Top military powers can be categorized into 3 groups, with members within each group roughly 'equivalent':
(1) 'super'-powers:
USA - China - Russia
(2) 'continental'-powers:
India - Pakistan - Japan - France - UK - Germany - Israel
(3) 'regional'-powers:
Iran - Indonesia - Brazil - Mexico - SK - NK - Egypt - Turkey (and some others)
made some changes
(0)"
hyper power"
USA- unmatched conventionally, nuclear equal with russia, unmatched navy, have world's TWO best air-force -> the usaf and usnaf, even though it imports alot of fuel its domestic production is one of the worlds largest, enough to keep the military rolling in an emergency. its current economy and federal spending is a concern however and if it continues, will have large consequences in the future. premier space power, ie: spy satellites, gps . has anti satellite capability. has UNSC permanent seat
(1) '
super'-powersrandom order)
China ->largest army(without conscription mind you), has UNSC permanent seat,massive modernization in every field, backed by world's fastest growing large economy. has to import alot of fuel, relatively poor quality of its navy is a major concern as well as certain areas of the military such as advanced jet engines, which will depend on whether the next gen project is successful in removing this weakness. is a space power, has spy satellites and planned gps like capability(currently local only), has anti-satellite capability.
Russia -> lots of fuel,smaller economy based on energy/defense exports, lack of funds, otherwise fighting with china for second place and for the time being china is in a better position, however russia has some very advanced weapons such as the s-400 sams and missile designs. is a space power has the glonass network. has anti-satellite capability, has UNSC permanent seat.
(2)
'continental'-powers:(random order)
India - large army, fast growing economy, military modernizations taking place, has some advanced projects in place with russia, however, poor infrastructure, red tape/bureaucracy and lack of a large domestic manufacturing base all hold back its potential, also majority of major weapons systems are purchased from other nations. domestic attempts to develop and manufacture advanced weapons in house has be met with very limited success. is a growing space power with increasing confidence in its own launch capability, is in commercial launch business. its navy is strongest(not counting usn) in its operating area
Pakistan - large army, has a capable though not advanced airforce, the navy is rather weak but enough to deter naval blockades, has a growing aircraft manufacturing capacity, currently engaged in conflict against terrorist, while this may be a drag to the country, it does provide for valuable experience. in deals to attain more advanced jets such as f-16,j-10. has a capable missile force though domestic space(satellite) launches are not yet achieved
Japan - large economy, is an advanced nation with however a pacifist constitution. powerful navy able to compete with china and Russia by its own waters. has a large fleet of advanced aircraft. space power though mainly for civilian purposes. non-existent army due to defensive nature of the military
should the navy be defeated the country can face shortages of fuel, food, and many other essentials. aging population and economy has been lackluster for years.
France - designs own advanced aircraft with a powerful air force, credible navy with advanced ships, generally acts a part of another force rather than on its own(nato, UN ect.).has UNSC permanent seat
UK - navy power, has advanced air force in the characteristics of developed western nations, spearheaded the attack in the 1991 UN operation against Iraq, support force in 2003. has UNSC permanent seat. however the financial situation is urgent, even warranting talk of a credit/investment downgrade. north sea fuel sources are running out leading to total dependence on imports
Germany - some of the best tanks in the world, large economy. western developed power(air, navy, army), though the eastern half of the country still somewhat lags behind the western half. world is hesitant to rearmy germandy after ww2. has very capable engineers
Israel - very well trained and armed army. has a large, well trained airforce operating some very advanced aircraft. however it is surround by competitors if not enemies. has capable navy to guard its coast against its neighbors though it is not large. suffers constant terrorist/partisan attacks. its military has proven itself many times over the past decades.
(3) 'regional'-powers:
Iran -
Indonesia -
Brazil -
Mexico -
SK - much smaller military compared with its principle threat, north korea, however the military planning is including us support
NK - large army and airforce. however without its nukes it is actually one of the weakest military powers in its region, with russia and china to the north and SK with US military to the south, all assessments see that in event of a war seoul will be flatten by artillery alone but other-wise the north is deprived of fuel and food cannot fight on for long and the quality of its equipment lags far behind all of its neighbors.
Egypt -
Turkey -
(and some others)-