The world's most powerful militaries and their Budgets With the United States, Russia, China and many other countries all spending hundreds of billions of dollars on their militaries each year, it’s hard to know which nation has the biggest military budget. This list of the world’s most powerful militaries and their budgets will give you an idea of who spends the most money on their military, but also show you that there are other factors to consider besides just the money spent. United States In 2016, the United States spent $547 billion on defense. The United States is the only country to have had a military presence in Afghanistan for more than ten years. The United States is also one of two countries to be involved in military action in Iraq. China, which has a population four times that of the United States, spends less than half as much on its military budget at $216 billion. Russia, who shares a border with Afghanistan, spends even less at $69 billion. As of 2014, it had
