How Powerful Is the USA? | Most Powerful Nations on Earth #1
Welcome to the first episode of Most Powerful Nations on Earth, a new Daily Info Dose series that ranks countries by their military strength, economy, technology and global influence. We begin with the country that has set the pace for almost a century: the United States of America. So, just how powerful is the USA? Start with the money behind the military. According to SIPRI figures for 2024, the United States spent about $997 billion on its armed forces. That is roughly 37 percent of all military spending on the planet — more than any other nation by a very wide margin, and enough to fund the world's most advanced forces in every domain at once. That spending buys reach no rival can match. The US Navy sails 11 aircraft carriers, each one a floating air base, while most countries have none. On land and in the air, America maintains around 750 bases in about 80 countries, so its forces can respond quickly almost anywhere on Earth. Behind that conventional power sits a vast nucl...