China:

Why: One of the oldest continuous civilizations on earth as well as the longest sovereign country it has had to fight its fair share of invasion and enough revolutions to make the French jealous. Civilizations like this do not last this long for no reason, the Chinese know how to fight.

Height of Power: 221 BC - 1839. Through out most of history the Chinese have had their ups and downs but for the most part they have been a dominate force in the region, more so today. China in the European Middle Ages was highly advanced in all categories and only lost ground to Europe during the Industrial Revolution and soon was made to sign humiliating treaties. It would take World War II and a Communist Revolution for China to once again become a feared power in Asia and the World.

Leader: Sun Tzu; While he was not around during China’s height he influenced it military strategy so much that he is the exception to my rule of leaders being from the period (two other reasons are that 1. he’s close to the period anyways. 2. I really can’t think of anyone else). Little is know of the man Sun Tzu and even if he existed but his (or someone else’s) contributions to military thought are felt to this day.

Tactics: Warfare takes on a very stylized and ceremonial manner in China even though the battles were bloody and ruthless. Colorful clothes and light armor characterized Chinese warriors at this time and execution was based on Sun Tzu’s tactics.

France:

Why: I’m sure this is the question most are asking seeing France in a list of eight great military civilizations but you must remember there was a time before they became the white flag waving “fighters” we know them as today. For most of its history and even today France has a big say on what goes on in Europe and usually butts heads with its rival Britain (even when they’re allies). This rivalry spurred each nation to military heights and each nation fought each other all over the world and while it was said Britain ruled the waves it can be argued France ruled the ground.

Height of Power: 1453-1815. After the conclusion of the 100 Years War France was propelled to the beginning of its military power. It and England had the largest standing armies since the Roman Empire and this would lead to France to achieve great heights in all fields for almost four centuries. Slowly the old order began to unravel with the loss in the French and Indian War (Seven Years War for my European friends) and the French Revolution brought a new order to France and the world. The Napoleonic Era brought France to new heights and at the end left its military in shambles from which it has yet to recover.

Leader: Napoleon; This man brought France to heights it had never seen and was never seen again in Europe until Nazi Germany dominated the continent. For a while France was in control of Europe, everyone was in the Continental System, Napoleon had relatives as kings and puppet governments all over Europe, he and France were feared as the greatest army Europe had ever seen. His over ambition though would drive him and France back down and slowly began France’s fall as a military power.

Tactics: The French army under Napoleon was a tough group. They beat forces with larger numbers like it was nothing so being of even strength is only an advantage to France. Napoleon was a realist on the battlefield and believed in using artillery to support infantry advances.

Japan:

Why: Unlike its counterpart China, Japan used the humiliation at the hands of western powers as a learning experience in order to reform and update its army. After its update the now land hungry Japan would go on to defeat China and Russia in wars shocking the world. Japan’s expansion through war continued as Japan was perceived as unbeatable until the Americans beat them at Midway in 1942. After their defeat in World War II the Japanese abandoned their war like ways…for now at least.

Height of Power: 1894-1945. When Japan started the Sino-Japanese War it began a series of great military victories which would be followed up by the Russo-Japanese War, Second Sino-Japanese War, and they were winning the war in the pacific until America entered the war and knocked them out in 1945.

Leader: Prince Kanin Kotohito; A major figure in most of Japan’s  wars he served as the chief of staff during the early stages of what was to become World War II. The Japanese of this period were the complete army that the world has yet to see again. They were trained from birth almost and had loyalty that no one could question. They were well trained, lead, and had a high moral that could only come from total dedication to the cause, a very hard army to beat in combat.

Tactics: The Japanese were hardy fighters that loved to get up close and fight man-to-man but they weren’t stupid enough to just run around charging. They had the patience and discipline to wait for the right moment and seize the day with a fearful charge. Their confidence comes form their attitude that they are better than their subhuman opponent (A classic WWII trait) and that they were the righteous ones in the war (a classic American trait).

