The US Air Force Fields More Than 15x Personnel Than Any Other NATO Nation

Out of all NATO nations, the United States stands at the top of the heap with the largest and most powerful air force. Not only are its fighter jets outfitted with the world’s most cutting-edge technology on the planet, but the US Air Force also has more of these fifth-generation aircraft than any other nation. […] The post The US Air Force Fields More Than 15x Personnel Than Any Other NATO Nation appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..

May 31, 2025 - 13:34

The US Air Force Fields More Than 15x Personnel Than Any Other NATO Nation

Key Points

The United States fields more air force personnel than any other NATO nation, and it’s not even close
These personnel go to service, maintain, and fly the US Air Force’s massive fleet of aircraft
For the most part, these aircraft are more advanced than other contemporary air forces around the world
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Out of all NATO nations, the United States stands at the top of the heap with the largest and most powerful air force. Not only are its fighter jets outfitted with the world’s most cutting-edge technology on the planet, but the US Air Force also has more of these fifth-generation aircraft than any other nation. To man all these aircraft as well as support and maintain them, the US Air Force has to field a substantial number of servicemen to meet this operational need. Comparatively, no NATO nation comes close to fielding an air force this size or this advanced in aircraft or personnel. Here, 24/7 Wall St. is taking a closer look at the NATO Alliance and which of these nations have the most air force personnel. (Imagine a World Without NATO — What Would Change?)

To determine the NATO countries with the most air force personnel, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2025 Military Strength Ranking from Global Firepower, an annually updated defense-related statistics website with information on 145 countries. Global Firepower ranked 145 countries based on their PowerIndex, a composite of over 60 measures in categories such as military might, financials, logistical capability, and geography. The smaller the PowerIndex value the more powerful a nation’s theoretical conventional fighting capability is. We ranked these countries based on total air force personnel. We also included supplemental information regarding personnel counts from other military branches, active personnel, total personnel, as well as the overall military strength score and defense budget. Countries with no air force personnel were excluded.

Here is a look at the countries with the most air force personnel in NATO:

Why Are We Covering This?

Understanding NATO’s military dynamics is important when looking at the state of global security. Since its inception, NATO has played a pivotal role in shaping international relations through its collective defense and security framework. As geopolitical tensions continue to rise and new threats emerge, knowing and understanding NATO’s military capabilities is important for getting a clearer picture of the world stage. Not to mention, countries like the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany, among others, contribute significantly to NATO’s military strength, influencing global power balances and regional stability.

30. Latvia

Total air force personnel: 250
Total army personnel: 6,700
Total navy personnel: 1,000
Active military personnel: 17,250
Reserve military personnel: 36,000
Paramilitary personnel: 12,500
Total military personnel: 65,750
Military strength score and world rank: 2.1246 – #99 out of 145
Military defense budget: $1,138,000,000 – #84 out of 145

Latvia’s air force personnel operate 7 total military aircraft, all of which are helicopters.

29. Montenegro

Total air force personnel: 350
Total army personnel: 1,500
Total navy personnel: 550
Active military personnel: 2,350
Reserve military personnel: 0
Paramilitary personnel: 5,500
Total military personnel: 7,850
Military strength score and world rank: 2.9216 – #127 out of 145
Military defense budget: $148,100,000 – #136 out of 145

Montenegro’s air force personnel operate 11 total military aircraft, all of which are helicopters.

28. North Macedonia

Total air force personnel: 350
Total army personnel: 7,500
Total navy personnel: 0
Active military personnel: 9,000
Reserve military personnel: 60,000
Paramilitary personnel: 3,500
Total military personnel: 7,250
Military strength score and world rank: 2.4042 – #112 out of 145
Military defense budget: $388,421,700 – #114 out of 145

North Macedonia’s air force personnel operate 20 total military aircraft. Outside of these fixed-wing aircraft, North Macedonia also has 10 military helicopters and 4 attack helicopters.

