Since ancient times, the armed forces have been the main and main guarantor of the independence of any country and the security of its citizens. Diplomacy, interstate treaties are also important factors international stability, but as practice shows, when it comes to military conflict, they often do not work. The events in Ukraine are clear proof of this. Indeed, who wants to shed the blood of their soldiers for the interests of others? Today we will try to answer the question - whose army is the strongest in the world, whose military power is unrivaled?
As once said Russian emperor Alexander III: "Russia has only two reliable allies - its army and navy." And he is one hundred percent right. Naturally, this statement is true not only for Russia, but also for any other state.
Today, there are more than 160 armies in the world of various sizes, weapons and military doctrines.
One of the greatest generals in history, french emperor Napoleon I believed that "big battalions are always right", but in our time the situation has changed somewhat.
It should be understood that the power modern army is determined not only by its numbers, it largely depends on the effectiveness of its weapons, the training of fighters, and their motivation. The time of mass recruiting armies is gradually fading into the past. Modern armed forces are a very expensive pleasure. The cost of the latest tank or fighter aircraft is estimated at tens of millions of dollars, and only very rich countries can afford a large and strong army.
There is another factor that emerged after the end of World War II - nuclear weapons. Its power is so terrifying that it still keeps the world from starting another global conflict. Today, two states have the largest nuclear arsenals - Russia and the United States. A conflict between them is guaranteed to lead to the end of our civilization.
On the Internet, disputes often flare up about which is the most powerful army in the world. This question is somewhat incorrect, since only a full-scale war can compare armies. There are too many factors that determine the strength or weakness of certain armed forces. When compiling our rating, we took into account the size of the armed forces, their technical equipment, the development of the military-industrial complex, army traditions, as well as the level of funding.
When compiling the top 10 most powerful armies in the world, the factor of existence was not taken into account nuclear weapons.
So, meet the strongest armies in the world.
10. Germany. Opens our ranking of the top 10 most powerful armies on the planet Bundeswehr - armed forces Federal Republic Germany. It consists of the ground forces, the navy, the air force, the medical and sanitary service and the logistics service.
The number of armed forces of the Bundeswehr is 186 thousand people, the German army is completely professional. The country's military budget is $45 billion. Despite the rather modest size (compared to other participants in our rating), the German army has a very highly trained, equipped with the latest types of weapons, but the military traditions of Germany can only be envied. It should be noted the highest level of development of the country's military-industrial complex - German tanks, aircraft, small arms are deservedly considered one of the best in the world.
Germany could count on a higher place in the top 10, however foreign policy this country is peaceful. Apparently, the Germans fought enough in the last century, so they are no longer drawn to military adventures. In addition, Germany long years is a member of the NATO bloc, so that in case of any military threats, it can count on the help of the United States and other allies.
9. France. In ninth place in our ranking is France - a country with the richest military traditions, a very advanced military-industrial complex and significant armed forces. Their number is 222 thousand people. The country's military budget is $43 billion. The military-industrial complex of France makes it possible to provide its army with almost all the necessary weapons - from small arms to tanks, aircraft and reconnaissance satellites.
However, it should be noted that the French, like the Germans, do not seek to resolve foreign policy issues by military means. France has no disputed territories with its neighbors, as well as frozen conflicts.
8. UK. In eighth place in our ranking is Great Britain - a country that managed to create a world empire in which the sun did not set. But that's in the past. Today, the strength of the British armed forces is 188 thousand people. The country's military budget is $53 billion. The British have a very worthy military-industrial complex, which is able to manufacture tanks, aircraft, warships, small arms and other types of weapons.
England has the second (after the USA) navy in terms of tonnage. It includes nuclear submarines, two light aircraft carriers are being built for the country's Navy.
The British Special Operations Forces are considered among the best in the world.
Great Britain is involved in almost all military conflicts where the United States is present (the first and second conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan). So the experience of the English army does not hold.
7. Türkiye. The army of this country is considered the strongest among the Muslim armies of the Middle East. The descendants of the warlike Janissaries managed to create a very combat-ready armed forces, which in the region are second only to the army of Israel in their power. That is why Türkiye is in seventh place in our ranking.
6. Japan. In sixth place in our top 10 ranking is Japan, which formally does not have an army at all, its functions are performed by the so-called “self-defense forces”. However, don't let the name fool you: armed forces countries number 247 thousand people and are in fourth place in terms of numbers in the Pacific region.
