The Nigerian military has dropped one place in the latest global military ranking.

The ranking by Global Fire Power had rated the Armed Forces of Nigeria 35 out of 142 countries considered for the annual ranking in 2022.

But in 2023, the Nigerian military was ranked 36th out of a total of 145 countries reviewed for the 2023 ranking.

Nigeria also dropped from third to fourth on the continent.

The United States of America’s military is ranked first in the world; Russia is second; followed by China.

India is ranked fourth; the United Kingdom fifth. South Korea, Pakistan, Japan, France and Italy are respectively ranked sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth in the world.

In Africa, Egypt is ranked number one and 14th in the world, Algeria came second and 26th in the world, and South Africa is ranked 33rd in the world to emerge third on the continent.

“Ranking the nations of the world based on currently available firepower. The finalised Global Firepower ranking below utilises over 60 individual factors to determine a given nation’s Power Index (‘PwrIndx’) score with categories, ranging from the number of military units and financial standing to logistical capabilities and geography.

“For 2023, Nigeria is ranked 36 of 145 out of the countries considered for the annual GFP review. The nation holds a PwrIndx* score of 0.5587,” the organisation said.

When asked if the ranking was the true reflection of the military’s strength, the Director, Defence Information, Brig. Gen. Tukur Gusau, declined comment on the ranking.

A security expert, Timothy Avele, said lack of information on latest hardware as well as accidental bombing by the Nigerian Air Force could have led to the drop.

He said, “There are a lot of factors that may be responsible for the lower ranking. One of the key factors is the lack of official information on the latest military hardware. I suspected that the Air Force mishap could have also contributed. However, this ranking does not really show the true military power of a nation.” (The PUNCH)

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