27. Slovenia

Total air force personnel: 610
Total army personnel: 6,500
Total navy personnel: 350
Active military personnel: 7,300
Reserve military personnel: 26,000
Paramilitary personnel: 5,000
Total military personnel: 38,300
Military strength score and world rank: 2.1016 – #96 out of 145
Military defense budget: $886,860,000 – #91 out of 145

Slovenia’s air force personnel operate 39 total military aircraft. Outside of these fixed-wing aircraft, Slovenia also has 16 military helicopters.

26. Albania

Total air force personnel: 660
Total army personnel: 2,335
Total navy personnel: 1,000
Active military personnel: 6,600
Reserve military personnel: 2,000
Paramilitary personnel: 500
Total military personnel: 9,100
Military strength score and world rank: 1.6815 – #78 out of 145
Military defense budget: $558,862,420 – #101 out of 145

Albania’s air force personnel operate 19 total military aircraft, all of which are helicopters.

25. Croatia

Total air force personnel: 1,260
Total army personnel: 7,075
Total navy personnel: 1,365
Active military personnel: 14,325
Reserve military personnel: 20,100
Paramilitary personnel: 2,000
Total military personnel: 36,425
Military strength score and world rank: 1.5074 – #75 out of 145
Military defense budget: $1,176,000,000 – #83 out of 145

Croatia’s air force personnel operate 67 total military aircraft, including 10 fighter aircraft. Outside of these fixed-wing aircraft, Croatia also has 37 military helicopters.

24. Lithuania

Total air force personnel: 1,500
Total army personnel: 14,500
Total navy personnel: 700
Active military personnel: 23,000
Reserve military personnel: 104,000
Paramilitary personnel: 14,150
Total military personnel: 141,150
Military strength score and world rank: 1.9075 – #88 out of 145
Military defense budget: $2,388,900,000 – #66 out of 145

Lithuania’s air force personnel operate 9 total military aircraft. Outside of these fixed-wing aircraft, Lithuania also has 4 military helicopters.

23. Estonia

Total air force personnel: 1,570
Total army personnel: 4,000
Total navy personnel: 500
Active military personnel: 7,700
Reserve military personnel: 78,800
Paramilitary personnel: 10,000
Total military personnel: 96,500
Military strength score and world rank: 2.2917 – #107 out of 145
Military defense budget: $1,463,360,000 – #77 out of 145

Estonia’s air force personnel operate 5 total military aircraft. Outside of these fixed-wing aircraft, Estonia also has 3 military helicopters.

22. Sweden

Total air force personnel: 2,700
Total army personnel: 6,850
Total navy personnel: 2,100
Active military personnel: 24,400
Reserve military personnel: 32,900
Paramilitary personnel: 25,000
Total military personnel: 82,300
Military strength score and world rank: 0.4835 – #27 out of 145
Military defense budget: $13,000,000,000 – #28 out of 145

Sweden’s air force personnel operate 169 total military aircraft, including 71 fighter aircraft and 5 special mission aircraft. Outside of these fixed-wing aircraft, Sweden also has 53 military helicopters.

21. Slovakia

Total air force personnel: 3,200
Total army personnel: 10,200
Total navy personnel: 0
Active military personnel: 19,500
Reserve military personnel: 0
Paramilitary personnel: 0
Total military personnel: 19,500
Military strength score and world rank: 1.3978 – #71 out of 145
Military defense budget: $2,656,000,000 – #64 out of 145

Slovakia’s air force personnel operate 41 total military aircraft, including 2 fighter aircraft and 1 special mission aircraft. Outside of these fixed-wing aircraft, Slovakia also has 22 military helicopters.

20. Denmark

Total air force personnel: 3,500
Total army personnel: 88,400
Total navy personnel: 3,600
Active military personnel: 20,000
Reserve military personnel: 12,000
Paramilitary personnel: 51,000
Total military personnel: 83,000
Military strength score and world rank: 0.8109 – #45 out of 145
Military defense budget: $7,225,466,250 – #40 out of 145

Denmark’s air force personnel operate 117 total military aircraft, including 31 fighter aircraft, 4 strike aircraft, and 3 special mission aircraft. Outside of these fixed-wing aircraft, Denmark also has 34 military helicopters.

