The smallest and oldest standing army is the Pontifical Swiss Guard in the Vatican City, which was created in its current form on 21 January 1506 and had 110 active guards as of 2006. Swiss Guardsmen must be single, Swiss-Catholic men over 1.7 m (5 ft 8 in) tall.
Benin is considered to be having the weakest military in Africa in 2023. However, it has made significant strides in recent years to modernize and professionalize its military. It has also participated in several international peacekeeping missions, and its professionalism and discipline have been lauded.
Seychelles is the richest country in Africa, with a GNI per capita of $14,540. Mauritius follows closely with a GNI per capita of $9,920, while Libya is the third richest country in Africa with a GNI per capita of $8,700. South Africa is the fourth richest country in Africa with a GNI per capita of $6,530.
The 3d U.S. Infantry, traditionally known as "The Old Guard," is the oldest active-duty infantry unit in the Army, serving our nation since 1784.
In the East Asian country of Laos, the minimum age for compulsory military service is 15 years.
Army smallest since Napoleonic times
At just 76,000 strong, the British army is less than half the size it was back in 1990 and the smallest it has been since Napoleonic times. The force is due to shrink even further to 73,000 under current plans that will be implemented unless new money is found.
China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States are often referred to as great powers by academics due to "their political and economic dominance of the global arena". These five nations are the only states to have permanent seats with veto power on the UN Security Council.
Introduction. The world's largest air forces vary in size and strength by country, with the United States having the largest air force, followed by Russia and China. The US has over 13,000 aircraft, with a significant number of planes belonging to the Army and Navy.
Several modern armies operate nuclear weapons with ranges in the thousands of kilometers. The US is therefore vulnerable to nuclear attack by powers such as the United Kingdom, Russia, China, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Israel (allegedly).
What makes Afghanistan so difficult to capture and keep is first and foremost: the terrain. It's a giant bowl of desert, surrounded by some of the highest peaks in the world. Any army an invader can't destroy could just fade away into the mountains and lick their wounds until the next fighting season came.
Ref. Andorra has no standing army but has signed treaties by which Spain and France provide defence assistance and protection. It has a small volunteer army which is purely ceremonial in function.
First Army – America's FIRST, oldest and longest-standing field army – was established in France August 10, 1918, under the command of General John J. “Black Jack” Pershing and organized under the American Expeditionary Forces of World War I.
The modern British Army traces back to 1707, with antecedents in the English Army and Scots Army that were created during the Restoration in 1660. The term British Army was adopted in 1707 after the Acts of Union between England and Scotland.
Origins in the American Revolution and early republic. In the early months of the American Revolution, the first regular U.S. fighting force, the Continental Army, was organized by the Second Continental Congress on June 14, 1775.
Age: Between 17-35 years old. Medical, Moral, Physical: Medically and physically fit, and in good moral standing. Citizenship: A U.S. citizen or permanent resident with a valid Green Card.
Billionaire, businessman and the chairman and chief executive of LVMH (LVMUY), Bernard Arnault holds the crown as the richest person in the world. According to Forbes, Arnault has a fortune of $234.5 billion.
Africa is rich in natural resources ranging from arable land, water, oil, natural gas, minerals, forests and wildlife. The continent holds a huge proportion of the world's natural resources, both renewables and non-renewables.
As of now, the continent is home to 138,000 HNWIs with a wealth of USD 1 million or more, along with 328 centi-millionaires valued at USD 100 million or more and 23 US dollar billionaires.