5 January 2012 Last updated at 12:36 ET

Military balance: The US and other key countries

President Barack Obama has announced a future with a "leaner" US military.

The country was "turning the page on a decade of war" and faced a "moment of transition", he said.

Yet, although thousands of troops are expected to be axed, Mr Obama stressed that the country's military superiority would still be maintained.

Here is how the US's military might compared with that of other global powers in 2011.

The military balance
Country	Military budget	Active personnel	Key equipment
Source: IISS, 2011
US	$739.3bn	1,569,000	6,302 battle tanks 3,252 fighter/ground attack aircraft 71 submarines 450 land-based intercontinental ballistic missile launchers
China	$89.8bn*	2,285,000	7,400 battle tanks 1,669 fighter/ground attack aircraft 62 submarines 66 land-based intercontinental ballistic missile launchers
UK	$62.7bn	174,000	227 battle tanks 220 fighter/ground attack aircraft 11 submarines 0 land-based intercontinental ballistic missile launchers
Russia	$52.7bn*	956,000	3,310 battle tanks 1,439 fighter/ground attack aircraft 65 submarines 292 land-based intercontinental ballistic missile launchers
India	$31.9bn	1,325,000	3,233 battle tanks 784 fighter/ground attack aircraft 15 submarines 0 land-based intercontinental ballistic missile launchers
*Official budget at market exchange rates. Many analysts say China's actual spending on defence is far higher than the government reports.