19. Norway

Total air force personnel: 3,650
Total army personnel: 8,815
Total navy personnel: 4,000
Active military personnel: 23,250
Reserve military personnel: 0
Paramilitary personnel: 40,000
Total military personnel: 63,250
Military strength score and world rank: 0.6811 – #38 out of 145
Military defense budget: $9,710,000,000 – #32 out of 145

Norway’s air force personnel operate 97 total military aircraft, including 32 strike aircraft and 5 special mission aircraft. Outside of these fixed-wing aircraft, Norway also has 33 military helicopters.

18. Czechia

Total air force personnel: 5,000
Total army personnel: 13,000
Total navy personnel: 0
Active military personnel: 28,000
Reserve military personnel: 4,200
Paramilitary personnel: 0
Total military personnel: 32,200
Military strength score and world rank: 0.9994 – #53 out of 145
Military defense budget: $6,750,000,000 – #43 out of 145

Czechia’s air force personnel operate 99 total military aircraft, including 12 fighter aircraft, 16 strike aircraft, and 2 special mission aircraft. Outside of these fixed-wing aircraft, Czechia also has 42 military helicopters and 4 attack helicopters.

17. Hungary

Total air force personnel: 5,750
Total army personnel: 32,000
Total navy personnel: 0
Active military personnel: 41,600
Reserve military personnel: 20,000
Paramilitary personnel: 15,000
Total military personnel: 76,600
Military strength score and world rank: 1.0259 – #55 out of 145
Military defense budget: $4,576,000,000 – #53 out of 145

Hungary’s air force personnel operate 69 total military aircraft, including 12 fighter aircraft. Outside of these fixed-wing aircraft, Hungary also has 44 military helicopters and 8 attack helicopters.

16. Portugal

Portugal+F-16 | Lockheed Martin F-16 AM of the Portuguese Air Force

Total air force personnel: 6,000
Total army personnel: 11,000
Total navy personnel: 7,000
Active military personnel: 24,000
Reserve military personnel: 211,700
Paramilitary personnel: 24,700
Total military personnel: 260,400
Military strength score and world rank: 0.6856 – #39 out of 145
Military defense budget: $4,627,000,000 – #52 out of 145

Portugal’s air force personnel operate 115 total military aircraft, including 28 fighter aircraft and 14 special mission aircraft. Outside of these fixed-wing aircraft, Portugal also has 31 military helicopters.

15. Belgium

Total air force personnel: 6,500
Total army personnel: 12,120
Total navy personnel: 1,300
Active military personnel: 25,000
Reserve military personnel: 6,400
Paramilitary personnel: 0
Total military personnel: 31,400
Military strength score and world rank: 1.2564 – #62 out of 145
Military defense budget: $10,200,000,000 – #31 out of 145

Belgium’s air force personnel operate 108 total military aircraft, including 43 fighter aircraft. Outside of these fixed-wing aircraft, Belgium also has 20 military helicopters.

14. Netherlands

Netherlands+F-16 | F-16 AM Netherlands

Total air force personnel: 6,540
Total army personnel: 2,370
Total navy personnel: 7,510
Active military personnel: 41,380
Reserve military personnel: 6,765
Paramilitary personnel: 5,000
Total military personnel: 53,145
Military strength score and world rank: 0.6412 – #36 out of 145
Military defense budget: $27,000,000,000 – #18 out of 145

The Netherlands’ air force personnel operate 120 total military aircraft, including 32 fighter aircraft. Outside of these fixed-wing aircraft, the Netherlands also has 63 military helicopters and 12 attack helicopters.

13. Bulgaria

Bulgaria MiG | Bulgarian and Polish Air Force MiG-29s planes flying over Bulgaria.

Total air force personnel: 8,500
Total army personnel: 17,000
Total navy personnel: 4,450
Active military personnel: 37,000
Reserve military personnel: 3,000
Paramilitary personnel: 0
Total military personnel: 40,000
Military strength score and world rank: 1.2563 – #61 out of 145
Military defense budget: $1,373,232,000 – #80 out of 145

Bulgaria’s air force personnel operate 65 total military aircraft, including 10 fighter aircraft and 5 strike aircraft. Outside of these fixed-wing aircraft, Bulgaria also has 27 military helicopters and 4 attack helicopters.

