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For centuries Europe has been a global military juggernaut, and throughout the 15th and 20th
centuries its armies and navies dominated the world.
Yet after two disastrous world wars, the European powers saw their former empires collapse,
and along with them much of their global clout.
Today, Europe remains amongst the preeminent military powers, but no European nation can
even come close to matching their former might.
Today we're going to take a look at the top ten military powers in Europe, and figure
out who is still top dog and who's at the bottom of the pack.
10- Czechia
Czechia, or the Czech Republic, was one of the first nations to throw off the yoke of
the Soviet Union.
Through the peaceful “Velvet Revolution”, Czechoslovakia overthrew communism and once
more became a liberal democracy in November 1989.
Four years later the nation would split into two countries- the Czech Republic, and Slovakia,
and by 2006 the Czech Republic was recognized by the World Bank as a “developed country”.
A small nation, Czechia's military is split into the Czech land forces and the Czech Air
Force, with smaller specialized units falling somewhere in between the two.
In 1999 Czechia became part of NATO, and its soldiers have seen combat action in Afghanistan,
Mali, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, egypt, Israel and Somalia.
After ending compulsory service in 2004, Czechia has focused on a modernization initiative
that sees it replacing all of its former Soviet-era equipment, and by 2027 should see it field
a completely modernized force.
Today, Czechia's military stands at 25,000 active-duty personnel, and have an air force
strength of 100 aircraft, to include 12 fighters and 28 attack aircraft.
While small in number, its air force can count on the JAS 39 Gripen multi-role fighter, an
extremely capable aircraft manufactured by Sweden.
On the ground Czechia fields 116 tanks and 437 armored fighting vehicles, supported by
86 self-propelled artillery and 85 towed artillery.
Unfortunately Czechia's tank forces are made up exclusively of Soviet-built T-72s , and
as part of a 4.5 billion dollar modernization initiative the Czech Republic is looking at
various tank models, to include the German Leopard and the American Abrams to replace
its aging fleet.
A lack of multiple launch rocket systems however leaves Czech ground forces vulnerable in either
offensive or defensive operations, as MLRS's are capable of pumping out a huge volume of
fire in a very short time compared to traditional artillery, which limits how much time enemy
units have to get under cover.
Small but formidable, Czechia currently takes the number 10 spot in top 10 european powers.
9- Ukraine
Despite a civil war lasting since 2014, Ukraine still tops the list of top european military
powers and comes in at the number 9 spot.
Currently Ukrainian military forces number at 1.2 million, with 205,000 active duty forces
and 1 million reservists, whom have been continously rotated in and out of active duty since the
start of hostilities against the separatist forces of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Facing off against an insurgency that is financially and materially backed up by Russia, Ukraine
military forces have been facing an onslaught of modern Russian-made equipment for half
a decade, forcing the government to reinvigorate its defense spending.
At the start of the conflict, Ukraine's military was in shambles, having sold off most of its
Soviet-era military equipment without replacing it, and with a military that was poorly trained
and with extremely poor morale.
With the aid of American and NATO military advisors though, Ukraine's army has slowly
been shaping up into a professional military force.
The United States in particular has been providing large amounts of aid to Ukraine in the forms
of military hardware, providing them with hundreds of anti-tank and surface-to-air missile
systems.
Against the rebel forces however these are largely useless, as the rebels do not operate
tanks nor have an air force- but the stockpile of modern anti-tank and anti-air missile systems
has ensured that Ukraine could exact a very heavy toll on Russia should it choose to interfere
again.
With a limited budget, Ukraine is nonetheless looking to modernize its 800 Soviet-era BMP-2
infantry fighting vehicles and has a domestic modernization program to evolve the Soviet
made BMP-1.
While operating aging T-84 and T-80 main battle tanks, Ukraine has little reason to seek an
upgrade to its tank fleet as the urban nature of their conflict against the Russian-backed
separatists does not favor the use of battle tanks.
Believed to be weak by Russia when it backed separatist forces in 2014, Ukraine has nonetheless
proven that it has a resilient military, and with the aid of the United States and other
NATO nations, looks set to become a very experienced and professional force that will give Russian
second thought about attempting to force the nation back into its soviet-era sphere of
influence.
8- Greece
Greece is one of NATO's most important military powers, the nation's location along the Mediterranean
making it a strategic linchpin in controlling naval activities in the region.
While currently undergoing serious economic troubles, Greece nonetheless is one of the
few NATO allies who is currently meeting the alliance's commitment for all nations to fund
their militaries at a level of at least 2% of GDP.
Greece is also one of the United States closest allies, with their military forces partaking
in countless exercises together and operating side by side everywhere from Kosovo to Afghanistan
and Iraq.