The main rivals that the Japanese fear are China and North Korea. In addition, the Japanese have not yet concluded a peace treaty with Russia.
Japan has a strong air force, ground troops and an impressive navy, considered one of the strongest in the world. Japan has more than 1600 combat aircraft, 678 tanks, 16 submarines, 4 helicopter carriers.
This country has the third most powerful economy in the world, so it is not difficult for Japan to allocate serious money for the maintenance and development of its army. Japan's military budget is $47 billion, which is pretty good for a military of this size.
Separately, it should be noted the high level of development of the military-industrial complex of the country - in its own way technical equipment The Japanese military is considered one of the best in the world. Today in Japan they are developing a fifth-generation fighter, and it will probably be ready in the coming years.
In addition, Japan is one of the closest US allies in the region. There are American bases on the territory of the country, the USA supplies Japan newest species weapons. However, despite this, Japan plans to further increase defense spending. Well, the descendants of the samurai do not hold experience and fighting spirit.
5. South Korea. Fifth place in our top 10 ranking is occupied by another state South-East Asia- South Korea. This country has an impressive armed forces with a total strength of 630 thousand people. It is in third place in the region, behind only China and North Korea. South Korea has been living in a state of war for more than sixty years - peace between Pyongyang and Seoul has never been concluded. The armed forces of the DPRK number almost 1.2 million people, the North Koreans consider their southern neighbors the main enemy and constantly threaten them with war.
It is clear that in such a situation, South Korea has to pay a lot of attention to the development of its own army. Every year, $33.7 billion is allocated for defense needs. The South Korean army is considered one of the most equipped not only in its region, but also in the world. South Korea is one of the closest and most devoted allies of the United States in the region, so the Americans supply Seoul with the latest weapons, and there are US bases in the country. Therefore, if the conflict between the DPRK and South Korea does start, it is not a fact that the northerners (despite their numerical superiority) will emerge victorious from it.
4. India. In fourth place in our top 10 ranking is the armed forces of India. This vast, populous, booming economy has a military force of 1.325 million and spends approximately $50 billion on defense.
In addition to the fact that India is the owner of nuclear weapons, its armed forces are the third largest in the world. And there is a simple explanation for this: the country is in a state of permanent conflict with its neighbors: China and Pakistan. IN recent history India had three bloody wars with Pakistan and a huge number of border incidents. There are also unresolved territorial disputes with a strong China.
India has a strong navy, which includes three aircraft carriers and two nuclear submarines.
Every year, the Indian government spends serious sums on the purchase of new weapons. And if before the Indians mainly bought weapons made in the USSR or Russia, now they increasingly prefer higher-quality Western models.
Besides, in Lately the country's leadership pays much attention to the development of its own military-industrial complex. Adopted a few years ago new strategy development of the defense industry, which takes place under the motto "Make in India". Now, when buying weapons, Indians give preference to those suppliers who are ready to open production facilities in the country and share the latest technologies.
3. China. In third place in our ranking of the top 10 strongest armies is the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA). These are the largest armed forces on the planet - their number is 2.333 million people. China's military budget is the second largest in the world, second only to the United States. It is 126 billion dollars.
China is striving to become the second superpower after the United States, and it is impossible to do this without a powerful armed forces, it definitely cannot do without the largest army in the world.
Today the Chinese are armed with 9150 tanks, 2860 aircraft, 67 submarines, a large number of combat aircraft and multiple launch rocket systems. There has been some debate about how many warheads the PRC has in stock for quite some time: the official figure is several hundred pieces, but some experts believe that the Chinese have an order of magnitude more of them.
The Chinese army is constantly improving its technical level. If ten or fifteen years ago most of the types of military equipment in service with the PLA were outdated copies of Soviet models, today the situation has changed dramatically.
At present, the PRC is working on the creation of a fifth-generation fighter, its latest developments in the field of tank building and missile weapons are not much inferior to samples made in Russia or in the West. great attention paid to the development of naval forces: recently, the first aircraft carrier appeared in the PRC Navy (the former Varyag, bought from Ukraine).
Given the vast resources (financial, human, technological) that China has, the armed forces of this country in the coming years will become a formidable rival for the countries that occupy the first positions in our ranking.
