot year of 1927 by Mao Zedong, the Chinese army is called the People's Liberation Army. She really fought against the Japanese invaders. The issue was resolved 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 the capitalists, but it failed. There were also unsuccessful attacks on the USSR (Damansky Island, 1969) and Vietnam (1979). Yes, even Tibet was liberated from the monks. Currently, China has no foreign policy problems that require a military solution, except perhaps for the semi-recognized Taiwan and the Senkaku archipelago, but these issues have long passed into the category of diplomatic ones.
Chinese assets
The banners of the PLA are not covered with military glory. However, this does not prevent us from saying that, if not the most powerful army in the world, then at least it is a power that neighboring countries have to reckon with. The military budget is one hundred billion (translated into US dollars). Nuclear potential is approximately equal to French. In terms of 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 planes, which indirectly indicates the defensive nature of the 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 attack China. This country has the strongest army in the world in terms of 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 time after time sought not only to harm Israel, but to destroy it. The situation in modern conditions is aggravated by short distances, and, consequently, by the short flight time of ammunition delivery vehicles. The 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 number of weapons, but the very fact of the existence of the Jewish state speaks more eloquently than any statistics the high efficiency of its defense system.
Jewish chips
In order to defeat a numerically superior enemy, special methods and techniques are needed. These in the Middle East case include:
- The maximum possible military training of the population. Both men and women serve in the Tsakhal (unmarried).
- Powerful intelligence network. The special services, the main one of which is the Mossad, give the leadershipcountries with detailed information about possible risks and promptly inform him of the problems that have arisen.
- The best possible examples of military equipment, both imported and produced in the country.
- Ideological training, expressed in the education of young people in the desire to protect their homeland.
- The unique organizational and command structure of the armed forces.
There is reason to believe that, even with their small numbers, the Tsahal today is the best army in the world. This means the ability to quickly solve the tasks necessary to maintain the viability of the State of Israel.
Russian Armed Forces after the collapse of the USSR
After the collapse of the USSR, hard times have come for the former Soviet military. 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 fought in vain, the Czechoslovak events of 1968 were criminal, the USSR lost the war with Finland, and the sanctity of the Victory itself was a big question. The moral crisis was accompanied by a material one. The monetary content of the Russian military in the conditions of a raging spontaneous market looked like a mockery. The first Chechen campaign revealed many systemic flaws. The place of the Russian army in the world could no longer be attributed to the leading ones. It seemed that the complete collapse of the armed forces was inevitable, followed by the disintegration of the federal state into separate principalities. But…
Russian Army today
The crisis has been overcome. The country's leadership was able to maintain the basis of defense capability - a nuclear shield that protects against direct military pressure from outside.
However, new threats have emerged in the form of numerous local conflicts. With a modest military budget of $56 billion (at comparable prices), Russia has outperformed all of its potential rivals in terms of efficiency in the use of funds. Military personnel receive a decent salary and are socially protected. A systematic modernization of the material part is being carried out. Even analysts who are unfriendly towards the Russian Federation are forced to admit that today the Russian army is the strongest in the world, at least in terms of the tasks outlined for it. The criteria for such a high assessment are indicators such as mobility, communications, coordination of actions, good supply and high morale of the personnel. Local conflicts in 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 been at peace for a long time often ceases to appreciate its defenders. But there is another important aspect of this issue. Even the most combat-ready 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 we are all right with this.