Currently the Greek military numbers at 360,500, with 140,000 active duty personnel and 220,500
reservists.
Unfortunately Greece continues the practice of compulsory military service, which results
in low personnel retention rates and low morale overall.
Ranked as the 20th most powerful air force in the world, Greece fields a total of 187
fighters, 187 attack aircraft, and 29 attack helicopters.
Most of its air force is made up of American-made F-16s, and recently Greece signed an agreement
with the US to modernize its fleet of F-16s with modern electronics and upgraded radar.
Currently mulling purchasing the F-35, Greece is looking to balance a need to field a modern
military with its current economic situation.
7- Poland
Poland is no stranger to conflict, and it has historically been the battleground for
any war between western and eastern european powers.
Today though, Poland is keenly aware of its vulnerability to Russian aggression, thanks
to the Suwalki Gap- a 65 mile wide strip of territory that links Lithuania and Baltic
NATO allies with the rest of the alliance.
Thought of as the modern 'Fulda Gap', a strip of territory in Germany where NATO expected
massed Soviet forces to stream through and into Western Europe, Poland has taken its
defensive commitments to the alliance quite seriously, and today is one of the few members
to meet or exceed the 2% of GDP spending goal.
Today Poland fields a military of 105,000 active duty personnel, with a military geared
at slowing down and delaying a Russian advance into western Europe.
A lifeline between the rest of NATO and the Baltics, Poland understands all too well that
it will be the most strategically important battleground in any conflict against Russia.
Thus Poland has engaged in an aggressive modernization program, with aims to replace its aging and
very troubled fleet of Mig-29s with 5th generation fighters- likely the F-35.
The Polish military has also prioritized the acquisition of anti-air missile systems and
signed a multi-billion dollar contract with US defense manufacturer Raytheon to supply
it with the Patriot missile system.
With big acquisitions in new submarines, short-range anti-air missiles, and a new main battle tank,
Poland is set to become one of NATO's most important military allies.
6- Once threatening to wipe out England's independence, Spain's days as a global superpower
are far in the past, yet today it remains one of the most formidable militaries in the
world.
Spain's military numbers at 139,500, with 124,000 active-duty personnel and 15,500 reservists.
Despite its small numbers though, Spain overwhelmingly fields modern military equipment, and maintains
one of Europe's most formidable navies.
Its air force is equipped with modern Eurofighters and American-made F-18 Hornets, which also
operate from its one active aircraft carrier.
Despite intense pressure from the rest of europe, Spain is also looking to possibly
acquire the F-35 over European-made alternatives.
With 327 Leopard 2 and Leopard 2E tanks, Spain's ground forces are certainly to be feared,
though its relative lack of attack helicopters would leave the bulk of anti-armor operations
to its infantry and armored forces.
Despite its military strength though, Spain has been increasingly criticized by other
NATO allies for actually decreasing spending on its military relative to its GDP, falling
from 1.23% of GDP in 2014 to .93% of GDP in 2018.
Spain's economic booms have not been reflected in its military expenditures, a fact that
the US in particular has been very quick to point out.
5- Italy
Italy finds itself struggling to hold on to its number five spot as it faces economic
turmoil and a government that seems to have no clear vision on the future of its armed
forces.
Plagued for years by a lack of planning, legislature meant to ensure that military funding is set
in advance and binding for at minimum three year periods, failed to be passed and thus
the Italian military finds itself in the same economic lurch it has been in for nearly a
decade.
Currently Italy fails to meet its 2% of GDP spending requirement by a wide margin, and
the figure continues to decrease.
To make matters worse, the defense budget is set on a yearly basis, with predicted future
figures for the following years which are in no way binding- this makes the acquisition
of big-ticket items such as new fighters, tanks, and other expensive weapon systems
all but impossible.
Despite budget woes, Italy is still considered the preeminent Mediterranean naval power,
and its fleet of 5 aircraft carriers, 12 frigates, 4 destroyers, and 8 submarines ensure that
NATO interests are very safely guarded in the Mediterranean.
It's air force is also considerable, with 94 fighters, 182 attack aircraft and 59 attack
helicopters.
As a partner in the F-35 program, Italy will soon be upgrading its combat aircraft with
the F-35 Lightning II, though it will retain a sizable fleet of Eurofighter Typhoons.
4- Germany
After two disastrous world wars, Germany drastically scaled back its military ambitions.
Though during the Cold War the West German Bundeswehr was an extremely capable and well-equipped
force, immediately after reunification its military forces were cut back to the bare
minimum.
Where once Germany was a military juggernaut that threatened world domination- twice- today
Germany is a much more reserved military power, which has purposefully made it a point to
limit its ability to operate in an expeditionary matter.