2. Russia. In second place in our top 10 ranking are the Russian armed forces, which in many respects remain the strongest on the planet.
In terms of the number of personnel, the Russian army ranks only fifth, behind the United States, China, India and North Korea. Its number is 798 thousand people. The budget of the Russian defense department is $76 billion. However, at the same time, it has one of the most powerful ground forces in the world: more than fifteen thousand tanks, a huge number of armored vehicles and combat helicopters.
1. USA. The United States of America is in first place in the top 10. In terms of the number of personnel, the US Army is second only to China (albeit significantly), its number is 1.381 million people. At the same time, the US military department has a budget that generals of other armies can only dream of - $ 612 billion, which allows it to be itself strong country peace.
The strength of modern military forces depends largely on their funding. Therefore, the huge American defense budget is one of the main components of its success. It allows Americans to develop and purchase the most advanced (and most expensive) weapons systems, supply their army at the highest level, and simultaneously conduct several military campaigns in different parts of the world.
Today, the US Army is armed with 8,848 tanks, a huge number of armored vehicles and other military equipment, and 3,892 military aircraft. If during the years of the Cold War, Soviet strategists focused on tanks, the Americans were actively developing combat aircraft. Currently, the US Air Force is rightfully considered the strongest in the world.
The United States has the most powerful navy, which includes ten aircraft carrier groups, more than seventy submarines, a large number of aircraft and support ships.
The Americans are leaders in the development of the latest military technologies, and their range is very wide: from the creation of lasers and robotic combat systems to prosthetics.
If you have any questions - leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them.
A powerful and combat-ready army is the key to a significant weight of the country in international arena. Moreover, in connection with the well-known events in Syria and Ukraine, more and more often military power different countries is given the closest attention. Many ask the question: "Who will win the world war?".
Today we present the annually updated, official ranking of the armies of the world, the list of which includes the most powerful armies in the world in 2017.
When compiling a rating, the comparison includes:
- number of armies of the world (regular number of troops, reservists)
- weapons (aircraft, helicopters, tanks, fleet, artillery, other equipment)
- military budget, resource equipment, geographical position, logistics.
Nuclear potential is not taken into account by experts, however, recognized nuclear powers get an advantage in ranking.
By the way, San Marino had the weakest army in the world in 2017 - only 80 people.
10 South Korea
The Korean army is the third in Asia in terms of numbers - 630 thousand soldiers. The country has a very high number of military personnel per thousand inhabitants - 14.2 people. Defense budget of Korea - $33.7 billion.
9 Germany
The country's military budget is $45 billion. The number of German armed forces is 186,500 people. The German army is completely professional, i.e. There has been no compulsory conscription in the country since 2011.
8 Türkiye
The Turkish army is the best in the Middle East. The number of the country's armed forces is 510,000 people. Turkey's military budget is $18 billion. There are just over 7 military personnel per thousand inhabitants of the country.
7 Japan
The Japanese army is the seventh in the list of the best. The combat-ready part of the army has 247,000 servicemen. With such a large number of armed forces, the country has a huge defense budget - $49 billion.
6 UK
The country's military budget is $53 billion. The number of British armed forces - 188,000 military - is the smallest army in the ranking. But the Royal Navy of Britain is the second in the world in terms of tonnage.5 France
Opens a list of the 5 most powerful armies in the world. The country's military budget is $43 billion. The number of French armed forces is 222,000 people. The key to the combat capability of this army is the presence in it of a full range of weapons own production from warships to helicopters and small arms.
4 India
The country's military budget is $46 billion. The number of Indian armed forces is 1,346,000 people, the country's army is the third largest in the world.3 China
The largest army in the world is the Chinese army, with 2,333,000 troops. Wikipedia indicates that there are 1.71 military personnel per 1,000 inhabitants of the Celestial Empire. China's military budget is $126 billion.
2 Russia
The Russian armed forces surpass almost all the armies of the countries of the world in terms of the power of weapons in all branches of the military - air, land and sea. The number of the Russian army for 2017 is 798,000 people. The military budget is $76 billion. Among the superpowers, Russia has a very high number of military personnel per 1,000 inhabitants - 5.3 people.
