Syria Vrs USA / NATO

With heated talk of foreign military intervention in Syria rising, it makes sense to take time for a calm comparison of the forces arrayed against one another in the Middle East. After all, the process of determining the future of the country is drawing interest from numerous, heavily armed powers, both within the region and without.

Syria had 4,950 tanks before the conflict, according to IISS, more than any other country in the region. Rebels may have already knocked out small numbers of them with their rocket-propelled grenades, or RPGs.Syria has more than 1,500 of the iconic Russian T-72 main battle tanks.Most Syrian tanks are Cold War models from the 1950s and 1960s.  A Syrian T-72 tank in northwestern Syria, not far from the border with Turkey.

The MiG-29 is the most advanced fighter jet in Syria's arsenal. The former Soviet Union originally developed the plane to counter U.S. fighters. Syria only has about 40 of the advanced planes, unlikely to be flown by pilots as well trained as America.

Before the opening of any hostilities against Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad's regime, we would likely see the United Nations withdraw its 300 observers from the country, Russia's possible removal of its marines and three ships from the port of Tartus, and large-scale force movements in Iraq, Turkey, and the Mediterranean Sea -- none of which has occurred so far.
The  Syrian army has 71 attack helicopters. The air force has about 550 combat-capable aircraft, again the largest in the region, and 150 of these include the comparatively modern MiG-23, 25, and 29 jet fighters, all made in Russia.


Syria currently has only 33 of these Mi-24/25 Hind attack helicopters, assuming three of them are still in Russian hands

In fact, Syria itself has one of the most powerful militaries in the region. According to leading international defense research groups such as the International Institute for Strategic Studies, or IISS, the Syrian military officially had some 325,000 active soldiers before the internal conflict escalated -- two-thirds of which were in the army.

Although increasing defections have sapped these preconflict figures, reserves and paramilitary groups have most likely increased the overall number of available armed personnel. There were more than 310,000 listed in the reserves in 2010, and the government can also draw on more than 100,000 members of paramilitary or militia groups.

The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier in a demonstration of interoperability among NATO forces. The Eisenhower is currently deployed in the Mediterranean Sea.


The USS Florida, an Ohio-class converted ballistic missile submarine, was used in strikes against Libya in March of last year. A conflict with Syria could see the submarine being used as a platform for cruise-missile launches again. It carries 154 Tomahawk missiles. Photo: Wikipedia Commons



U.S. strategic bombers -- B-52s, B-1s, and B-2 stealth bombers, totaling more than 100 -- can be relocated from around the world to target facilities and structures in Syria.
In addition, NATO allies France and Italy can contribute another 72 combat aircraft from their own carriers.
B1 Lancer strategic bomber.


B-2 stealth bomber.