In this article, we look at the 15 most powerful militaries in Asia. You can skip our detailed analysis on defense spending patterns and arms race in the continent by directly heading over to the 5 Most Powerful Militaries in Asia.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), global defense spending was estimated to be $2.2 trillion in 2022, of which $961 billion were spent in the Americas, $540 billion in Asia, $480 billion in Europe, while $39 billion and $35 billion were incurred on defense in Africa and Oceania, respectively.
Asia ranked as the second highest spending continent on military after North America, making up for a quarter of all global defense spending. Region wise in Asia, the highest contribution came from East Asia where $397 billion were spent on defense in 2022, followed by South Asia at a distant second with $98 billion. Defense expenditure has increased by 45% in the continent over the past decade, with the steepest rise unsurprisingly seen in East Asia (50%) and South Asia (46%) – the two major flashpoints of diplomatic and military disturbance that has triggered an arms race between regional countries.
Arms Race in Asia
China has been steadily upgrading its military and stockpiling its arsenal for the last three decades. The risk that it would invade and annex Taiwan is higher today than it has ever been. In response, the U.S. has been ramping up its military presence in the Indo-Pacific, and has also approved sales worth billions of dollars in weapons to Taipei.
Earlier this year, the U.S. announced to give Taiwan missiles for the latter's F-16 fleet, as part of a $619 million deal, to arm the country against the Chinese threat. These include 100 AGM-88B HARM and 200 AMRAAM missiles. The principal contractors of this sale deal are Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) and RTX Corporation (NYSE:RTX). The move further strained relations between Washington and Beijing.
Jim Taiclet, the Chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) made a mention of the missile technology being provided to Taiwan in the company’s Q3 2023 Earnings Call:
In Taiwan, I think the signature program that everybody is aware of is the F-16 in both production and modernization. So that’s ongoing. But we also provided a kind of comprehensive defensive Taiwan, like Defense of Guam award we won last year, approach to integrating these digital technologies with the aircraft available that we provide and others, the missile systems that we provide and others and integrate them into sort of this porcupine approach to defending Taiwan just like we’re designing for Guam. So there could be a wide range of digital and physical products that would come with this over time. The U.S. government will help define with the Taiwanese government, what, when any of those will be procured and released for export to Taiwan to the FMS program and other vehicles.
North Korea has also been a thorn in Seoul and Washington’s side, with Pyongyang launching about 90 ballistic missiles in 2022, signaling that Kim Jong-un’s regime has no intention of relinquishing its weapons of mass destruction. Both South Korea and North Korea have indulged in an arms race that appears to be spiraling out of control. This year, Seoul proposed a defense budget of $42 billion, which is 4.6% higher year on year. The country entered into a $5.06 billion deal with Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) to purchase 25 F-35 fighter jets. South Korea has also developed the KF-21 Boramae, its own fourth-generation fighter jet that has capabilities similar to fifth-generation fighters.
The South China Sea has been another point of contention between China, the U.S., and several other regional countries. The Chinese claim almost all of the strategic waterways as their own, while the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Taiwan also have overlapping claims. The South China Sea is also critical to American interests. Countries involved in the conflict have raised their military spending for possible eventuality of a conflict breaking out.
In South Asia, nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan have also been sharpening their arsenal in what is considered the most weaponized region in the world. The two countries regularly test their missile systems in a tit-for-tat response to one another to showcase their military capabilities.
On the other hand, oil-rich countries in the Middle East have also been actively enhancing their national defense after the Arab Spring in the early 2010s. Saudi Arabia was the fifth largest military spender in the world in 2022, having incurred $75 billion on defense expenditure during the year, which included a $3 billion deal with the U.S. to purchase 300 MIM-104E Patriot missiles developed by RTX Corporation (NYSE:RTX). During the same year, there were also reports that RTX Corporation (NYSE:RTX) was planning to move the production of its Patriot missile parts to Saudi Arabia.