1 US
The strongest army in the world, according to Globalfirepower, is American. By the way, it is not the largest in terms of numbers, but the most powerful in terms of available weapons, including nuclear potential not taken into account by experts. The US Army has 1,492,200 men and a defense budget of $612 billion.29.06.2013
It's no secret that ever since the time the strength of the country was determined by the power of its army. Maintaining control within the state and protecting from external enemies is the main task. It is not for nothing that countries are so anxious about the issue of financing this area. Below are the ten most powerful world armies. This rating compiled taking into account the number of the army, its modernity and the power of the equipment used and the budget. And of course, the most powerful armies are armed with,. So top 10
The most powerful armies in the world.
No. 10. Israel
240,000 soldiers and 600,000 people are in reserve, with a total population of 7.9 million people - a good indicator. The military equipment consists of 13,000 units, including 1964 air units and 64 nautical ship. Among the soldiers big number girls. The amount used for military forces is 15 billion dollars.
No. 9. Japan
Another small country with a population of 127.8 million, including 247,000 military personnel, as well as 60,000 people who are now in reserve. Official data indicate the following figures: 5320 units of ground equipment, 1965 - all kinds aircraft, 110 units of naval weapons. Unofficially, there are suspicions latest developments in area military science. Army financing - is 58 billion dollars.
No. 8. France
In France, there are 230,000 military personnel and 70,000 reserves, plus 105,000 police officers. 10,621 objects of ground defense equipment, 1,757 - air, as well as 289 ships. Financing is more than 44 billion euros. These are good indicators for a state with a population of 65.4 people. And she is in eighth place among the strongest and most powerful armies in the world.
No. 7. South Korea
There are 640,000 active servicemen, 2.9 million people in reserve, 13,361 ground military facilities, 1,568 airborne, and 170 naval facilities. It is not surprising, given the peculiarities of the neighbors. Financing 27 billion. dollars.
No. 6. Türkiye
There are 660 thousand people in the active servicemen, 579 thousand are in reserve, and this is with a total population of 74.7 million people. 69,744 units of ground equipment, 1940 - air, 265 - sea. Funding over $25 billion.
No. 5. England
Among the 62.2 million people living in the UK, 220 thousand are serving in the army, 181 thousand are in reserve. The armed forces have 11,630 ground equipment, 1,663 aircraft and 99 defense ships. Funding equates to $74 billion.
No. 4. India
It is strange to see India in fourth place with a population of 1.2 billion people. 1.325 million people in the asset, 2,142,821 people in the reserve. In addition, the country has 2,452 aircraft and 175 ships, with a total military funding of $48.9 billion. Fourth place in the Top 10 strongest armies in the world.
No. 3. China
China is famous for the largest army, which has 2.2 million people involved in military activities and 800 thousand people who are on the reservation. Military equipment includes 57,575 ground vehicles, 5,176 aircraft and 972 ships. The total funding is more than 106 billion dollars.
No. 2. Russia
Russia is in the honorable second position. The population is 143.1 million people, of which more than 1 million are those who serve in the army and 20 million are reservists. In addition to 91,715 ground defense equipment, the defense forces have 2,747 air defense equipment, as well as 233 ships. The total funding is 74 billion dollars. Although she occupies second place in this ranking, she holds the first position among.
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No. 1. United States of America
The leading first place is the most powerful and strong world army, consisting of 560 thousand active employees in the army and 567 thousand reserve with a total population of 311 million people. Ground defense equipment is represented by 56,269 objects, air equipment - 18,234 units, of which 450 intercontinental ballistic missiles, as well as 32 satellites, marine equipment includes 2,384 ships. The total budget is 692 billion dollars.
The Global Firepower website evaluated the power of the armies of 126 countries according to 50 criteria. At the same time, the nuclear potential of the countries was not taken into account, but the state of the economy was taken into account. The authors put the US Army in first place (0.1661 points), Russia in second (0.1865), and China in third (0.2315). To what extent does the rating reflect reality? And what are the prospects for the three strongest armies in the world?
Tank Armata
The authors warn that when compiling the rating, the nuclear potential of countries, the current potential of political and military leadership were not taken into account, the number of weapons was not a determining factor, and landlocked countries were not punished for the lack of a navy, and vice versa, maritime powers - were punished. Factors such as geographical location and the economic situation in the country were taken into account.
