Country vs country: Russia and United States compared: Military stats
The news has been filled lately with the tensions between Russia and the rest of the world. With Russia positioning its troops in the Crimea section of Ukraine and threatening to invade Eastern Ukraine, many have begun to talk in cold war terms and speak of a renewed military conflict between the US and Russia. As tensions rise it is important to look at the current position vis-à-vis the two military powers to see how they compare.
According to the best military analysis, the United States and Russia rank #1 and #2 respectively in military power today. When comparing military power one must take several factors into account. Of significant importance is the population of both countries ready to fight. The US has a population of roughly 316 million with 120 million fit for military service and over 4 million reaching military age each year. Russia on the other hand has a population of only 145 million with only 46 million ready for military service and 1.3 million reaching military age each year. From a population standpoint, the US is a much better position.
From there, one must look at two things: 1) would a conflict involve most land forces or be fought primarily in the air and sea and 2) would the conflict be limited in nature or total war?
Russia and the United States have taken divergent paths to military might. The US dominates the air with far more bases, fighter jets and bombers than Russia but Russia is superior on the ground with more tanks, artillery and land vehicles. At sea, the countries are more evenly matched, but here the US has the edge with more destroyers, submarines and aircraft carriers. It must also be mentioned that the US military spending also dwarfs that of Russia, 612 billion to just 77 billion. That means that in a conflict the US would be in a much better position to ramp up production for new or replacement weaponry.
Of course, all of the conventional military comparisons mean nothing if a conflict between the two powers fought a total war that led to a nuclear exchange. Although both countries have reduced the levels of their nuclear arsenals over the past two decades, both still have thousands of nuclear warheads. Use of nuclear weapons would negate any real or perceived strengths in other military areas, although some military strategists argue that with is population spread out over a greater distance and its population centers smaller and more dispersed, fewer Russian people would be affected by a nuclear war. They would however remain in a world dramatically altered.
* ملخص مقدمة الإحصائية (لضيق الوقت) تتحدث عن نقاط محددة , ذكرت عدد السكان والمؤهلين للخدمة العسكرية وكان التفوق أمريكي وكذلك قارنت بشكل عام بين أفرع القوات المسلحة وكان هناك تفوق أمريكي ملحوظ جوا وبحرا بينما يتفوق الروس بريا , المقدمة تتحدث في النهاية ان المقارنة التقليدية لاقيمة لها على إعتبار أحتمالية نشوب حرب نووية بين القوتين الأكبر دوليا!
The news has been filled lately with the tensions between Russia and the rest of the world. With Russia positioning its troops in the Crimea section of Ukraine and threatening to invade Eastern Ukraine, many have begun to talk in cold war terms and speak of a renewed military conflict between the US and Russia. As tensions rise it is important to look at the current position vis-à-vis the two military powers to see how they compare.
According to the best military analysis, the United States and Russia rank #1 and #2 respectively in military power today. When comparing military power one must take several factors into account. Of significant importance is the population of both countries ready to fight. The US has a population of roughly 316 million with 120 million fit for military service and over 4 million reaching military age each year. Russia on the other hand has a population of only 145 million with only 46 million ready for military service and 1.3 million reaching military age each year. From a population standpoint, the US is a much better position.
From there, one must look at two things: 1) would a conflict involve most land forces or be fought primarily in the air and sea and 2) would the conflict be limited in nature or total war?
Russia and the United States have taken divergent paths to military might. The US dominates the air with far more bases, fighter jets and bombers than Russia but Russia is superior on the ground with more tanks, artillery and land vehicles. At sea, the countries are more evenly matched, but here the US has the edge with more destroyers, submarines and aircraft carriers. It must also be mentioned that the US military spending also dwarfs that of Russia, 612 billion to just 77 billion. That means that in a conflict the US would be in a much better position to ramp up production for new or replacement weaponry.
Of course, all of the conventional military comparisons mean nothing if a conflict between the two powers fought a total war that led to a nuclear exchange. Although both countries have reduced the levels of their nuclear arsenals over the past two decades, both still have thousands of nuclear warheads. Use of nuclear weapons would negate any real or perceived strengths in other military areas, although some military strategists argue that with is population spread out over a greater distance and its population centers smaller and more dispersed, fewer Russian people would be affected by a nuclear war. They would however remain in a world dramatically altered.
* ملخص مقدمة الإحصائية (لضيق الوقت) تتحدث عن نقاط محددة , ذكرت عدد السكان والمؤهلين للخدمة العسكرية وكان التفوق أمريكي وكذلك قارنت بشكل عام بين أفرع القوات المسلحة وكان هناك تفوق أمريكي ملحوظ جوا وبحرا بينما يتفوق الروس بريا , المقدمة تتحدث في النهاية ان المقارنة التقليدية لاقيمة لها على إعتبار أحتمالية نشوب حرب نووية بين القوتين الأكبر دوليا!
تعليق