Seven Strongest Military In Africa

When it comes to the military

strength of all

African countries, the keywords

to consider

are “not enough information.”

The Global Fire Power ranking,

or GFP,

measures countries’ military

strength and

assigns a power index number

in order to

compare them to other

countries. Many

factors are taken into

consideration, and

smaller countries can compete

with larger

ones due to points given for

refinement and

technological advancement.

Just seven African countries

are ranked by

the GFP. An inadequate amount

of

information is available to

compare other

countries that are not included.

Based on

available information, the

following

countries represent the most

powerful

militaries on the African

continent in 2013,

according to

GlobalFirepower.com.

Numbers reflect each country’s

power index,

derived from a unique algorithm

developed

by GFP. A perfect score is a

0.0000. The

lower the number, the stronger

the military,

and bonuses and penalties are

added to

country scores as needed.

1. Egypt – Power Index: 0.7569

En.Wikipedia.org

Egypt is put over the top with

regard to

military strength due to the

sheer size of its

armed forces. Nearly 500,000

personnel

serve on its active frontline

force, far

surpassing all of its African

neighbors, as

well as its nearly 10,000

armored fighting

vehicles, 60,000 logistical

vehicles, 900

aircraft, and large oil reserve

from which to

draw. Again, the military has

been

somewhat undermined in the

wake of the

Egyptian Revolution, but some

argue that its

increased role in government

has made it

stronger than ever. Whether or

not this is a

cause for celebration or

concern will remain

hotly debated for some time to

come.

2. Ethiopia – Power Index:

1.1725

TigraIOnline.com

As a landlocked country,

Ethiopia has

focused its resources on

developing its army

and air force to an impressive

degree (the

GFP doesn’t penalize

landlocked countries

for not having a naval force).

Several

hundred thousand personnel

make up its

current force, and they have

significant

numbers of land and air

systems at their

disposal. Furthermore, an

enormous

population that is fit for service

allows

Ethiopia to maintain the

capacity to turn out

an even larger fighting force,

and gives the

country one of the greatest

militaries on the

continent.

3. South Africa – Power Index:

1.2582

BBC.co.uk

As it hasn’t been embroiled in

an

international military conflict for

some time,

South Africa uses its highly

advanced

military for more peacekeeping

and

international cooperation

purposes. Its

aircraft and naval vessels are

notoriously

well-equipped with the latest

technology,

and though the country has

less than

100,000 active frontline

personnel, it has the

capabilities and manpower for

much more.

Add to that a vast array of land

system

technology, and the South

African military is

indeed a force to be reckoned

with.

4. Nigeria – Power Index:

1.3441

YNaija.com

Due to its size, it’s no surprise

that several

hundred thousand troops

comprise the

Nigerian Armed Forces, through

its army,

navy, and air force. Like

Algeria, an abundant

domestic oil supply eases the

financial

burden to be involved in military

conflict,

and it has more than 1,400

armored

vehicles, 360 tanks, and 6,000

logistical

vehicles at its disposal, as well

as nearly 300

aircraft and 25 high-powered

naval vessels.

5. Algeria – Power Index:

1.4107

Al-Monitor.com

As Algeria has a large maritime

border, it

has developed all of its military

capabilities

to an impressively modern

degree, including

its land, sea, and air forces.

Algeria’s active

frontline personnel numbers

more than

127,000 troops and it has

nearly 2,000

armored fighting vehicles at its

disposal.

Algeria also has the added

benefit of its own

oil reserves, allowing it to use

its own fuel to

power tanks, aircraft carriers,

naval vessels,

and more.

6. Kenya – Power Index:

1.6237

Shout-Africa.com

Kenya has established itself as

a vital

participant in international

peacekeeping

missions, and is able to do so

due to a high

merchant marine strength and

an enormous

labor force – resulting in high

available

manpower. Though it doesn’t

possess as

much of its own equipment, its

role as a

member of international teams

allows the

Kenyan military to share

resources with

other countries, strengthening

its own

capabilities at the same time.

7. Libya – Power Index: 1.8428

Alarabiya.net

The strength of Libya’s military

comes mainly

from its large cache of

equipment, despite a

relatively small number of

active troops.

Further hampering Libya’s

abilities is the

continuing violence and unrest

stemming

from the revolution begun in

2011 which

has yet to see a stable

government emerge

from it. Regardless, the country

still has

available 2,500 armored

fighting vehicles,

500 tanks, 600 towed artillery

pieces, 6,500

logistical vehicles, and much

more.