Focused more on defense of itself and Europe, Germany today fields a military of 208,641-
with 178,641 active-duty personnel and 30,000 reservists.
The German Air Force is particularly troubled- though it fields very capable aircraft it
is crippled with logistical issues and a shortage of pilots.
A recent internal study found that German air forces could not be reliably called upon
to join ongoing NATO operations in case of Russian aggression.
Similar problems plague the German navy, and though its defense industry creates some of
the most capable conventional submarines in the world, its own fleet is also experiencing
logistical difficulties- mostly due to bureaucratic problems.
On the ground however Germany operates hundreds of Leopard 2 tanks, widely considered one
of- if not the- best battle tank in the world.
3- Great Britain
It was once said that the sun never set on the British empire, thanks to the vast amounts
of territory it held all around the world.
Sadly after the second world war, British military might waxed precipitously, and though
it remains a formidable military power, it is also an extremely fragile one.
That is thanks in large part to the fact that the once legendary British military-industrial
complex is but a sliver of its former self, and today Britain must partner either with
the US or other European allies in order to develop and procure new military hardware.
For centuries considered the greatest of naval powers, today Britain must seek the help of
the US in order to build its new Astute-class submarines.
Despite its troubles though Britain remains a formidable military power, though it has
recently slipped from the second most powerful military in Europe, to third.
Its air forces are in great shape, and the RAF will soon be flying the F-35.
On the ground, Britain continues to operate the Challenger 2 main battle tank, without
a doubt the best defended battle tank in the world- and where its defense industry has
atrophied severely, Britain nonetheless continues to develop some of the most advanced vehicle
armor plating materials in the world.
Unfortunately the once mighty British navy is but a ghost of its former self, and its
fleet of 19 surface combat ships is routinely forced to mothball individual vessels for
months at a time due to a lack of personnel.
To make matters worse, the launching of two new Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers
are threatening to cannibalize the rest of their surface fleet due to the expense of
the vessels.
2- France
Power in Europe has traditionally swung back and forth between France and Great Britain,
but today that pendulum is firmly in France's favor.
While the British defense industry has atrophied and largely wasted away, France maintains
a very strong and independent military industrial base.
Its defense companies produce some of the world's best fighter aircraft, submarines,
and tanks.
Most notably, while Britain depends on the US to develop and maintain its nuclear arsenal,
France has a completely independent air and land-based nuclear deterrent using French
missiles with French warheads.
While Britain's navy finds itself in increasingly perilous waters, the French navy has in recent
years become the dominant naval force in Europe, with a very strong expeditionary capability
that allows it to operate far from friendly shores.
Its forces include one nuclear carrier with three conventional, smaller, carriers, 11
frigates, 12 destroyers, and 10 submarines.
In the air the French air force operates 273 fighter and strike aircraft, along with 56
attack helicopters, and all modern and extremely capable models.
On the ground France operates 406 main battle tanks, and a fleet of 6300 armored fighting
vehicles that give its infantry incredible mobility and protection in a modern battlefield.
With an eye to the future, France recently established a 'Red Team' of science fiction
writers who's job is to hypothesize future war scenarios that the French military may
one day face, proven that the French military is set to dominate Europe not just today,
but well into the future.
1- Russia
Russia once operated the largest military force in world history, with hordes of tanks
and armored vehicles so vast that NATO military planners feared that war with the Soviet Union
would be unwinnable without the use of tactical nuclear weapons.
For decades the Soviet military industrial complex delivered cutting edge military technologies,
and just years before the end of the Cold War a CIA study showed that though at the
time the US led the Soviet Union in total areas of scientific superiority, the Soviet
Union would not just catch up, but exceed the US within a decade.
Sadly the mighty military industrial complex of the Soviet Union collapsed into ashes after
the dissolution of the communist regime.
Despite this, Russia continues to develop cutting edge military technologies, proving
that its scientists are still amongst the world's best- though unfortunately many times
those breakthrough military technologies are left on the drawing board due to budget woes.
Russia's legendary 5th-generation Sukhoi Su-57 is one such example, with development on the
fighter officially postponed indefinitely due to an inability to finance its procurement.
The T-14 Armata tank is another casualty of Russia's budget shortfalls, and despite being
widely considered the world's first true next-generation tank, planned purchases of 2000 by 2020 fell
to just 100, and then to the complete cancellation of the main production run.
Despite its budget woes, Russia maintains the second most formidable military in the
world.
Plagued by the embarrassingly poor performance of its forces against Chechnyan rebels and
Georgian military forces in 2006, Russia has proven that it has overcome strategic and
operational shortcomings in the years since.
Today Russia may be a much-maligned state due to its actions on the world stage, but
none doubt that it still packs a considerable punch which no nation- including the US- is
eager to test.
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