Mongolia:

Why: Because they just conquered most of the world in a short matter of time that’s why. The Mongols had something no one else had at the time…strategy. In an era where getting most of your men to the battlefield was the mark of a good general the Mongols were planning complicated assaults on terrain they’ve never seen. Never a large force they used their tactics and other military skills to achieve dominance for centuries. They defeated most of the great powers of they day easily and ended the Baghdad Caliphate.

Height of Power: 1206 - 1405. This was the age of the great Mongol Empire that stretched from Korea to Hungry. Its sheer size would not be seen again until the British Empire at its peek which was just a bit larger.

Leader: Genghis Khan; One of the greatest military leader period. He invented many of the military innovations that armies took for granted. He conquered more land than any single leader and his ways of governing in his later years where so liberal and tolerant there has yet to be a system as fair and free from discrimination as his.

Tactics: The Mongols were mostly light armored cavalry which allowed them quick movement on the field. While they were fierce fighters surprisingly they did not like the sight of their own blood and would fight in a way that would minimize their causalities as opposed to the run and smash tactics of generals of the area where high causalities were part of war. The Mongols could navigate and fight on any terrain with ease. They preferred ranged combat and leading armies into traps compared to close combat. They soldiers are some of the best and most durable of all time and the leaders are the best possible as leadership was awarded by merit only.

(Ancient) Rome:

Why: Rome gave the western world something that it had never seen before or ever since in a way only military victories can accomplish. It gave the world the Pax Romana, to get there though they had to have the most efficient military system at the time and soldiers to fight in it. They created not only one of the biggest empires but also a whole civilization that would live through centuries and influence thinkers both civilian and military to this day.

Height of Power: 60-400 AD. During this time no one questioned Roman strength and might. Their military structure was supremely better than the “tactics” (for loss of a worse term) of their barbarian enemies.

Leader: Octavian; while no Julius Caesar he did end the civil wars going on in Rome, established the Pax Romana, and tried to subdue the Empire’s lack of morals (he failed in that measure of course but gets points for trying anyways). He defeated Marc Anthony (Who I believe is overrated), conquer Egypt, gained more territory in Spain, and made the Senate happy (no easy task).

Tactics: Tightly packed together for protection, the Roman legion was excellent against long range attacks and skilled enough to best most in hand-to-hand. Most of the time the Romans would prep the attack with arrows showering from the sky and then the protected legions would march in and destroy the torch waving barbarians while the cavalry attacked from the flanks or rear.

Spain:

Why: They conquered the new world and opened up a whole new chapter in human history. Spain also was a huge regional power in Europe until the English passed them up and France dominated them in the Napoleonic Wars. It was Spain who set out to discover the new world, make the first land claims, and carve out the largest empire there. It would last from 1521 until 1898. As a military power they had their heights in the Medieval Ages and the beginning of the Colonial Age.

Height of Power: 1521-1643. During this time Spain was everywhere in Europe and fought in every major battle. Their power was both feared and envied through the world. They even made the Portuguese Empire part of the Spanish Empire through force. For Spain though war took its toll combining bankruptcy with lackluster military campaigns meant that while it would continue to be a player for a while longer, it would be shadowed by new powers in Europe.

Leader: Hernan Cortez; probably one of the luckiest military leaders of all time to lead an army. His force of 500 men somehow managed to conquer whole empires and get the greatest booty (oh get your mind out of the gutter!) of all time. Of course having your enemies thinking you were the return of a god didn’t hurt either nor did the willing ness of Aztec enemies willing to join him hurt he too badly. In all armies things determine its success; commanders, weapons, tactics, men, luck, and intangibles. The last two were what the Spanish specialized in. While they we not the best force ever to walk on the planet they were one of the craftiest and that’s what earned them a spot on the list.

