America and its adversaries – an overview of the military potential of world powers
In 2025, America’s global military superiority remains unshaken, but China and Russia are systematically developing their armed forces. In response, the US is planning its first nuclear tests in three decades to maintain strategic balance with its rivals.
Author: Tomasz Winiarski
The United States remains the world’s leading military power, with the largest defense budget, the most advanced technologies, and the ability to conduct operations on every continent.
According to the GlobalFirepower website, in its „2025 Military Strength Ranking” study, the United States ranks first among 145 countries, confirming its position as the world’s strongest military. China and Russia rank second and third, respectively.
”In this rapidly evolving world, the comparison of military power between countries serves as a measure of global stability. This analysis is important not just for understanding each nation’s defense capabilities but also should an offensive conflict arise,” the 24/7 Wall St. portal wrote, commenting on the results of the report.
Americans still want to spend the most
In 2026, the United States will maintain its clear dominance in global military spending. According to the draft defense budget for fiscal year 2026, Washington plans to allocate approximately $892.6 billion for defense purposes.
Key investments in this budget are expected to include funding for the development of, among other things, the B-21 Raider bomber, Columbia-class submarines, the LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile, the Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) the AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) hypersonic glide vehicle, the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM), and the Golden Dome missile defense system.
”The United States faces a rapidly evolving security and political landscape, demanding a defense budget that strikes a careful balance between readiness, modernization, and fiscal responsibility,” the Brookings Institution think tank reported in March.
There is no information in the media about China’s defense budget for 2026. Last year, China’s military budget was 1.78 trillion yuan (about $245 billion). Beijing is systematically increasing its spending on the development of modern combat technologies, including hypersonic weapons, satellite reconnaissance systems, and the navy, which is already the largest in the world in terms of the number of ships, with 234 compared to 219 in the United States.
After record spending growth in 2024–2025, Russia plans to slightly reduce its defense budget in 2026. According to the plans of the Russian Federation’s Ministry of Finance, spending is expected to fall from 13.5 trillion rubles (approximately $145 billion) to around 12.8 trillion rubles, mainly due to fiscal tensions and falling revenues from energy exports. Nevertheless, defense will remain a priority for the Kremlin, with an emphasis on the development of ammunition, drones, and missile weapons used in the war with Ukraine (e.g., the Kinzhal hypersonic missile, the Oreshnik ballistic missile, and the Burevestnik nuclear-powered maneuverable missile).
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Armed Forces in numbers
The think tank Institut français des relations internationales (IFRI) indicates that in 2025, Russia will have 5,630 tanks, China 4,700, NATO without the United States 4,345, and the United States itself 4,140.
In the category of combat aircraft, the US has 3,068 machines, China 2,220, NATO without the US 1,643, and Russia 1,052. When it comes to „first-class” ships (large vessels such as aircraft carriers, cruisers, or destroyers), the US has 113 units, China has 100, NATO in Europe has 99, and Russia has 34.
In terms of military personnel, China has the largest forces, with just over 2 million professional soldiers and 510,000 in reserve, making it the largest army in the world in terms of numbers. The US, with approximately 1.3 million professional soldiers and 800,000 reservists, ranks third in this ranking. Russia, in turn, has the fifth largest army, with 1.1 million active duty soldiers and 1.5 million reserve soldiers.
Largest military presence
According to data from the American non-governmental organization Overseas Base Realignment and Closure Coalition (OBRAC), the United States has approximately 750-800 bases in about 80 countries, including Poland, where, among other places, the Forward Headquarters of the US Army’s V Corps operates in Poznań.
”I have consistently recommended throughout that period to maintain the forces we surged forward, and I would continue to do so if asked,” said General Christopher Cavoli, then commander of NATO forces in Europe, in the spring of this year.
China currently has only one official overseas military base, located in Djibouti, Africa. It serves mainly for logistical purposes, humanitarian operations support, and anti-piracy efforts. In addition, Beijing maintains informal military facilities in several other countries, but these are not full-fledged bases.
Russia maintains more than a dozen military bases and installations abroad, including in Syria, Armenia, and Moldova. These bases serve operational and training functions.
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Nuclear rivalry
According to the report „Nuclear Notebook: Russian Nuclear Weapons 2025” prepared by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), Russia has approximately 4,309 nuclear warheads assigned for strategic and non-tactical use and a total of approximately 5,459 warheads in its entire arsenal. The report indicates that although the Kremlin is modernizing its nuclear capabilities—replacing systems from the Soviet era — the pace of these changes is slower than originally planned.
China has at least doubled its nuclear arsenal in recent years, from approximately 300 warheads in 2020 to approximately 600 in 2025.
The United States currently has about 3,700 nuclear warheads assigned for operational use, with a total of about 5,100-5,200 warheads. In October 2025, President Donald Trump ordered the resumption of nuclear testing, which would be the first such action since 1992, aimed at „matching” US capabilities to developments in Russia and China in this area.
”Because of other countries« testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our nuclear weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately,” wrote the US president on the Truth Social portal before meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea.
