The
Global Fire Power ranking, 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.
Based on
available information, the following countries represent the most powerful
militaries in Africa.
Numbers
reflect each country’s power index, derived from a unique algorithm developed
by Global Fire Power. 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.
16. Zimbabwe – Power Index: 3.0955
The
Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF) include the Zimbabwe National Army and the
Air Force of Zimbabwe. Being a landlocked country, they lack a naval
force. The country also holds a strong paramilitary force with its own air
wing. ZDF includes 30,000 active personnel, 20,000 reserves, 325
armored fighting vehicles, and 92 aircraft.
15. Ghana – Power Index: 2.9726
The Ghana
Armed Forces (GAF) are supervised by the Ghanaian Ministry of Defense, and
are under the command of President John Dramani Mahama. The GAF’s external
operations since the 1960s have seen involvement in turbulent international
situations including the Rwandan genocide, the Iran-Iraq war, and the Lebanese
Civil War. Active front line personnel number 13,500, armored fighting
vehicles for the land forces number 125, and the GAF has 24 aircraft, and 23
naval vessels.
14. South Sudan – Power Index: 2.7689
Founded
as a guerrilla movement in 1983, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA)
played a large and violent role in the disastrous Second Sudanese Civil
War. Its commander-in-chief is Salva Kiir Mayardit, and it has a land
force with 110 tanks, 250 armored fighting vehicles, 210,000 active front line
personnel, and a tiny air force with nine aircraft.
13. Uganda – Power Index: 2.6895
The
Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) was formerly the National Resistance Army,
renamed after the 1995 enactment of the constitution. It has
almost managed to push the violent Lord’s Resistance Army —
a children’s army — out of Uganda. UPDF relies heavily on Russian,
Polish, and Chinese military materials. Its land systems consist of 350
armored fighting vehicles and 25 towed artillery pieces; 43 aircraft and eight
naval vessels.
12. Democratic Republic of Congo – Power Index:
2.6642
The Armed
Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) started coming into its
own after peace was restored following the horrendous Second Congo War, which
ended in 2003. The military’s greatest asset is its land forces,
although it also holds small air and naval units. Because of massive
ongoing instability in the region, the U.N. has deployed armed forces to assist
the FARDC. Some features of the DRC’s military include 90 tanks, 200 armored
fighting vehicles, 42 aircraft types, and 20 naval vessels.