12. Romania

Romania+military+aircraft | Pride of the sky

Total air force personnel: 11,700
Total army personnel: 35,500
Total navy personnel: 6,800
Active military personnel: 81,300
Reserve military personnel: 55,000
Paramilitary personnel: 15,000
Total military personnel: 151,300
Military strength score and world rank: 0.8984 – #51 out of 145
Military defense budget: $9,700,000,000 – #33 out of 145

Romania’s air force personnel operate 140 total military aircraft, including 21 fighter aircraft and 2 special mission aircraft. Outside of these fixed-wing aircraft, Romania also has 65 military helicopters.

11. Canada

Canada military | Greeting card for Poppy Day , Remembrance Day .Canada celebration. Concept - patriotism, honor ,never forget, thank you, two minute silence, always remember

Total air force personnel: 15,560
Total army personnel: 44,000
Total navy personnel: 16,300
Active military personnel: 68,000
Reserve military personnel: 27,000
Paramilitary personnel: 5,500
Total military personnel: 100,500
Military strength score and world rank: 0.5179 – #28 out of 145
Military defense budget: $41,000,000,000 – #15 out of 145

Canada’s air force personnel operate 351 total military aircraft, including 66 fighter aircraft and 33 special mission aircraft. Outside of these fixed-wing aircraft, Canada also has 145 military helicopters.

10. Poland

Poland+MiG | Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29A ‘56’

Total air force personnel: 16,500
Total army personnel: 100,000
Total navy personnel: 12,350
Active military personnel: 202,100
Reserve military personnel: 350,000
Paramilitary personnel: 50,000
Total military personnel: 602,100
Military strength score and world rank: 0.3776 – #22 out of 145
Military defense budget: $48,700,000,000 – #12 out of 145

Poland’s air force personnel operate 479 total military aircraft, including 59 fighter aircraft, 44 strike aircraft, and 11 special mission aircraft. Outside of these fixed-wing aircraft, Poland also has 216 military helicopters and 29 attack helicopters.

9. Spain

Total air force personnel: 23,000
Total army personnel: 75,825
Total navy personnel: 20,840
Active military personnel: 133,282
Reserve military personnel: 15,150
Paramilitary personnel: 78,470
Total military personnel: 226,902
Military strength score and world rank: 0.3242 – #17 out of 145
Military defense budget: $23,397,000,000 – #22 out of 145

Spain’s air force personnel operate 461 total military aircraft, including 137 fighter aircraft, 12 strike aircraft, and 8 special mission aircraft. Outside of these fixed-wing aircraft, Spain also has 153 military helicopters and 17 attack helicopters.

8. Germany

Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany, with the German flag flying.

Total air force personnel: 27,725
Total army personnel: 62,800
Total navy personnel: 16,500
Active military personnel: 181,600
Reserve military personnel: 34,000
Paramilitary personnel: 0
Total military personnel: 215,600
Military strength score and world rank: 0.2601 – #14 out of 145
Military defense budget: $50,000,000,000 – #11 out of 145

Germany’s air force personnel operate 584 total military aircraft, including 129 fighter aircraft, 63 strike aircraft, and 26 special mission aircraft. Outside of these fixed-wing aircraft, Germany also has 309 military helicopters and 54 attack helicopters.

7. United Kingdom

United+Kingdom+attack+aircraft | Two Eurofighter "Typhoon FGR4 (FGR.Mk 4)" aircraft, flown by 29 (R) Squadron from RAF Coningsby.

Total air force personnel: 34,790
Total army personnel: 106,626
Total navy personnel: 35,730
Active military personnel: 184,860
Reserve military personnel: 924,000
Paramilitary personnel: 0
Total military personnel: 1,108,860
Military strength score and world rank: 0.1785 – #6 out of 145
Military defense budget: $71,500,540,000 – #6 out of 145

The United Kingdom’s air force personnel operate 631 total military aircraft, including 113 fighter aircraft, 31 strike aircraft, and 28 special mission aircraft. Outside of these fixed-wing aircraft, the United Kingdom also has 266 military helicopters and 37 attack helicopters.

