The Israeli military ranks 18th out of 145 nations on a list of the world’s most powerful armed forces according to the 2023 GlobalFirepower (GFP) Index.
The GFP Index ranks each army based on assessments of more than 60 factors, such as active duty military personnel, vehicles, artillery, destroyers, tanks, economic power, production power, and geographic advantages.
According to the index, the top of the list is the United States, which is number one in the world in 21 individual factors such as fighter jets, ships, defense budget, and oil and natural gas production. In addition, the index considers the US possession of a nuclear arsenal.
The United States has a power index of 0.0712. A rating of 0.0000 represents a “perfect” score.
Russia, China, India, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Pakistan, Japan, France, and Italy follow them. Israel, which historically has had, and continues to have, tainted relations with Muslim-majority nations, is also surpassed on the list by Turkey at 11th, Indonesia at 13th, Egypt at 14th, and Iran at 17th.
Israel vs. Iran
In a 2018 interview with Fox News, then- and current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu identified the three biggest threats to Israel: “Iran, Iran, Iran.” The Islamic Republic regularly calls for the destruction of the State of Israel. It finances its Islamist terrorist proxies, such as Hamas and Hezbollah, to carry out attacks against the Israeli military and civilians.
The armies of Israel and Iran are tied.
According to the GFP index, although Iran ranks just ahead of Israel, the power index scores of both countries are even: Israel, with a score of 0.2757, and Iran, with a score of 0.2712.
Every nation has its perks. For instance, Israel does not admit nor deny that it possesses nuclear weapons. Iran is one of the top 10 countries producing oil and natural gas and a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
Iran is also a larger country with a larger population, a more active military, and higher purchasing power parity. Israel, however, has a bigger defense budget and more planes.
On the other hand, Israel’s borders are more hostile than Iran’s. However, it also benefits from having powerful allies, the United States in particular.
In addition, Israel’s neighbors Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan can no longer challenge Israel militarily. They occupy positions 111, 64, and 81, respectively.
Furthermore, Israel has the advantage of experience and a track record of overcoming disproportionate odds against it. It successfully repelled combined attacks by multiple Arab nations during the 1948, 1967, and 1973 wars.
