Any country that has a coastline will definitely be proud to showcase its military might through its navy with the hope of discouraging any potential treat on national security. Apart from ,military might, navies help control sea traffic and help keep sea routs safe. Over the years, navies have moved from the role of protecting countries’ coastlines to serving as support for disaster relief. Most countries with a coastline can boast of a navy no matter how small. The following is a list of five countries with the largest navy.

United States

The United States navy has more ships than any other country in the world.  It is also involved in missions in the Atlantic, Pacific and other oceans around the world. Apart from battle ships, the navy also boasts of a huge number of aircrafts. This navy easily stands out as the largest navy thanks to the fact that it has 10 more aircrafts than all the other country of the world put together. It has carriers that can carry up to 72 planes. In summary, The US Navy boast of 52 submarines, 31 amphibious ships, 3700aircrafts, 288 battleships and a host of other vessels . The total tonnage of the US navy is 3.3 million.

China

Thanks to the huge economic growth experienced by China since the late 1980s, the Chinese government has increasingly spent more on upgrading its military prowess and the navy has benefited from this.  The Chinese are putting in a lot of effort to modernize their navy. The Chinese navy boasts of 3 amphibious vehicles, 8 nuclear attack submarines and 50 conventional ones. The air force arm of the navy can boast of 650 aircraft. In terms of tonnage, China ranks second with 919 thousand tons. Apart from carrier operations, the navy is also involved in international missions.

Russia

After the end of the cold war, the entire navy that belonged to the former Soviet Union was passed on to Russia. It is this aging fleet that is at the heart of Russia’s navy. Russia has now embarked on modernizing its fleet with new ones being added. The navy has one aircraft carrier, 52 submarines, 72 frigate among other vessels. It is not clear if these ships are still in good state as most often `when on mission they have to be accompanied by tug boats.

Japan

In the real sense of the word, the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force is not a navy because it is made up largely of Japanese civil servants. Over the years, Japan has discretely built one of the most professional navies in the world. It can boast of 114 ships 46 of which are destroyers. Its destroyers are more than that of Britain and France put together.

India

The Navy branch of the armed forces of India exists to ensure the security of the coastline of the country. The country also uses its navy to enhance its relations with other countries through its involvement in joint operations and in disaster relief. The navy boasts of nine landing ships, nine destroyers, fifteen frigates and a host of other vessels.