If you had to take a stab in the dark at where South Africa’s military stands compared to the rest of the world, what would you say?

In the 50s? How about the 100s?

Okay, okay, those are insanely short-sighted numbers. Our peace-keeping programme does quite a bit to help out war-affected countries in other parts of Africa, so let’s take a look.

Relying on more than 50 factors to determine any given nation’s PowerIndex (‘PwrIndx’) score, Global Firepower (GFP) ranks the military strength of 133 countries around the world, including South Africa, explains Business Tech:

The group said its formula allows smaller, though more technologically-advanced, nations to compete with larger, lesser-developed ones.

Ranking does not simply rely on the total number of weapons available to any one country but rather focuses on weapon diversity within the number totals to provide a better balance of firepower available (i.e. fielding 100 minesweepers does not equal the strategic and tactical value of fielding 10 aircraft carriers).

Nuclear stockpiles are not taken into account but recognized/suspected nuclear powers receive a bonus, while geographical factors, logistical flexibility, natural resources and local industry influence the final ranking.

In light of the seemingly impending war about to happen in Asia, it’s a good time to take a look at where we stand just in case it turns into a world-wide mess and we need to get our military into gear.

First, here’s the world’s top 10 military powers:

And South Africa? Our country ranks 43, which isn’t that bad considering:

South Africa’s total military personnel has increased to 94,050, from 89,000 previously, with active personnel at 78,050 and reserve personnel at 16,000 – down from 17,100 before.

The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) was allocated R46.8 billion in the 2017/18 national budget, versus the US budget of $587 billion.

Along with Global Firepower’s report is a detailed break down of each nation – let’s take a look at South Africa:

Land Systems:

Tank value includes Main Battle Tanks, light tanks and tank destroyers, either wheeled or tracked. AFV value includes Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) and Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs).

Manpower:

Going beyond military equipment totals and perceived fighting strength is the actual manpower that drives a given military. Wars of attrition favor those with more,” Global Firepower.

Air Power:

Includes both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft from all branches of service.

Naval Power:

Aircraft Carrier value includes dedicated “helicopter carrier” vessels. Total naval strength includes all known auxiliaries as well.

Personally, I am praying to the high heavens above that the Guptas have no links to anyone in what might become WWIII.

We all know how much money wars make connected individuals.

[source:businesstech]