 | This article needs to be updated.(March 2024) |
This is a list of countries by number of military and paramilitary personnel. It includes any government-sponsored soldiers used to further the domestic and foreign policies of their respective government. The term "country" is used in its most common use, in the sense of state which exercises sovereignty or has limited recognition.
The list consists of columns that can be sorted by clicking on the appropriate title:
As military forces around the world are constantly changing in size, no definitive list can ever be compiled.
All of the 172 countries listed here, especially those with the highest number of total soldiers such as the two Koreas and Vietnam, include a large number of paramilitaries, civilians and policemen in their reserve personnel. Some countries, such as Italy and Japan, have only volunteers in their armed forces. Other countries, such as Mauritius and Panama, have no national armies, but only a paramilitary force.
The numbers of military personnel listed include both support personnel (supplies, construction, and contracting) and actual combat personnel. For a typical country, the proportion of this total that comprises actual combat forces is about 26%[ citation needed ] (so, for every soldier there will be around three support personnel). This proportion is referred to as the "tooth-to-tail ratio".
Some countries have a considerably smaller tooth-to-tail ratio: For example, the United States Armed Forces has a tooth-to-tail ratio of 17%, meaning that for every combat unit there are around five support units. [1]
| Flag | Country | Active military | Reserve military | Paramilitary | Total | Per 1,000 capita (total) | Per 1,000 capita (active) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Afghanistan [2] | 150,000 | 0 | 0 | 150,000 | 3.8 | 3.8 |
 | Albania [3] | 8,000 | 0 | 0 | 8,000 | 2.6 | 2.6 |
 | Algeria [4] | 130,000 | 150,000 | 187,200 | 467,200 | 11.2 | 3.1 |
 | Angola [5] | 107,000 | 0 | 10,000 | 117,000 | 3.9 | 3.5 |
 | Antigua and Barbuda [6] | 180 | 80 | 0 | 260 | 2.7 | 1.9 |
 | Argentina [6] | 72,100 | 0 | 31,250 | 103,350 | 2.3 | 1.6 |
 | Armenia [7] [Note 1] | 44,800 | 210,000 | 4,300 | 259,100 | 85.3 | 14.7 |
 | Australia [8] | 58,600 | 30,100 | 0 | 88,700 | 3.8 | 2.5 |
 | Austria [9] | 22,050 | 125,600 | 0 | 147,650 | 16.8 | 2.5 |
 | Azerbaijan [10] | 126,950 | 330,000 | 15,000 | 471,950 | 47 | 12.6 |
 | Bahamas [11] | 1,300 | 0 | 0 | 1,300 | 3.9 | 3.9 |
 | Bahrain [12] | 8,200 | 0 | 11,260 | 19,460 | 13.5 | 5.7 |
 | Bangladesh [13] | 163,050 | 0 | 63,900 | 226,950 | 1.4 | 1 |
 | Barbados [14] | 610 | 430 | 0 | 1,040 | 3.6 | 2.1 |
 | Belarus [15] | 45,350 | 289,500 | 110,000 | 444,850 | 46.7 | 4.8 |
