NATO operates on a principle of collective defence. This principle posits that an attack on a NATO member is, essentially, an attack on the other 31 members. As such, any attack on a NATO country could be responded to with the collective force of 32 member countries. While NATO has only invoked Article 5 — which enshrines this principle — once, after 9/11, NATO forces have stepped in for collective defence measures in areas like Syria or Ukraine. Tanks are often used for ground operations in conflict-ridden situations to offer protection, counter enemies, and engage in short-range defense. Many NATO countries — though not all of them — have immense amounts of tanks to support their military needs, and to assist other members in times of need. (NATO’s internal tensions are getting worrisome.)
Although not every NATO country has the same number of tanks, some bring other strategic benefits to the alliance. However, tanks represent a huge amount of power and a strong deterrant force against conflict. Here, 24/7 Wall St. set out to identify the NATO countries with the most tanks. To do so, we reviewed 2024 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries. Countries were ranked on the total number of tanks in their arsenal. We included supplemental information regarding the total military vehicles, artillery, and MLRS units, as well as each country’s overall military strength score. We excluded NATO members that do not have any tanks. The tanks in these arsenals range from older models to newer, more technological armored vehicles, but it’s clear that — regardless of age — these tanks highly support a range of military operations.
Here is a look at the NATO countries with the most tanks:
Why We Are Talking About This
Not every NATO country is heavily armed. In fact, Iceland and Luxembourg own no tanks, reliant on other NATO members for protection. Knowing which NATO countries have the most tanks reveals where the military alliance’s strengths exist. As global tensions continue to rise, including the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, understanding collective defense becomes your best avenue to see which members bring what to the table, and which members are missing the mark. (Here’s why Iceland keeps missing their NATO target so badly.)
25. Netherlands
- Total tanks: 18
- Total military vehicles: 3,176
- Total artillery: 72
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score: 0.5644 – #40 out of 145
24. North Macedonia
- Total tanks: 23
- Total military vehicles: 2,156
- Total artillery: 191
- Total MLRS: 24
- Military strength score: 2.1717 – #110 out of 145
23. Portugal
- Total tanks: 34
- Total military vehicles: 11,173
- Total artillery: 106
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score: 0.5609 – #38 out of 145
22. Norway
- Total tanks: 36
- Total military vehicles: 7,048
- Total artillery: 56
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score: 0.5664 – #41 out of 145
21. Slovakia
- Total tanks: 36
- Total military vehicles: 2,048
- Total artillery: 44
- Total MLRS: 25
- Military strength score: 1.1891 – #69 out of 145
20. Albania
- Total tanks: 40
- Total military vehicles: 976
- Total artillery: 0
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score: 1.8188 – #90 out of 145
19. Denmark
- Total tanks: 44
- Total military vehicles: 4,056
- Total artillery: 19
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score: 0.7743 – #48 out of 145
18. Slovenia
- Total tanks: 55
- Total military vehicles: 1,502
- Total artillery: 18
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score: 1.8286 – #91 out of 145
17. Czechia
- Total tanks: 65
- Total military vehicles: 6,757
- Total artillery: 53
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score: 0.7706 – #46 out of 145
16. Canada
- Total tanks: 74
- Total military vehicles: 18,054
- Total artillery: 0
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score: 0.3813 – #27 out of 145
15. Croatia
- Total tanks: 75
- Total military vehicles: 3,076
- Total artillery: 181
- Total MLRS: 105
- Military strength score: 1.1333 – #66 out of 145
14. Sweden
- Total tanks: 120
- Total military vehicles: 7,958
- Total artillery: 26
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score: 0.4009 – #29 out of 145
13. Italy
- Total tanks: 200
- Total military vehicles: 61,892
- Total artillery: 172
- Total MLRS: 21
- Military strength score: 0.1863 – #10 out of 145
12. Finland
- Total tanks: 200
- Total military vehicles: 11,716
- Total artillery: 792
- Total MLRS: 76
- Military strength score: 0.7967 – #50 out of 145
11. Hungary
- Total tanks: 208
- Total military vehicles: 7,797
- Total artillery: 318
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score: 0.8478 – #54 out of 145
10. United Kingdom
- Total tanks: 213
- Total military vehicles: 27,203
- Total artillery: 197
- Total MLRS: 41
- Military strength score: 0.1443 – #6 out of 145
9. Bulgaria
- Total tanks: 215
- Total military vehicles: 7,420
- Total artillery: 273
- Total MLRS: 24
- Military strength score: 1.0132 – #62 out of 145
8. France
- Total tanks: 222
- Total military vehicles: 85,023
- Total artillery: 96
- Total MLRS: 9
- Military strength score: 0.1878 – #11 out of 145
7. Germany
- Total tanks: 295
- Total military vehicles: 79,317
- Total artillery: 134
- Total MLRS: 33
- Military strength score: 0.2847 – #19 out of 145
6. Spain
- Total tanks: 327
- Total military vehicles: 15,046
- Total artillery: 236
- Total MLRS: 0
- Military strength score: 0.2882 – #20 out of 145
5. Romania
- Total tanks: 345
- Total military vehicles: 9,990
- Total artillery: 720
- Total MLRS: 225
- Military strength score: 0.7712 – #47 out of 145
4. Poland
- Total tanks: 612
- Total military vehicles: 13,956
- Total artillery: 525
- Total MLRS: 211
- Military strength score: 0.2917 – #21 out of 145
3. Greece
- Total tanks: 1,365
- Total military vehicles: 57,030
- Total artillery: 1,318
- Total MLRS: 152
- Military strength score: 0.4349 – #32 out of 145
2. Turkey
- Total tanks: 2,231
- Total military vehicles: 55,104
- Total artillery: 2,785
- Total MLRS: 286
- Military strength score: 0.1697 – #8 out of 145
1. United States
- Total tanks: 4,657
- Total military vehicles: 360,069
- Total artillery: 2,862
- Total MLRS: 694
- Military strength score: 0.0699 – #1 out of 145
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