The absolute value of the "strength index" ("PwrIndx") for a perfect army should be "0.0000", which is really unattainable. The rating is formed by a system of bonuses and penalties. For example, Austria, which is landlocked, does not receive a penalty for an insufficient navy, but does receive them for not having a usable merchant marine.
The authors indicate the following factual sources: cia. gov, CIA World Factbook, wikipedia. com, available data in the media and bloggers. Some values were estimates when official data were not available, the introductory section says.
As a result, the top ten most powerful included the armies of the USA, Russia, China, India, Great Britain, France, South Korea, Germany, Japan and Turkey. Let's compare the figures for the first three most powerful armies.
1. By the number of military personnel in first place is the Chinese army - 2.333 million people, in second - the United States (1.4 million), Russian army- on the third (766.055 thousand military personnel). Curious data on the personnel reserve. Here, Russia is in first place with 2.485 million people, China is in second place with 2.3 million, and the United States with 1.1 million people.
Of course, the quality of the military is different. The US military is 100 percent manned by contract soldiers. The level of their material and technical equipment is high.
In Russia, they have just begun to modernize military equipment, while the Chinese army still takes quantity. But in terms of fighting spirit, the Russians, hardened in recent conflicts, are superior to the soldiers of their "rivals." At the beginning of the year, an attack on the American cruiser Vicksbur was imitated by a Su-34. There was no electronic impact on the ship, but the Americans did not even manage to use the air defense system, and two dozen sailors filed a letter of resignation.
2. On ground combat systems, in particular in terms of tanks, in the first place is the Russian army - 15,398 tanks (main battle tanks, light tanks and tank destroyers on wheels or tracks). In second place is the Chinese army (9,150 tanks), in third place are the Americans (8,848 armored vehicles).
Russia has a huge advantage (many times) in armored combat vehicles (armored personnel carriers and infantry fighting vehicles), self-propelled guns, towed guns and multiple launch rocket systems. We will not give figures here, the reader can see them for himself. This advantage is due to the fact that our possible theater of operations is the near abroad, and the alleged tank attack no one has canceled for Berlin yet.
New Russian tanks will consolidate this superiority. Mass delivery of the latest T-14 Armata tanks to the Russian army will begin at the turn of 2017-2018. There are no new developments in the United States, the Pentagon rely on modernized versions of their combat vehicles from the times cold war- M-1 Abrams and Bradley.
China has a third generation tank - VT-4 (MBT-3000). The Chinese claim that it even surpasses the Armata in key parameters. But this tank is intended exclusively for export supplies, the Chinese army is not going to fight with it. The question is why?
3. Air force- the rating takes into account aircraft and helicopters of all types of troops. Here, the leadership of the US Army, this obliges, of course, their "island" position. The alleged theater of operations is in Eurasia, and equipment and soldiers must be delivered there.
The United States has 13,892 aircraft, of which 2,207 are fighters, 2,797 attack aircraft, 5,366 transport aircraft, and 6,196 helicopters.
In second place is the Russian army. In total, she has 3429 aircraft, of which 769 fighters, 1305 attack aircraft, 1083 transport aircraft, 1120 helicopters. China has a total of 2860 aircraft in service, of which 1066 fighters, 1311 attack aircraft, 876 transport aircraft, helicopters - 908.
In terms of quality indicators, the Russians began to catch up with the Americans. General Frank Gorenz, commander of the US Air Force in Europe, said this recently at a meeting with journalists. In particular, the general noted "the ability (of the Russians) to create extremely well-protected zones with the help of access restriction systems," for example, in the Crimea and the Kaliningrad region.
4. Naval forces. In the rating, helicopter carriers are also included in the concept of an aircraft carrier. The concept of "ships - total" also includes auxiliary vessels. In terms of the number of warships, the Chinese army is in first place, in total - 673, the second - the United States (473), and the third - Russia (352 units).
There are big differences in the "range" and quality of the ships, primarily in aircraft carriers. When people in the United States talk about military dominance in the world, they mean, first of all, the superiority of fleets in the oceans. Of course, 20 aircraft and helicopter carriers is a huge force, considering that the crew of such ships reaches 5 thousand people.
In Russia and China, Global Firepower counted one aircraft carrier each. Russia surpasses rivals in the number of minesweepers - 34 (USA -11, China - 6) and coast guard ships - 65 (USA -13, China -11). For submarines, the quantitative picture is approximately the same (USA - 72, Russia - 55, China - 67).