 | Belgium [16] | 26,300 | 5,100 | 0 | 31,400 | 2.7 | 2.3 |
 | Belize [14] | 1,500 | 700 | 150 | 2,350 | 6.1 | 3.9 |
 | Benin [17] | 7,250 | 0 | 4,800 | 12,050 | 1.1 | 0.6 |
 | Bolivia [18] | 34,100 | 0 | 37,100 | 71,200 | 6.3 | 3 |
 | Bosnia and Herzegovina [19] | 10,500 | 0 | 0 | 10,500 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
 | Botswana [20] | 9,000 | 0 | 0 | 9,000 | 4 | 4 |
 | Brazil [21] | 366,500 | 1,340,000 | 395,000 | 2,101,500 | 9.6 | 1.7 |
 | Brunei [22] | 7,200 | 700 | 450 | 8,350 | 18.5 | 16 |
 | Bulgaria [23] | 36,950 | 3,000 | 0 | 39,950 | 5.7 | 5.2 |
 | Burkina Faso [24] | 11,200 | 0 | 250 | 11,450 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
 | Burundi [25] | 30,050 | 0 | 21,000 | 51,050 | 4.3 | 2.5 |
 | Cambodia [26] | 124,300 | 0 | 67,000 | 191,300 | 11.6 | 7.6 |
 | Cameroon [27] | 25,400 | 0 | 9,000 | 34,400 | 1.3 | 1 |
 | Canada [28] | 67,400 | 35,600 | 4,500 | 107,500 | 3 | 1.9 |
 | Cape Verde [29] | 1,200 | 0 | 0 | 1,200 | 2.1 | 2.1 |
 | Central African Republic [30] | 9,150 | 0 | 1,000 | 10,150 | 1.8 | 1.6 |
 | Chad [31] | 33,250 | 0 | 11,900 | 45,150 | 2.9 | 2.1 |
 | Chile [32] | 77,200 | 40,000 | 44,700 | 161,900 | 9 | 4.3 |
 | People's Republic of China [33] | 2,035,000 | 510,000 | 500,000 | 3,045,000 | 2.1 | 1.4 |
 | Colombia [34] | 293,200 | 34,950 | 187,900 | 516,050 | 10.7 | 6.1 |
 | Costa Rica [35] | 0 | 0 | 9,800 | 9,800 | 2 | 0 |
 | Côte d'Ivoire [36] [Note 2] | 27,400 | 0 | 0 | 27,400 | 1 | 1 |
 | Croatia [37] | 15,200 | 18,350 | 3,000 | 36,550 | 8.6 | 3.6 |
 | Cuba [38] [Note 3] | 49,000 | 39,000 | 1,146,500 | 1,234,500 | 110.9 | 4.4 |
 | Cyprus [39] | 15,000 | 50,000 | 750 | 65,750 | 53.1 | 12.1 |
 | Czech Republic [40] | 21,750 | 0 | 0 | 21,750 | 2 | 2 |
 | Democratic Republic of the Congo [41] | 134,250 | 0 | 0 | 134,250 | 1.6 | 1.6 |
 | Denmark [42] | 14,500 | 44,000 | 0 | 58,500 | 10.1 | 2.5 |
 | Djibouti [43] | 10,450 | 0 | 2,650 | 13,100 | 14.8 | 11.8 |
 | Dominican Republic [44] | 56,050 | 0 | 15,000 | 71,050 | 6.9 | 5.4 |
 | East Timor [45] | 2,280 | 0 | 0 | 2,280 | 1.7 | 1.7 |
 | Ecuador [46] | 40,250 | 118,000 | 500 | 158,750 | 9.6 | 2.4 |
 | Egypt [47] | 438,500 | 479,000 | 397,000 | 1,314,500 | 12 | 4 |
 | El Salvador [48] | 24,500 | 9,900 | 17,000 | 51,400 | 8.3 | 4 |
 | Equatorial Guinea [49] [Note 4] | 1,450 | 0 | 0 | 1,450 | 1.8 | 1.8 |
 | Eritrea [50] | 201,750 | 120,000 | 0 | 321,750 | 53.9 | 33.8 |
 | Estonia [51] | 7,100 | 17,500 | 0 | 24,600 | 19.8 | 5.7 |
 | Ethiopia [52] | 138,000 | 0 | 0 | 138,000 | 1.3 | 1.3 |
 | Fiji [53] | 3,500 | 6,000 | 0 | 9,500 | 10.3 | 3.8 |
 | Finland [54] | 23,800 | 254,000 | 14,200 | 292,000 | 52.7 | 4.3 |
 | France [55] | 208,750 | 141,050 | 30,800 | 380,600 | 5.6 | 3.1 |
