By Frank Kamuntu
Just as there is a country carrying the title ‘best military in the world,’ there is a country carrying the reputation ‘worst military in the world.’
Because there are strong militaries, there are weak ones. In this article, we will look at the top 10 weakest militaries in the world, according to the Global Fire Power Index.
1. Bhutan – The Armed Forces of Bhutan
Three groups make up the Armed Forces of Bhutan: the Royal Bhutan Army, Royal Bodyguards, and Royal Bhutan Police. Of the country’s total population (857,424), 8,000 are in the military. But they are all active personnel. There are no reserve personnel or paramilitary.
The military’s inventory includes just two helicopters and 27 armored land vehicles. Since it is a landlocked country, Bhutan does not have a Navy. Its logistics only consist of 2 airports. Yet, the country has an external debt of more than 2.6 billion USD.
2. Kosovo – The Kosovo Security Force (KSV)
The Kosovo Security Force was founded in 2008 after the country’s declaration of independence. In 2018, it entered a transformation process to become the Kosovo Armed Forces. This process is due to complete in 2028.
Kosovo’s available manpower is 46.4% of its total population but only 37.6% is fit for service and 9% is reaching the military age per year. Currently, its military personnel population is 6,500. It has 0 air power and naval forces while bearing an external debt of over 2 billion USD.
3. Somalia – The Somalia Armed Forces
The Somali Armed Forces was formed in 1960 and went through a rebuilding process in 2000. It is made up of 17,500 active personnel. However, it had no reserve personnel and paramilitary. It only has 65 armored land vehicles and 11 patrol vessels.
Despite having plenty of logistics (52 airports, 2 ports, and 4 merchant fleets) it owes an external debt of over 5 billion USD.
4. Liberia – The Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL)
This is the third weakest military force in the world. It has 2,000 active personnel making up its total military personnel population. No reserve personnel and paramilitary exist. It also does not have airpower. There are only 50 land armored vehicles and six naval assets.
Like Somalia, Liberia has a number of airports (29), ports (2), and merchant fleets (3,492) at the expense of $826 million in external debt.
5. Sierra Leone – The Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF)
Sierra Leone is considered one of the smallest Armies in the world, with 9,000 active personnel. It does not run reserve personnel or paramilitary.
Unlike Kosovo, Somalia, and Liberia, though, it has some airpower with 4 helicopters.
Its land force is supported by 20 armored vehicles and its naval force has 10 total assets. Plus, it has 8 airports, 3 ports, and 591 merchant fleets.
However, its external debt is somewhat high: more than 1.6 billion USD.
6. Suriname – The Suriname National Army
The Suriname National Army, deemed the weakest Army in the world, was founded in 1980 following a coup d’état.
Of the total population of 614,749, the available manpower is 135,245. 79,917 are fit for service and about 3,000 are reaching the military age annually.
At present, the Army has 1,8000 active personnel. Like the previously-listed countries, there are no reserve personnel and paramilitary. It owns 3 helicopters, 100 armored land vehicles, and 18 Naval assets.
So, Suriname can be dubbed the worst Army in the world.
7. North Macedonia – The Army of the Republic of North Macedonia
Compared to the other countries listed on this, the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia is made up of active personnel, reserve personnel, and paramilitary. The total military population is 14,500: 7,500 are on active duty, 3,000 are in reserve, and 4,000 are paramilitary.
Its aircraft strength includes 10 trainers and 10 helicopters, while its land forces are bolstered by 10 tanks, 11 rocket projectors, and 228 armored vehicles. Unfortunately, it has no naval force.
It also does not have ports and merchant fleets, only an external debt of over 9 billion USD as of the 2022 fiscal year.
8. Central African Republic – The Central African Armed Forces
The Central African Armed Forces has 10,000 active personnel and 1,000 members in the paramilitary; it does not have any reserve personnel.
It was founded in 1960 but has been barely functional since 2012 because of the outbreak of the Civil War. At present, it has 2 transport aircraft and 1 helicopter. For the land forces, there are 3 tanks and 89 armored vehicles.
10. Iceland
Iceland has 96 airports, 3 ports, and 41 merchant fleets but also burgeoning external debt. As of 2023, it owes 20 billion USD.
Today’s weakest military ever, according to Global Firepower, is Bhutan. However, it is arguable that the weakest country in the world is Iceland, which does not have a military.
Only 23% of the population counts as available manpower and 13.6% is fit for service. Moreover, less than 1% of the population annually reaches the military age.
In conclusion, the worst military in the world is Bhutan, as mentioned above.
How Does the Global Fire Power Index Rank Military Powers?
Since each country can decide how to run its military, it is very difficult to compare and contrast military powers. The Global Fire Power Index decided on over 50 measures to do this, and their system assigns a score to each country’s military.
The measures that the Global Fire Power Index use include:
1. Manpower
2. Equipment
3. Finances
4. Logistics
5. Natural Resources
6. Geography.
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