Methodology
The 15 most powerful militaries in Asia have been ranked using a mix of qualitative and quantitative metrics. GDP, defense spending in 2022, manpower, tank strength, nuclear weapons, aircraft fleet, and naval assets are some of the quantitative metrics that we have considered in our analysis. On the other hand, qualitative metrics such as technological advancement, battle-hardness, and cyber security expertise of militaries have been factored as well.
Data has been sourced from our recent articles, 25 Most Powerful Militaries in the World in 2023, 12 Most Advanced Countries in Asia, 20 Largest Economies in Asia, Global Firepower Index 2023, Belfer Center's National Cyber Power Index 2022, Global Innovation Index 2022 (which we have used to rank countries on technological advancement, a ranking of 48/132 means the country is ahead of 84 countries in technological advancement), and other independent news stories and publications.
Eleven of the 25 Most Powerful Militaries in the World in 2023 are Asian countries. Therefore, rankings 1-11 are based on how militaries are listed in that report, while 12-15 are an expansion of the list based on our dataset that weighed military strength based on the metrics shared above.
15 Most Powerful Militaries in Asia
LEE SNIDER PHOTO IMAGES/Shutterstock.com Let's now head over to the list of the most powerful militaries in Asia.
15. North Korea
GDP (2022): $35 billion
Defense spending (2022): $4.5 billion
Manpower: 1,200,000
Tanks: 6,645
Armored Fighting Vehicles: 38,944
Nuclear warheads: 40 (estimated)
Aircrafts including fighter jets: 946
Naval assets: 519
Technological Advancement: N/A
North Korea has the fourth largest standing military in the world, with an active manpower of 1.2 million troops. The size of its tank fleet is the second largest in the world, only next to Russia. However, much of the country’s military equipment is outdated and would likely be overrun in case of an armed conflict. It is the nuclear deterrence that Pyongyang possesses which helps North Korea’s military rank among the most powerful militaries in Asia.
14. Vietnam
GDP (2022): $406 billion
Defense spending (2022): $6.2 billion
Manpower: 470,000
Tanks: 1,829
Armored Fighting Vehicles: 55,740
Nuclear warheads: 0
Aircrafts including fighter jets: 217
Naval assets: 109
Technological Advancement: 48/132
Vietnam’s military spending has grown by over 700% over the last decade under the military modernization program which has helped the country overcome its technological deficiency in defense. Vietnam’s aircraft fleet today is equipped with fighter jets like Su-30 and Su-27, and many combat helicopters. According to a report in December 2022, several U.S. armament manufacturing companies were in talks to sell helicopters and drones to Vietnam.
13. Taiwan
GDP (2022): $762 billion
Defense spending (2022): $16.8 billion
Manpower: 170,000
Tanks: 1,012
Armored Fighting Vehicles: 40,916
Nuclear warheads: 0
Aircrafts including fighter jets: 741
Naval assets: 117
Technological Advancement: N/A
Taiwan, right since its inception, has been facing an existential threat from China which lays claim over the territory. Last year, the government in Taipei spent $16.8 billion on defense and this year in August 2023, it announced that it would be raising military spending to $19 billion which would equate to 2.6% of its GDP. Taiwan is among the most advanced countries in the world and receives heavy military assistance from the U.S. which has helped in enhancing the military capabilities of its armed forces.
12. United Arab Emirates
GDP (2022): $503 billion
Defense spending (2022): $23 billion
Manpower: 65,000
Tanks: 274
Armored Fighting Vehicles: 26,196
Nuclear warheads: 0
Aircrafts including fighter jets: 554
Naval assets: 79
Technological Advancement: 31/132
The United Arab Emirates has one of the most powerful militaries in Asia. It is among the top spenders on military expenditure in the Middle East, where it is gradually upgrading its capabilities by procuring sophisticated weapons and defense systems from the West. The country’s defense budget further increased by 3.3% in 2023 due to a rise in oil revenue.
