On the Irrelevance of Ranking MilitariesBy Lorris BeverelliThe war in Ukraine surprised many commentors and analysts. To answer this question, one must realize that accurately ranking military forces is nearly impossible, meaningless, and irrelevant. Because it fails to take into account one of the most – if not the most – crucial factor to assess the efficiency of a military: its political leadership. Indeed, what those rankings and people who believe such rankings forget or are unaware of, is that a military is inextricably linked to its political leadership. For instance, France in 1940 was considered to be one of the most – if not the most – powerful militaries in the world.

Source: CBC News June 20, 2022 13:40 UTC