Russia is actively re-equipping its fleet. Sergei Shoigu said that by 2020 the Russian Navy will receive eight new missile submarines, 16 multi-purpose submarines and 54 surface warships of various classes.
In general, the Chinese fleet has made fantastic progress in two decades, it has been built virtually from scratch and today it ranks second in power and quality in the Pacific region after the US fleet.
The Americans have the opposite dynamics, all American experts recognize this. The US Navy is shrinking, with only 273 warships left, fewer than it was under Reagan and even before the First World War. At the same time, only 85 ships are at sea in this moment time. This is important because the Chinese, in the event of a crisis, are able to deploy their entire fleet against the United States, as well as land-based missiles and aircraft, while the Americans can only rely on ships that are at hand in the region at that moment.
This fall, the US will not send an aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf for the first time due to budget cuts. According to the current US Navy procurement plan for 30 years, the fleet of multi-purpose submarines in 2022 will be 48 units less than the permissible minimum, and after another 6 years there will be only 41 submarines. Most likely, taking into account the state debt of 17 trillion dollars, there will be no money for the development of the fleet.
5. The rating takes into account data on defense budgets and the financial situation of countries. The US spends $577.1 billion annually on the military, Russia $60.4 billion, and China $145 billion. Moreover, America mainly spends on maintaining what it has, including military bases, and very little on rearmament and new developments. China and Russia have the opposite picture.
The external debt of countries is analyzed in relation to their gold and foreign exchange reserves. The United States has a debt of $15.7 trillion with reserves of $150.2 billion. Russia has $714.2 billion in debt and $515.6 billion in reserves. China has $863.2 billion in debt and $3.821 trillion in reserves.
The US military budget is an order of magnitude larger than Russia's and three times that of China's. But their huge debt is not secured by anything, gold and foreign exchange reserves are four times smaller than Russian and an order of magnitude smaller than Chinese. This speaks of the upcoming catastrophe of the dollar and the transition to the gold-backed yuan. Of course, China is in an excellent financial position, and it is China that will rapidly gain military power. But Kiai has big problems with scientific potential.
As for Russia, it will stubbornly move along the path of modernization. Maybe it lacks American and Chinese economic and financial power, but the priorities are set and the scientific potential is huge. In addition, the Russian army is underestimated because the ranking does not take into account the air defense forces, missile power and cyber forces.
What will American communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and intelligence systems be worth if there is no one to manage them? As for air defense systems, the Russian one is recognized as the most effective in the world. NATO experts unequivocally agree that in the event of an air attack on Russia, the air defense system will destroy up to 80 percent of enemy aircraft, including the latest cruise missiles flying towards the target with enveloping terrain.
The American Patriot system cannot boast of such indicators. According to the latest report from the analytical agency Air Power Australia, in the event of a large-scale military conflict between Russia and the United States, the likelihood of the survival of American aviation is completely excluded.
"In the US Army, almost half of the personnel is in the navy, which, in the event big war will not sail anywhere, and to the air force, which also will not reach with the current development of air defense, -. - That is, the parameters of this rating themselves are somewhat incorrect, because the power of all armed forces is taken, including those that cannot be used anywhere.
And the expeditionary forces do not have the power that can destroy everything. Therefore, this entire rating is a comparison of the incomparable."
“There is a lot of advertising in America - we are the first here, we are the first there, and when you start looking at the numbers, it turns out that this is just self-promotion. The basis of firepower is missile weapons, in which we are superior to everyone,” said the expert.
"The Russian army is the best in the world"
Superiority over the enemy has always been determined not by the number of troops, but right strategy and tactics. We decided to recall the most victorious armies in the world in history, which won with the mind.
Army of Alexander the Great
Imagine that against a beautifully played football team, eleven people enter the field, seeing each other for the first time and running scattered across the field. Even if there are fifteen of them. Or twenty - the difference is small, the victory will still be for the team that adheres to certain tactics in its game.
And perhaps the first person who fully realized the need for the army to keep the formation and turn on command in one direction, without asking questions, was the ruler of an insignificant ancient state Macedonia. But not famous Alexander and Philip is his father.
Largely due to this, Alexander's army was able to conquer Athens, the invincible and great Sparta, Persia and Egypt, and even go to India.
