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.