 | Gabon [56] | 4,700 | 0 | 2,000 | 6,700 | 3.2 | 2.2 |
 | Gambia [57] | 800 | 0 | 0 | 800 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
 | Georgia [58] | 20,650 | 0 | 5,400 | 26,050 | 5.3 | 4.2 |
 | Germany [59] | 183,500 | 50,050 | 0 | 233,550 | 2.9 | 2.3 |
 | Ghana [60] | 15,500 | 0 | 0 | 15,500 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
 | Greece [61] | 142,700 | 221,350 | 4,000 | 368,050 | 34.2 | 13.3 |
 | Guatemala [62] | 18,050 | 63,850 | 25,000 | 106,900 | 6.4 | 1.1 |
 | Guinea [63] | 9,700 | 0 | 2,600 | 12,300 | 1 | 0.8 |
 | Guinea-Bissau [64] | 4,450 | 0 | 0 | 4,450 | 2.4 | 2.4 |
 | Guyana [65] | 3,400 | 670 | 0 | 4,070 | 5.5 | 4.6 |
 | Haiti [66] | 700 | 0 | 50 | 750 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
 | Honduras [67] | 14,950 | 60,000 | 8,000 | 82,950 | 9 | 1.6 |
 | Hungary [68] | 27,800 | 20,000 | 12,000 | 59,800 | 6.1 | 2.8 |
 | Iceland [69] | 0 | 0 | 250 | 250 | 0.7 | 0 |
 | India [70] | 1,475,750 | 1,155,000 | 2,557,050 | 5,187,800 | 3.7 | 1.1 |
 | Indonesia [71] | 404,500 | 400,000 | 290,200 | 1,094,700 | 3.9 | 1.4 |
 | Iran [72] [Note 5] | 610,000 | 350,000 | 40,000 | 1,000,000 | 11.4 | 7 |
 | Iraq [73] | 193,000 | 0 | 148,000 | 341,000 | 8.5 | 4.8 |
 | Ireland [69] | 9,500 | 4,050 | 0 | 13,550 | 2.7 | 1.9 |
 | Israel [74] | 169,500 | 465,000 | 8,000 | 642,500 | 76.3 | 20.1 |
 | Italy [75] [Note 6] | 165,500 | 18,300 | 175,750 | 359,550 | 5.8 | 2.7 |
 | Jamaica [76] | 3,950 | 980 | 0 | 4,930 | 1.8 | 1.4 |
 | Japan [77] | 247,000 | 55,900 | 14,700 | 317,600 | 2.6 | 2 |
 | Jordan [78] | 100,500 | 65,000 | 15,000 | 180,500 | 17.3 | 9.6 |
 | Kazakhstan [79] | 39,000 | 0 | 31,500 | 70,500 | 3.8 | 2.1 |
 | Kenya [80] | 24,100 | 0 | 5,000 | 29,100 | 0.6 | 0.5 |
 | Kosovo [81] | 5,000 | 3,000 | 1,500 | 9,500 | 5 | 2.6 |
 | Kuwait [82] | 17,500 | 23,700 | 7,100 | 48,300 | 16.6 | 6 |
 | Kyrgyzstan [83] | 10,900 | 0 | 9,500 | 20,400 | 3.5 | 1.9 |
 | Laos [84] | 29,100 | 0 | 100,000 | 129,100 | 17.8 | 4 |
 | Latvia [85] | 6,210 | 15,900 | 0 | 22,110 | 11.5 | 3.2 |
 | Lebanon [86] | 60,000 | 0 | 20,000 | 80,000 | 13.1 | 9.8 |
 | Lesotho [87] | 2,000 | 0 | 0 | 2,000 | 1 | 1 |
 | Liberia [88] | 2,010 | 0 | 0 | 2,010 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
 | Libya [89] [Note 7] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
 | Lithuania [90] | 19,850 | 6,700 | 14,400 | 40,950 | 14.7 | 7.1 |
 | Luxembourg [91] | 900 | 0 | 600 | 1,500 | 2.5 | 1.5 |
 | Madagascar [92] | 13,500 | 0 | 8,100 | 21,600 | 0.8 | 0.5 |
 | Malawi [92] | 10,700 | 0 | 4,200 | 14,900 | 0.8 | 0.5 |
 | Malaysia [93] [Note 8] | 113,000 | 51,600 | 267,200 | 431,800 | 13.6 | 3.6 |
 | Mali [94] | 13,000 | 0 | 7,800 | 20,800 | 1.1 | 0.7 |
