Pakistan 15th in World Military Strength Rankings

[zash]

Pakistan is ranked 15th most powerful military in the world according to Global Firepower, a website that ranks military strengths of various countries as per their set criteria. Its bit of disappointment as i was looking forward to seeing Pakistan in the top 10, since we have invested so much over the years in making sure our Armed Forces is top notch. However i was satisfied later on, when i read that the criteria didn’t included Nuclear capability.

Lets have a look at the criteria of these rankings.

The user should note that nuclear capability is not taken into account. This listing is purely a “numbers game” meant to spark debate and including such game-changers as nuclear weapons would clearly defeat the purpose of such an experiment. In any case, most any nation going to war would more than likely refrain from using such destructive warfare being that since the atomic bombs dropped in 1945, no nation has utilized this form of warfare for at least 60+ years despite there being a good amount of conflicts since then and more nuclear powers at play in the world. If there is a World War 3, it will most likely still be of the conventional sort.

The comparisons here are for consideration in a “straight-up” war based solely on a nation’s capabilities from land, sea and through the air with other statistics covering the logistical and financial aspects of waging such a campaign. Statistic sources and years are stated whenever possible. Some statistics may be estimated if concrete numbers are not available.

Rankings According to Global Firepower;

1. USA
2. China
3. Russia
4. India
5. UK
6. France
7. Germany
8. Brazil
9. Japan
10. Turkey
11. Israel
12. South Korea
13. Italy
14. Indonesia
15. Pakistan
16. Taiwan
17. Egypt
18. Iran
19. Mexico
20. North Korea
21. Sweden
22. Greece
23. Canada
24. Saudi Arabia
25. Ukraine
26. Australia
27. Spain
28. Thailand
29. Denmark
30. Poland

There are no major surprises in this list, Turkey is the most powerful Muslim Country, followed by Indonesia and Pakistan. The rankings would surely be much different if Nuclear capability is included. Israel and Pakistan will surely enter the top 10. Lets have a look at Pakistan stats:

PERSONNEL
Total Population: 172,800,048 [2008]
Population Available: 82,747,782 [2008]
Fit for Military Service: 63,822,970 [2008]
Reaching Military Age Annually: 3,998,981 [2008]
Active Military Personnel: 650,000 [2008]
Active Military Reserve: 528,000 [2008]
Active Paramilitary Units: 302,000 [2008]

ARMY
Total Land-Based Weapons: 3,919
Tanks: 2,461 [2004]
Armored Personnel Carriers: 1,146 [2004]
Towed Artillery: 3,952 [2001]
Self-Propelled Guns: 260 [2004]
Multiple Rocket Launch Systems: 52 [2004]
Mortars: 2,350 [2004]
Anti-Tank Guided Weapons: 12,329 [2004]
Anti-Aircraft Weapons: 1,900 [2004]

* You can see the Data is quiet old.

AIR FORCE
Total Aircraft: 710 [2004]
Helicopters: 198 [2003]
Serviceable Airports: 146 [2007]

* Pakistan toal number of Aircrafts have surely increased since 2004.

NAVY
Total Navy Ships: 33
Merchant Marine Strength: 14 [2008]
Major Ports and Harbors: 2
Aircraft Carriers: 0 [2008]
Destroyers: 0 [2008]
Submarines: 11 [2004]
Frigates: 9 [2008]
Patrol & Coastal Craft: 8 [2008]
Mine Warfare Craft: 3 [2008]
Amphibious Craft: 0 [2008]

Sources:

US Library of Congress; Central Intelligence Agency – Last Updated: 2/12/2009