Military influence
The US is the most powerful military nation on the planet and through its military the US wields great international influence.
In 2022, the US remains the world’s only military superpower:
- It spends over one third (39%) of the total world's defence spending.
- US defence spend in 2022 was $877 billion which was more than the defence budgets of the next 10 countries combined.
- Although the US spends by far the most on defence in billions of dollars, it does not spend the most as a percentage of GDP which is only around 3.1%.
The US has the largest naval fleet in the world with the most advanced technological hardware. The scale of the US navy allows it to have a military presence anywhere in the world.
In September 2021, the USA entered a new security pact with the UK and Australia called AUKUS. This will let Australia build nuclear powered submarines, using technology provided by the USA. This will also allow the USA to have a presence in the Pacific.
The country which spends the second highest amount on defence is China. In 2022, China spent $292 billion on its army, navy and air force. This represented 4.2% of GDP. Overall, 13% of the world’s total defence expenditure came from China.