 | Malta [95] | 1,950 | 180 | 0 | 2,130 | 4.7 | 4.3 |
 | Mauritania [96] | 15,850 | 0 | 5,000 | 20,850 | 5.4 | 4.1 |
 | Mauritius [97] | 0 | 0 | 2,550 | 2,550 | 1.9 | 0 |
 | Mexico [98] | 216,000 | 81,500 | 111,900 | 409,400 | 3.3 | 1.7 |
 | Moldova [99] | 5,150 | 58,000 | 900 | 64,050 | 18.6 | 1.5 |
 | Mongolia [100] | 9,700 | 137,000 | 7,500 | 154,200 | 49.7 | 3.1 |
 | Montenegro [101] | 2,350 | 0 | 10,100 | 12,450 | 20.3 | 3.8 |
 | Morocco [102] | 195,800 | 150,000 | 50,000 | 395,800 | 11.5 | 5.7 |
 | Mozambique [97] | 11,200 | 0 | 0 | 11,200 | 0.4 | 0.4 |
 | Myanmar [103] | 201,000 | 0 | 107,000 | 308,000 | 5.4 | 3.5 |
 | Namibia [104] | 9,900 | 0 | 6,000 | 15,900 | 6.3 | 3.9 |
 | Nepal [105] | 96,600 | 0 | 15,000 | 111,600 | 3.8 | 3.3 |
 | Netherlands [106] | 35,400 | 4,500 | 5,900 | 45,800 | 2.7 | 2.1 |
 | New Zealand [107] | 9,000 | 2,300 | 0 | 11,300 | 2.5 | 2 |
 | Nicaragua [108] | 12,000 | 0 | 0 | 12,000 | 2 | 2 |
 | Niger [109] | 5,300 | 0 | 5,400 | 10,700 | 0.5 | 0.3 |
 | Nigeria [110] | 143,000 | 0 | 80,000 | 223,000 | 1.1 | 0.7 |
 | North Korea [111] [Note 9] | 1,280,000 | 600,000 | 5,700,000 | 7,580,000 | 289.4 | 48.9 |
 | North Macedonia [112] | 8,000 | 4,850 | 7,600 | 20,450 | 9.7 | 3.8 |
 | Norway [113] | 23,250 | 40,000 | 0 | 63,250 | 11.8 | 4.3 |
 | Oman [114] | 42,600 | 0 | 4,400 | 47,000 | 13.5 | 12.2 |
 | Pakistan [115] | 660,000 | 550,000 | 291,000 | 1,501,000 | 6.2 | 2.7 |
 | Palestine [116] [Note 10] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
 | Panama [117] | 0 | 0 | 26,000 | 26,000 | 6.8 | 0 |
 | Papua New Guinea [118] | 3,600 | 0 | 0 | 3,600 | 0.5 | 0.5 |
 | Paraguay [119] | 13,950 | 164,500 | 14,800 | 193,250 | 27.5 | 2 |
 | Peru [120] | 81,000 | 188,000 | 77,000 | 346,000 | 11 | 2.6 |
 | Philippines [121] | 143,100 | 131,000 | 62,300 | 336,400 | 3.2 | 1.4 |
 | Poland [122] | 114,050 | 0 | 75,400 | 189,450 | 4.9 | 3 |
 | Portugal [123] | 27,250 | 211,700 | 24,700 | 263,650 | 25.5 | 2.6 |
 | Qatar [124] | 16,500 | 0 | 5,000 | 21,500 | 9.1 | 7 |
 | Republic of the Congo [125] | 10,000 | 0 | 2,000 | 12,000 | 2.4 | 2 |
 | Romania [126] | 69,300 | 50,000 | 57,000 | 176,300 | 8.2 | 3.2 |
 | Russia [127] | 1,100,000 | 1,500,000 | 559,000 | 3,159,000 | 22.3 | 7.8 |
 | Rwanda [128] | 33,000 | 0 | 2,000 | 35,000 | 2.9 | 2.7 |
 | Saudi Arabia [129] | 257,000 | 0 | 24,500 | 281,500 | 7.8 | 7.2 |
 | Senegal [130] | 13,600 | 0 | 5,000 | 18,600 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
 | Serbia [131] | 28,150 | 50,150 | 3,700 | 82,000 | 11.6 | 4 |
 | Seychelles [132] | 420 | 0 | 0 | 420 | 4.4 | 4.4 |
 | Sierra Leone [132] | 8,500 | 0 | 0 | 8,500 | 1.3 | 1.3 |
 | Singapore [133] | 51,000 | 252,500 | 7,400 | 310,900 | 51.9 | 8.5 |
 | Slovakia [81] | 15,850 | 0 | 0 | 15,850 | 2.9 | 2.9 |
