imperialman
Admiral
My top three list is as follows:
1. United States
2. United Kingdom/France
3. Russia
What countries today do you believe have the best ability to project their military power?
National Power Projection
- Thread starter imperialman
- Start date
My top three list is as follows:
1. United States
2. United Kingdom/France
3. Russia
What countries today do you believe have the best ability to project their military power?
imperialman
Admiral
I'd argue that the United Kingdom has a reasonable ability to fight an expeditionary war. It's got a relatively significant number of amphibious assets.
Crezth
i knew you were a real man of the left
... but not as many as France, so we're back to square one.
GoodSarmatian
Jokerfied Western Male
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France is no joke and neither is the UK.
They can't do it on the same scale as the USA or fight multiple wars at the same time, but they can lay down the law on the other side of the globe if they really want to.
I'd say USA, France and UK in that order.
I'm not sure about Russia. They have a lot of toys and some of them very advanced, but as far as navy and logistics go I don't think they qualify.
imperialman
Admiral
Hmm...
Royal Navy:
2 LPH
1 LPH/Hospital Ship
5 LPD
6 Sea lift ships
French Navy:
3 LHD
1 LPD
3 LST
How is this more than the Royal Navy?
Synobun
Deity
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We're slowly transforming into a species that commits warfare on a much smaller scale than before. The manpower of USA and China will be useless in another 40-50 years once better technology is developed and cyber warfare becomes more of a reality. Hackers and computer jockeys are the next step.
And to think a thousand years ago we were still using swords and blunt objects.
Edit: I never really answered the OP properly. I'm meaning to say that national power will eventually turn into a judge of who has the best computers and tech, which will likely end up being USA, Canada, China, and MAYBE even India. Russia is a dying state and European nations will remain small factors in the bigger picture.
And to think a thousand years ago we were still using swords and blunt objects.
Edit: I never really answered the OP properly. I'm meaning to say that national power will eventually turn into a judge of who has the best computers and tech, which will likely end up being USA, Canada, China, and MAYBE even India. Russia is a dying state and European nations will remain small factors in the bigger picture.
One of those is not like the others. Extra funny points for talking about small factors in the bigger picture in the next sentence.
Synobun
Deity
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Please explain.
Bugfatty300
Buddha Squirrel
Does a hospital ship really count?
Crezth
i knew you were a real man of the left
I'm not sure where you're getting this, but the French have a larger blue water navy. This isn't even counting in other French military assets, which again outnumber the UK's, and the consistently active French Foreign Legion.
Mr. Dictator
A Chain-Smoking Fox
So who would win today?
France or the UK?
France or the UK?
Yes! We quite like having them when we're pulled off the mountains having suddenly lost weight. You can't mount a large-scale amphibious operation without some means of taking care of the inevitable wounded. I think for now Les Frogs have the upper hand when it comes to power projection, but that's going to totally reverse once we get the super-carriers in.
The British have the equivalent of an entire division devoted to 'beachhead' operations, and far more practise.
Benefactor
Beneficial
.If by "lay down the law on the other side of the globe" you mean "bully some backward nation without access to modern European/Russian weapons" than yes, they can, but I wouldn't call it a war.
All nations except USA lack aerial transportation capacities, which I would consider a huge disadvantage. Yes, they have considerable navies, but not on the scale of USA.
In the immortal words of Napoleon Bonaparte: "That ain't the same in' ballpark, it ain't the same league, it ain't even the same in' sport"
But I would agree that Russia have no place on that list.
GoodSarmatian
Jokerfied Western Male
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You're assuming they won't have allied support and can't rent airlift capacities.
When was the last time the USA (and when I say the USA I don't mean NATO or an American led coalition, I mean the USA) fought an enemy who had modern weapons ?
When was the last time the USA (and when I say the USA I don't mean NATO or an American led coalition, I mean the USA) fought an enemy who had modern weapons ?
Crezth
i knew you were a real man of the left
Or, well, you should say the technology base and industrial capacity to deploy modern weapons.
Well, I assuming that when you compare power projection of states, you don't count support of allies because it's the power projection capacity of other state not their own.
Well, they haven't that's the point. One of the reasons we are not bombing Syria right now as we did with Libya is Syrian access to modern Russian AA-systems.
imperialman
Admiral
You said the French have more amphibious assets. They do not. I'm getting this from the actual ships in operation by both navies.
Royal Navy
Landing Platform Helicopters (LPH)
HMS Illustrious, HMS Ocean
Auxilliary LPH/Hospital Ship
RFA Argus
Landing Platform Docks (LPD)
HMS Albion, HMS Bulwark, RFA Cardigan Bay, RFA Mounts Bay, RFA Lyme Bay
Tank Landing Ship (TSL)
None
Strategic Sea Lift ships
Hurst Point, Hartland Point, Eddystone, Anvil Point, Longstone, Beachy Head
French Navy
Landing Platform Helicopters (LPH)
Mistral, Tonnerre, Dixmude
Auxilliary LPH/Hospital Ship
None
Landing Platform Docks (LPD)
Siroco
Tank Landing Ship (TSL)
Dumont D'Urville, Jacques Cartier, La Grandière (to be phased out)
Strategic Sea Lift ships
Eclipse, Eidar, Pelican