Roman legion
Now imagine that at the age of eighteen you are not given any rights until you serve in the army. In addition, you must buy all military equipment yourself, and training weapons and armor in the courses of a young fighter will weigh three times more than combat equipment. Welcome to the Roman Legion, tiro! In it, anyone became a jack of all trades - recruits not only fought, but built roads, bridges and aqueducts. One look at the history of ancient cities Western Europe enough to understand - at their core they have either a Roman military camp, or a market, or the intersection of trade routes. The number of tactical innovations brought by the Roman army to military affairs is difficult to count.
In addition to the various formation and combat orders, which it is pointless to go into the description of in one article, the Roman legionnaires invented an almost perfect defense against any type of throwing weapons, except, perhaps, heavy stones, logs and boiling oil pouring from the walls - a system called "turtle". front row Legionnaires closed their shields edge to edge in such a way that a solid wall was obtained, while the back rows raised their shields above their heads, also closing their edges, creating a kind of “roof”. Arrows, javelins and small stones simply slid off such a living structure, causing almost no harm.
Mongolian army
No borders, only the horizon. The horse's hooves are dry and cracked, and the only thing that will help is washing them in the waters of the Last Sea. Any display of weakness or cowardice is worth not only own life, but also the lives of nine close associates. And for the cowardice shown by a dozen, a hundred will be cut, and for the cowardice shown by a hundred ... and so on. Not surprisingly, there is no word for "back" in the Mongolian language. Only forward - to the Last Sea. Along the way, he conquered China, the state of Khorezm-Shahs, ruined the great Abbasid caliphate, crossed the waters of the Tigris, damming them with scrolls and books from the Baghdad library.
The main type of troops of the Mongols was the cavalry - heavy and light. Due to the fact that the Mongols were excellent shooters, including at a gallop, their main weapon was a bow - each warrior could have several of them. The armor was predominantly leather, from melee weapons - a spear and a curved saber. High speed and mobility Mongolian army provided with a large number of spare horses and the general unpretentiousness and endurance of the soldiers.
The success of the Mongols was largely ensured by their siege techniques. Unlike most nomadic tribes, they did not count on their numerical superiority, using all possible means to minimize potential losses. They dug trenches, used local rivers for dams or vice versa to divert water from a besieged city. They borrowed the last word of technology from the China they conquered - a multi-shot crossbow, a stone-throwing tower.
Spanish third
For many centuries, bows, and later crossbows, which today are only sports and hobbies, have flooded the Earth with blood. Their role finally faded into the background with the advent of firearms, which pierced almost any armor. But still, the reload time left much to be desired and almost any rider managed to get to the least accurate musketeers. Maximum effective method protection of shooters from cavalry and infantry was developed in Spain.
The military system - the third allowed the musketeers and arquebusiers to fire on the enemy cavalry units, being under the cover of pikemen. Almost any cavalry attack stumbled upon the "forest" of the peak, after which the surviving reiters (horsemen-shooters in heavy armor) tried to hit the shooters standing in thirds. But since the horseman was, by definition, a much easier target than foot musketeers and arquebusiers, this was of little use. Breaking the Spanish third became possible only thanks to the invention of flint weapons, which were distinguished by a greater rate of fire and range than matchlock muskets and arquebuses.
Grand Army of Napoleon
The corps of the Grand Army, under the command of a marshal or divisional general, included all branches of the military that existed at that time and was an autonomous operational unit that was able to conduct fighting apart from all other powers.
The number of the corps - from 20 to 70 thousand people - infantry, cavalry, artillery, sappers and supply troops. This kind of autonomy and balance of power was a strategic innovation that allowed Napoleon to conquer almost all of Europe and part of North Africa(of course, personal qualities, and the military genius of the emperor also played an important role in this).
A kind of innovation in the supply of troops was the organization of food points every fifteen miles, called the well-known word "store".
Kutuzov's strategic talent is far from last turn was to surrender Moscow, turn the noble guardsmen and soldiers who distinguished themselves high level training and discipline, into a gang of embittered marauders.
Russian army
Russia has been at war for almost its entire history. Bismarck believed that the Russians could not be defeated. Attempts at the military expansion of our country were made more than once, but ended in the same thing - the defeat of the aggressor.
Russian military glory was forged by our commanders, and ordinary soldiers and sailors, whose heroic behavior has always served as an example for future generations.
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