NationStates Jolt Archive

Greetings, fellows. This is an experimental attempt to gain a basic overview of the size of military forces existing in the world today. It is not an attempt to detail the quality of forces or the technical specifications of equipment, merely to reflect the arms race that is consuming much of the world, so that players have some idea of the scale of potential enemy forces and can better judge their own proper level of militarisation.

I will use this first post to link to a following post in which will be contained an over-view. Initially I will try to construct an example of how this may work-out, and try to keep it up to date, but, recognising that I may not end up being sufficiently attentive to keep the thing up to date if it does take-off, I may later link instead to a post by another of our number who is prepared to copy what I've initially compiled and then take-over, if that makes sense.

Bear with me, now, I'm not sure precisely how I'm going to lay this out.

Walmington (incl. Wendsleybury defence forces)

Manpower fit for service: 13.3 million males age 17-49
Manpower recruitment: 290,000 (regular); 49,000 (reserve)

Naval Service: 120,000 (regular); 12,000 (reserve)
Battleships: 6 (1 active, 1 building, 4 gathering materials/planned)
Carriers: 6 (3 in service, 1 building, 2 planned)
Cruisers: 4 (planned)
Amphibious Assault Ships: 4 (in service)
Large Amphibious Landing Ships: 6 (4 in service, 2 building)
SSBN: 4 (in service)
SSGN: 6 (in service)
Destroyers: 35 (12 in service, 23 building/planned)
Frigates: 45 (16 in service, 29 building/planned)
Offshore Patrol Vessels: 30
Mine Counter-Measures Vessels: 18

Royal Army: 100,000 (regular); 35,000 (reserve)
Main Battle Tanks: 400 (active); 250 (reserve)
Infantry Combat Vehicles: 800
APCs and other AVs: 4,000
Land Rovers: 15,000
Artillery Guns and Mortars: 3,000
SAMs: 350
Helicopters: 300

Royal Air Force: 72,000 (regular); 2,000 (reserve)
Interceptors/Air Superiority Fighters: 297
Interdiction Attack Fighters: 60
AEW/C: 6

Colonial Bully X [plus levies from newly occupied lands]
Manpower fit for service: X males age X-X
Manpower recruitment: X (regular); X (reserve)
Navy: X (regular); X (reserve)
Army: X (regular); X (reserve)
Air Force: X (regular); X (reserve)


((Very much incomplete- called away! Should I reshape it to list by item (manpower [Walmington, France, Russia], tanks [Walmington, France, Russia]) rather than nation (Walmington [manpower, tanks, helicopters], France [manpower, tanks, helicopters]? Hm, we'll see))

This might be better put on the OOC forum but i'll contribute anyway not that Strathdonia relaly amtters due to its compelte inability to fight a war outside of its home turf.
Manpower fit for service: 1,226,802 males age 18-49
Manpower recruitment: 138,000 (regular); 79,000 (reserve)
Strathdonian boat Service: 8000 (regular); 1000 (reserve)
Monitors: 1
LST (converted):1
Frigates: 2
small combatants: 48
Strathdonian Army: 88,000 (regular); 75,000 (reserve/militia)
Tanks: 612 (inc reserve)
total vehicles: 14,700*
Atillery: 296
SAMs: 184
Strathdonian Air Defence Force: 42000 (regular); 3000 (reserve)
Fighters: 114
Trainers: 24
Support: 55
Helicopters: 116

* Because i'm a lazy sod the total vehicles figure coveres everything from APCs to armoured cars to landover or trucks, numerous light SAM vehicles are in there as re a number of light MLRS and SPG units.

Indian National Defense Forces

Manpower fit for military service: 81,136,700 males age 18-49
Manpower Recruitment: 479,064 (regular), 373,382 (reserve)

Indian Navy 85,039 (regular)
Escort Carriers: 2 (1 in refit)
Cruisers: 1
Monitors: 4 (1 active, 1 ready reserve, 2 planned)
Amphibious Assault Ships: 2
SSN: 8
Destroyers: 12 (4 in service, 8 in refit)
Frigates: 18 (14 in service, 4 in refit)
Offshore Patrol Vessels: 24
Coastal Patrol Vessels: 12
Mine Countermeasures Vessels: 14
Noncombat Vessels: 14
Shipboard Helicopters: 72
Patrol Aircraft: 9
Fighter/Attack/Training Aircraft: 40

Indian National Army 322,750 (regular), 353,820 (irregular/reserve)
Main Battle Tanks: 600 (regular), 230 (reserve)*
Light Tanks: 1,200 (regular), 301 (reserve)
Infantry Combat Vehicles: 682 (regular)
APCs and other Armored Fighting Vehicles: 9,862**
Towed Artillery: 1,037
Self-Propelled Artillery: 550 (regular), 110 (reserve)
Shoulder-Launched SAMs: 519 (regular), 280 (reserve)
Towed/Self-Propelled SAMs: 287 (regular), 23 (reserve)
Self-Propelled AAA: 110
Towed AAA: 364 (regular), 382 (reserve)

Indian Air Force 71,275 (regular), 19,562 (reserve)
Interceptors/Air Superiority Fighters: 152 (regular), 30 (reserve)
Close Support/Battlefield Interdiction Aircraft: 127 (regular), 60 (reserve)
Anti-Shipping Aircraft: 50
Combat-Capable Trainers: 38 (regular), 10 (reserve)
Dedicated Trainers: 164
AEW/C: 2
Strategic Transports: 9
Other Transports: 112 (regular) (12 on delivery), 42 (reserve)
Intelligence Collection Aircraft: 11
Helicopters: 280 (regular), 34 (reserve)
Helicopter Trainers: 36
Long-Range/ABM SAMs: 21

*This total includes everything considered a battle (as opposed to scout) tank in INA or UIC employ, from the highly advanced MT-3 Hotan to the Cromwell.
**This total also takes into account armored scout cars such as the Ferret, armored carriers such as the ACV-IP, and all manner of armored gun cars.

Still not entirely clear if this is going anywhere, but, assuming it does, what do folk think about the way it should be laid-out and the level of detail that ought to be included?

I mean, there's two ways I can think of, basically, to set it out.

At the moment the examples are sort of arranged by, well, nation, listing the manpower and equipment of Bobland [all its equipment], then Jimnasia [all its equipment], then Vietnaomi, et cetera.

Alternatively, I could list tanks [all the tank totals], artillery [all the artillery totals], so it's by equipment rather than nations.

I think that a lot of minor equipment will end up being ignored... possibly I won't bother with things like Walmington's Land Rovers, for example. Just tanks, AVs, artillery, helicopters, frigates, carriers, recruitment actual and potential, et cetera.

Any opinions?

I think the second option would be the ideal. A side-by-side comparison would definately be the easiest thing, if a bit labor-intensive to compile.

Yes, I think that you are quite right. I'll start to re-do it, that way, quite soon, and then people can see what sort of information is on show and more easily throw-in their own.

In some cases I may include broad qualifiers, nothing specific, such as to indicate a distinction between conscript and volunteer forces, modern and old battle tanks, and so forth, but I don't even want to go too far into that, or we'll get arguments about whether or not a MiG-29A is modern, given that it can pants a basic MiG-21 but hasn't much hope against a Rafale, let alone a Typhoon, Hobgoblin, or Rector.