Cyprus-Forum.com

[Simon]

[Talisker]

Best Armed Forces in the world? UK, of course. Here's an example:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMKCLyhBBwI

[Mills Chapman]

I think either the Fijians or Tongans are supposed to be some of the best fighters. And, pound for pound (regardless of the military training), Thais - from Thailand and not Taiwan - have won numerous world fighting titles.

[Get Real!]

I think either the Fijians or Tongans are supposed to be some of the best fighters. And, pound for pound (regardless of the military training), Thais - from Thailand and not Taiwan - have won numerous world fighting titles.

In what Kickboxing?

[Paphitis]

I voted for Isreal. There is nothing more valuable than experience and they have been fighting a war for the last 50 years.

Off course, the best Soldiers are the Gurkhas, which is why I fear UMIT so much because he is a member of the elite crack Gurkha Teletubie Unit. You sometimes see him on this forum wearing the Gurkha teletubie Alpine uniform!!!

[Gabira]

Why didn't you include the Turkish Cypriot Army in the poll ?

They alone could annihilate the ROC with their eyes closed even with the mainland Turkish army removed.

The mainland Turkish army is only there as a mediator to ensure that the Greeks play it fair if the North and South went to war again

[Nikitas]

Historically the only army in the list that has faced an equal adversary is the Indian army in the Indopakistan wars. All the others have fought against inferior armies post WWII.

As to the best this or that, like pilots etc, the evaluation is almost impossible in view of modern arms. A maverick missile can target a plane from 150 miles away, so rendering pilot dogfighting skill useless. At 150 miles you do not even see the other plane. In land warfare there are now self guiding shells for almost all situations, thus making accurate fire an antiquated skill.

In this electronic age the best army is that which manages to recruit the most aggressive geeks. This much I realised when I visted a frigate and saw the procedures in the control room. And here again, the Indian army seems to have more geeks available than any other army if we judge by how many Indian software engineers are working for companies like Microsoft etc.

Now if we look at the other way round, which small army, not included in the list, has proven its abilities in the post war years, then the vote must go to the Serbs. Nato chief Wesley Clarke told newsweek that after 6 weeks of NATO bombing the Serbs had lost only a few trucks and still had the upper hand on the ground. Again the geek factor must be counted in, the Serbs used clever physics to fool Nato electronics and physics is not exactly the strong point of western army people.

[purdey]

As an Army, the British seem to have the upper hand with their specialist regiments and sections of armed forces. Gurkhas, SAS, SBS, and Royal Marines.
I would not rule out the Taliban, Israel.
As for the Serbs, I was in Bosnia, and yes initially the Serbs fooled the electronic targeting devices of US planes. They also planted tracking devises in civilian homes and used civilian homes as refuge when the bombing started. Also let's not forget when ground troops were dispatched we were under strict rules as not to return fire unless fired upon. Hence the the Serbs laughed at the UN and just shot none UN personnel.
Serbia was a hell hole, maybe one day the world may get the true picture of what actually happened.

[Get Real!]

Could all the ex-pats stop voting for the UK…

[michalis5354]

Can the UK alone attack Syria or Iran? Iraq needed the coalition of 10 or more countries to suceed and still it took almost a long time until the mission was accomplished.