11. Thailand
GDP (2022): $524 billion
Defense spending (2022): $6.3 billion
Manpower: 350,000
Tanks: 587
Armored Fighting Vehicles: 39,808
Nuclear warheads: 0
Aircrafts including fighter jets: 469
Naval assets: 292
Technological Advancement: 43/132
Thailand has one of the most powerful militaries in Asia. Driven by security threats, arms race, and its own military modernization program, Thailand has increased defense spending over the last few years. The country has a sizable armed forces in terms of manpower and is well equipped with huge tanks and aircrafts fleets.
10. Iran
GDP (2022): $368 billion
Defense spending (2022): $5.5 billion
Manpower: 575,000
Tanks: 4,071
Armored Fighting Vehicles: 69,685
Nuclear warheads: 0
Aircrafts including fighter jets: 543
Naval assets: 101
Technological Advancement: 53/132
Western sanctions have impeded Iran’s economic growth and, with it, the country’s ability to upgrade its military. Despite the challenges, it remains one of the most powerful militaries in Asia and the world. Much of the strength of the Iranian armed forces is owed to its sizable manpower and tanks fleet.
9. Indonesia
GDP (2022): $1,200 billion
Defense spending (2022): $8.8 billion
Manpower: 400,000
Tanks: 314
Armored Fighting Vehicles: 12,008
Nuclear warheads: 0
Aircrafts including fighter jets: 461
Naval assets: 324
Technological Advancement: 75/132
Indonesia is one the largest economies in the world and has one of the strongest militaries in Asia. In 2022, the government spent heavily on upgrading Indonesia’s defense system, which included the purchase of a fleet of 42 Rafale fighter jets from France, and two Scorpene submarines. Indonesia has the potential to further strengthen its armed forces, given its economic strength being a $1.2 trillion economy.
8. Pakistan
GDP (2022): $377 billion
Defense spending (2022): $7.5 billion
Manpower: 654,000
Tanks: 3,742
Armored Fighting Vehicles: 77,771
Nuclear warheads: 165
Aircrafts including fighter jets: 1,387
Naval assets: 114
Technological Advancement: 87/132
Pakistan spends heavily on defense despite economic challenges due to the perceived threat from its arch rival neighbor India, and the turmoil to the country’s west in Afghanistan. The South Asian country boasts a strong arsenal of weapons and has gone past India on the nuclear warheads count. The Pakistan Air Force is famed as one of the most competent air forces in the world, and is equipped with numerous fighter jets including 109 JF-17s and 44 F-16s, among others. The military’s ground troops are also battle-hardened after recent gains in the war against terrorism in the country’s tribal north.
7. Saudi Arabia
GDP (2022): $950 billion
Defense spending (2022): $75 billion
Manpower: 225,000
Tanks: 1,273
Armored Fighting Vehicles: 85,140
Nuclear warheads: 0
Aircrafts including fighter jets: 897
Naval assets: 57
Technological Advancement: 51/132
Saudi Arabia was the fifth highest spender on defense in 2022. Its $75 billion military expenditure bill, last year, amounted to 7% of its GDP and 40% of all defense spending in the Middle East that year. The country is one of the largest exporters of oil and has leveraged its economic advantage to strengthen its military capabilities. The Saudi Royal Air Force has a fleet size of nearly 900 aircrafts, which comprise 211 F-15s, 81 Tornado IDS, and 72 Eurofighter Typhoons, among other jets.
6. Israel
GDP (2022): $502 billion
Defense spending (2022): $22.6 billion
Manpower: 173,000
Tanks: 2,200
Armored Fighting Vehicles: 56,290
Nuclear warheads: 90
Aircrafts including fighter jets: 597
Naval assets: 67
Technological Advancement: 16/132
Israel has one of the most powerful militaries in Asia, whose main strength is derived from their capabilities in air. Nearly 40% of the country’s fleet of aircrafts is comprised of fighter jets. It has 175 F-16 and 27 F-35 jets among several others. Israel is also among the most technologically advanced countries in the world which has enabled it to become a major exporter of air defense systems.