 | Slovenia [134] | 7,250 | 1,500 | 5,950 | 14,700 | 7 | 3.4 |
 | Somalia [135] | 19,800 | 0 | 0 | 19,800 | 1.8 | 1.8 |
 | South Africa [136] | 65,350 | 15,050 | 0 | 80,400 | 1.5 | 1.2 |
 | South Korea [137] | 500,000 | 3,100,000 | 3,013,500 | 6,613,500 | 127.3 | 9.6 |
 | South Sudan [138] | 185,000 | 0 | 0 | 185,000 | 18.1 | 18.1 |
 | Spain [139] | 120,350 | 15,150 | 75,800 | 211,300 | 4.4 | 2.5 |
 | Sri Lanka [140] | 255,000 | 5,500 | 92,600 | 353,100 | 15.6 | 11.3 |
 | Sudan [141] | 104,300 | 0 | 105,000 | 209,300 | 4.9 | 2.4 |
 | Suriname [142] | 1,840 | 0 | 0 | 1,840 | 3.1 | 3.1 |
 | Sweden [143] | 29,750 | 0 | 21,200 | 50,950 | 5.1 | 3 |
 | Switzerland [144] | 19,550 | 196,450 | 0 | 216,000 | 26 | 2.4 |
 | Syria [145] | 169,000 | 0 | 100,000 | 269,000 | 13.8 | 8.7 |
 | Taiwan (Republic of China) [146] | 169,000 | 1,657,000 | 11,800 | 1,837,800 | 77.9 | 7.2 |
 | Tajikistan [147] | 8,800 | 0 | 7,500 | 16,300 | 1.9 | 1 |
 | Tanzania [148] | 27,000 | 80,000 | 1,400 | 108,400 | 2 | 0.5 |
 | Thailand [149] | 360,850 | 200,000 | 138,700 | 699,550 | 10 | 5.2 |
 | Togo [150] | 8,550 | 0 | 750 | 9,300 | 1.1 | 1 |
 | Transnistria [151] [152] | 4,500 | 15,000 | 0 | 19,500 | 53.4 | 12.3 |
 | Trinidad and Tobago [142] | 4,050 | 0 | 0 | 4,050 | 3.3 | 3.3 |
 | Tunisia [153] | 35,800 | 0 | 12,000 | 47,800 | 4.2 | 3.1 |
 | Turkey [154] | 355,200 | 378,700 | 156,800 | 890,700 | 10.7 | 4.2 |
 | Turkmenistan [155] | 36,500 | 0 | 5,000 | 41,500 | 7.7 | 6.7 |
 | Uganda [156] | 45,000 | 10,000 | 1,400 | 56,400 | 1.4 | 1.1 |
 | Ukraine [157] | 209,000 | 900,000 | 102,000 | 1,211,000 | 27.6 | 4.8 |
 | United Arab Emirates [158] | 63,000 | 130,000 | 0 | 193,000 | 19.9 | 6.5 |
 | United Kingdom [159] | 196,453 | 78,600 | 0 | 275,053 | 4.2 | 3 |
 | United States [160] | 1,326,050 | 806,700 | 0 | 2,132,750 | 6.3 | 3.9 |
 | Uruguay [161] | 21,000 | 0 | 1,400 | 22,400 | 6.6 | 6.2 |
 | Uzbekistan [162] | 48,000 | 0 | 20,000 | 68,000 | 2.3 | 1.6 |
 | Vanuatu [163] [164] | 0 | 0 | 300 | 300 | 0.9 | 0 |
 | Vatican City [165] [166] | 0 | 135 | 0 | 135 | 259.6 | 0 |
 | Venezuela [167] | 123,000 | 8,000 | 220,000 | 351,000 | 11.1 | 3.9 |
 | Vietnam [168] | 450,000 | 5,000,000 | 40,000 | 5,490,000 | 52.4 | 4.3 |
 | Yemen [169] | 40,000 | 0 | 0 | 40,000 | 1.4 | 1.4 |
 | Zambia [170] | 15,100 | 3,000 | 1,400 | 19,500 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
 | Zimbabwe [171] | 29,000 | 0 | 21,800 | 50,800 | 3.6 | 2.1 |
Not included in the list are the militaries of Abkhazia, Andorra, Bhutan, Comoros, Eswatini, Maldives, Monaco, Northern Cyprus, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Saint Kitts and Nevis, San Marino, São Tomé and Príncipe, Somaliland, South Ossetia, Tonga.