6. France

Total air force personnel: 40,500
Total army personnel: 141,600
Total navy personnel: 44,000
Active military personnel: 200,000
Reserve military personnel: 26,000
Paramilitary personnel: 150,000
Total military personnel: 376,000
Military strength score and world rank: 0.1878 – #8 out of 145
Military defense budget: $55,000,000,000 – #9 out of 145

France’s air force personnel operate 976 total military aircraft, including 226 fighter aircraft and 44 special mission aircraft. Outside of these fixed-wing aircraft, France also has 448 military helicopters and 68 attack helicopters.

5. Finland

Finland+military+aircraft | Hornet On The Wing

Total air force personnel: 41,100
Total army personnel: 42,000
Total navy personnel: 16,000
Active military personnel: 24,000
Reserve military personnel: 870,000
Paramilitary personnel: 53,800
Total military personnel: 947,800
Military strength score and world rank: 0.8437 – #48 out of 145
Military defense budget: $6,779,661,000 – #42 out of 145

Finland’s air force personnel operate 163 total military aircraft, including 54 fighter aircraft and 1 special mission aircraft. Outside of these fixed-wing aircraft, Finland also has 27 military helicopters.

4. Greece

Total air force personnel: 42,500
Total army personnel: 200,000
Total navy personnel: 30,000
Active military personnel: 142,700
Reserve military personnel: 221,350
Paramilitary personnel: 55,000
Total military personnel: 419,050
Military strength score and world rank: 0.5337 – #30 out of 145
Military defense budget: $6,500,000,000 – #44 out of 145

Greece’s air force personnel operate 558 total military aircraft, including 178 fighter aircraft and 8 special mission aircraft. Outside of these fixed-wing aircraft, Greece also has 293 military helicopters and 29 attack helicopters.

3. Italy

Total air force personnel: 43,000
Total army personnel: 100,000
Total navy personnel: 31,000
Active military personnel: 165,500
Reserve military personnel: 18,500
Paramilitary personnel: 105,000
Total military personnel: 289,000
Military strength score and world rank: 0.2164 – #10 out of 145
Military defense budget: $30,890,000,000 – #16 out of 145

Italy’s air force personnel operate 729 total military aircraft, including 89 fighter aircraft, 67 strike aircraft, and 23 special mission aircraft. Outside of these fixed-wing aircraft, Italy also has 392 military helicopters and 37 attack helicopters.

2. Turkey

Total air force personnel: 115,000
Total army personnel: 518,900
Total navy personnel: 100,000
Active military personnel: 355,200
Reserve military personnel: 378,700
Paramilitary personnel: 150,000
Total military personnel: 883,900
Military strength score and world rank: 0.1902 – #9 out of 145
Military defense budget: $47,000,000,000 – #13 out of 145

Turkey’s air force personnel operate 1,083 total military aircraft, including 201 fighter aircraft and 28 special mission aircraft. Outside of these fixed-wing aircraft, Turkey also has 508 military helicopters and 111 attack helicopters.

1. United States

US+air+force | US Air Force Thunderbird Aerial Demonstration Team, F-16 Fighting Falcons

Total air force personnel: 701,319
Total army personnel: 1,403,200
Total navy personnel: 667,108
Active military personnel: 1,328,000
Reserve military personnel: 799,500
Paramilitary personnel: 0
Total military personnel: 2,127,500
Military strength score and world rank: 0.0744 – #1 out of 145
Military defense budget: $895,000,000,000 – #1 out of 145

The United States’s air force personnel operate 13,043 total military aircraft, including 1,790 fighter aircraft, 889 strike aircraft, and 647 special mission aircraft. Outside of these fixed-wing aircraft, The United States also has 5,843 military helicopters and 1,002 attack helicopters.

The post The US Air Force Fields More Than 15x Personnel Than Any Other NATO Nation appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..