I don't really have a top ten because I think there are too many variables. However I do have my opinions on what makes a good military. Generally I think any military that matters to world affairs should be a world class military, they can't be world class militaries unless they can project significant power, so the only real militaries that matter are the US, UK and France. If I ever was to make a list these would be the top 3. If you make a list based on who can beat who then you have to take into account all the terms of the war and that can really only be done on a 1 vs 1 basis and takes a lot of time to make an educated guess (which is all it will ever be) and even then anything could change the whole situation.

how much power could the uk and france project without outside help? whats their amphibious capabilities? (i don't have a clue but those 2 new carriers should greatly increase the uk's capabilities) i hope the uk has made improvements in this respect since the Falklands. i suppose a good barometer of projection of power would be how big a country could uk/france conquer on their own? any ideas?

This website should provide all the information you could possibly want to know about the Royal Navy, including it's amphibious capabilities. http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/static/pages/162.html

Projection power is a bit difficult to judge. However I'll try and give you an outline and some basics of it. There is no military on earth that would attempt an apposed large scale amphibious landing, not even if they had the landing craft to do it. Because of this only one country (the US) has got any sort of provision to do it and even then only if it needed to. The UK and to a lesser extent France are fully capable of put large amounts of troops into friendly territory, which is the usual thing to do. Britain's merchant fleet consists of around 3-400 ships plus 22 RFA ships and our RN logistics ships, so we have the ability to move. However to move forces anywhere near an enemy you must have escorts, in that respect the UK is also capable of moving huge amounts of troops and in theory could probably transport enough troops to do most sorts of operations including full scale wars. However currne UK commitments mean we would not do this unless 100% nessisary. RB how many transport ships do you think the RN could escort at once?

depends on how many tyre 45's they decide to buy. they seem to be cutting that amount by the day. it would also depend on what they're up against. against a country like Iraq, re-supply ships would only need escorts for the last few hundred miles cos Iraq hadn't got a navy worth talking about

I think you should judge an army by its ability to defend its country as thats any army's primary objective. my top ten doesn't really take into account power projection.

UK navy has 8 type 23s, 6 type 42s and air cover. i don't have a clue what sized force they could escort. can a type 42 still only engage 2 targets at a time?

"UK navy has 8 type 23s, 6 type 42s and air cover. i don't have a clue what sized force they could escort. can a type 42 still only engage 2 targets at a time" The RN actually has: 9 T42 air defence destroyers 4 T22 anti-submarine / general purpose frigates 16 T23 anti-sub / gen purpose frigates (Naturally these would never all be available for any one escorting task due to other commitments.) As to what sized force they could escort, well that depends more upon the threat than the cargo. Escorts are deployed according to what they are likely going ot have to defend against. Eg. NO air threat, no need for a 42, use a 23. V SMALL air threat, a 42 will be present. LARGE air threat, multiple 42s present etc. 42s don't have a phased array radar, so yes, their twin fire control radars are only capable of targeting 2 targets at a time. Seeing as how the 42s only have a single (twin) SAM rail, albeit automatically reloading, even if they could target more they would have nothing to shoot with.

We have 11 T42 not 9. Yes I see your point about it depending on the threat but I would bet the RN have a minimum escort number and layout.

"depends on how many tyre 45's they decide to buy. they seem to be cutting that amount by the day." -Based on the reliability of your previous posts I will take the liberty of correcting you. The intended order still stands at 12 Type 45 Daring Class Destroyers with the first, HMS Daring entering service at the end of 2006. The Royal Navy have no standing ceiling of commitment other than the numbers of ships in the fleet. They are able to support all of them in action. The Projection capability of the Royal Navy is substantial although it is not quite on the same level as that of the United States. We can land a substantial force more effectively than ever before on enemy territory using not only main gun bombardment but also Harpoon and TLAM strikes. The Type 23 is probably the most advanced of its type in the world and the Type 42 is still a capable warship, especially against our typical enemies. Our Mine Countermeasures vessels, the Hunt and Sandown Class are the most advanced of their type and can provide a clear path onto a landing area. The UKAF can also be given CAP from the SHAR and in the Future the Harrier GR.9A and F-35. The landing ships HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark, LPH HMS Ocean along with the shortly entering service Bay class vessels can support major amphibious operations and those can be supported by 5 LSL's of the RFA. The spearhead of the UKAF, 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines and its associated Commando units (40,42,45 Commando) are some of the best-trained and equipped soldiers on Earth. They use some highly capable equipment to get ashore including: LCU’s, LCAC’s, RRC’s, IRC Mk2’s, Mexeflotes- that can bring all sorts of vehicles ashore; from Challenger II MBT’s to Land Rovers. Other equipment can be brought ashore in support of the landing by Helicopters flying off various vessels in the Task Force: including the LPH, HMS Ocean which can have six Boeing Vertol Chinook sized aircraft ready for flight simultaneously. These aircraft include: The Gazelle, The Lynx, armed with TOW missiles and can carry eight fully equipped marines into hotspots, The Chinook, can carry 39 (70 in Falklands) fully equipped Marines and one AFV or two Land Rovers under it’s belly and finally the Sea King Mk.4 with it’s 27 man capacity and vehicle ferrying capability, it also features 105mm guns and air defence missile systems along with a comprehensive defence suite to detect and deter anti-aircraft radar, missiles and guns. Anti-Submarine support can come from the EH101 Merlin and the Nimrod MR.2/4 can provide an anti-surface screen capability for the fleet. Repelling saturation attacks by aircraft can be assisted by the Boeing E3 Sentry. I think this shows that the UK can invade probably any country outside North America or Western Europe at very short notice and independently support them for up to 30 days.