The Egyptian Armed Forces are the military forces of the Arab Republic of Egypt. They consist of the Egyptian Army, Egyptian Navy, Egyptian Air Force and Egyptian Air Defense Forces.
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. It is organized into three service branches—the Ground Forces, Navy, and Aerospace Forces—two independent combat arms, and the Special Operations Forces Command.
The Sudanese Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of the Sudan. In 2011, IISS estimated the forces' numbers at 109,300 personnel. The CIA estimates that the SAF may have up to 200,000 personnel.
The Syrian Arab Armed Forces are the military forces of the Syrian Arab Republic. They consist of the Syrian Army, Syrian Air Force, Syrian Navy, Syrian Air Defense Force, and paramilitary forces, such as the National Defence Forces. According to the Constitution of Syria, the President of Syria is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Minister of Defense holds the position of Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Armed Forces.
The Madagascar Armed Forces is the national military of Madagascar. The IISS detailed the armed forces in 2012 as including an Army of 12,500+, a Navy of 500, and a 500-strong Air Force.
The Timor Leste Defence Force is the military of East Timor. The F-FDTL was established in February 2001 and comprises two infantry battalions, small naval and air components and several supporting units.
The 2S1 Gvozdika is a Soviet self-propelled howitzer introduced in 1972 and in service in Russia and other countries as of 2023. It is based on the MT-LBu multi-purpose chassis, mounting a 122 mm 2A18 howitzer. "2S1" is its GRAU designation. An alternative Russian designation is SAU-122, but in the Russian Army it is commonly known as Gvozdika. The 2S1 is fully amphibious with very little preparation, and once afloat is propelled by its tracks. A variety of track widths are available to allow the 2S1 to operate in snow or swamp conditions. It is NBC protected and has infrared night-vision capability.
The 9K34 Strela-3 is a man-portable air defense missile system (MANPADS) developed in the Soviet Union as a response to the poor performance of the earlier 9K32 Strela-2 system. The missile was largely based on the earlier Strela 2, and thus development proceeded rapidly. The new weapon was accepted into service in the Soviet Army in January 1974.
India maintains 10 paramilitary forces.
The Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) is the military of the Southern African Kingdom of Lesotho, which consists of about 2,000 personnel and is tasked with maintaining internal security, territorial integrity, and defending the constitution of Lesotho. Since the mountainous kingdom is completely landlocked by South Africa, in practice the country's external defence is guaranteed by its larger neighbour, so the armed forces are mainly used for internal security. The LDF is an army with a small air wing.
The Algerian Land Forces are the land forces of the Algerian People's National Army. The forces' equipment is mostly supplied by Russia and China.
The Libyan Army was the branch of the Armed Forces of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, the Libyan Arab Republic and the Kingdom of Libya responsible for ground warfare.
The Saudi Arabian Air Defense Forces or officially Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces (RSADF) is the aerial defense service branch of the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces. It is fourth of the five service branches of the MOD. It has its HQ in Riyadh, where there is also an elaborate underground command facility that co-ordinates the Arabian Kingdom's advanced "Peace Shield" radar and air defense system, with an estimated 40,000 active duty military personnel in 2015. Along with the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF), it has responsibility for securing the skies of Saudi Arabia.
The Djiboutian National Army is the largest branch of the Djibouti Armed Forces and is based in the Djiboutian capital of Djibouti. Djibouti has upgraded its Ground Forces with advanced additions from domestic engineering and modifications. It must operate in mountainous and other rugged terrain, but it must do this without affecting the mechanized capability that is needed to confront regional forces.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is an international alliance that consists of 9 member states and 4 observers from Eurasia. It was established on 26 April 1996 as the Shanghai Five. In addition to the 9 member states and 3 observers, the SCO currently has 14 dialogue partners and 4 guest attendance entries.
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