Tactics: While they were nothing spectacular in nature it was what they did off the battlefield rather than how they fought that brought them success. Forming alliances with enemies putting them on the front lines, using scare tactics (the evil “half horse half man” the Aztecs saw them as), and taking advantage of any situation that pops up characterize the Spanish at their height.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland:

Why: Because Britain (which I will call it for simplicity) ruled the largest empire ever on the face of the world. The sun never set on the British Empire for a time, and its military and sea power we so great that it bested the best the mainland had to throw at them. Britain was to the world what the United States is today. To insult and challenge the British was to declare defeat even today (Falklands War comes to mind). Think about it, when was the last time the British military was on the losing side?.... (American Revolution if you’re still guessing)

Height of Power: 1763-1945. After the French and Indian War (Seven Years War to some) The British were at the top of their game and at the height of their territorial gains. Though they lost the American Revolution they won the Napoleonic Wars essentially putting France in its place and showing the other nations how Great Britain really is (get it?). After leading two world wars on Europe though Britain began to fall apart as a world power and was slowly shadowed by the United States (ironic huh?). After World War II Britain had to change as it could no longer afford to keep its vast empire under control and its population tired of devastating wars so slowly but surly the British Empire turned into the loose association known as the British Commonwealth.

Leader: Sir Arthur Wellesley; while most European commanders were peeing in their beds about Napoleon, Wellesley was besting him and his suburbanites on the battlefield. With cunning and smarts he bested Napoleon, then the greatest commander at the time, assuring for himself the glory and honors that were bestowed upon him.

Tactics: If there was one thing Wellesley didn’t like it was the British common soldier. Rocks could give these guys a run for their money in IQ tests but that didn’t matter in war. If there was (and there was only) one thing the British soldier could do it was obey orders which is great if you had the right leader leading it (and the British had those leaders). Doing what their commander told them to do no matter what, the British soldier assured that defeat would not be their fault and their competent commanders took them to great military heights. The discipline of the British soldier is legendary in that they would shoot to the last man if command to and time like that did arise. The one weakness in this British system at the time is that when they left the familiar grounds and rules of Europe the Indians and later the Americans took advantage of this one sight ness and defeated the British by fighting them in ways the British had never fought before. The commanders didn’t know how to fight this new kind of war leaving their soldiers to get nailed with bullets to the last man, on familiar territory though the British army is one to greatly fear.

United States of America:

Why: Because almost literally after two world wars they were the only ones left standing, seriously though the United States rose to prominence after World War II as a great power and the only thing stopping Stalin and crew from making all of us little red men. Battling the Soviet Union during the Cold War they eventually won when all the Stalin statures came down and everyone embraced America (for a while at least). After the fall of the USSR they were the only super power left and no other decent nation to date has dared to challenge the United States militarily or even said they were equally in terms of military powers. One of the quickest, smartest, and most efficient forces ever to grace the earth they didn’t need to conquer the world to gain its respect, from a military standpoint that is.

Height of Power: 1945-present? Seeing how we are in the height of their power (or maybe even decline) it is hard to tell when and where it begins though for now these dates will suffice until the knowledge of future generations prove this estimate right or wrong. After World War II both the world and the United States acknowledged it place in the world as military and foreign policy leader. A different kind of power the United States is usually reluctant to use its superior military strength to achieve its way in foreign affairs (which is a first in a world power). Though they don’t directly control the world many countries both financially and military are dependent on the United States and one might argue that its influence is so strong that it sort of makes puppet governments out of those countries which are dependent on it. Recent takeovers in Afghanistan and Iraq taking a month each highlight the United States power today considering how far way it is from those countries and how hard it has been in the past to conquer them.

Leader: Donald Rumsfeld; in an age where I could have picked Patton, Eisenhower, Mac Arthur, or even Schwarzkopf or Franks (Bradley if I was really desperate) for that matter I pick someone who gained their rank through political appointment? I can see the things going through your mind right now, maybe you think I’m stupid, maybe you think I’m crazy, or worse yet maybe you think I’m a Bush partisan trying to connect President Bush (the second one) to America’s greatness. Well I’m not either of those things and here’s why, after the fall of the Soviet Union and the Persian Gulf War (Iraq I for those confused) the Clinton Administration was looking for ways to cut costs and control debt and seeing how America’s greatest threats were either gone (Soviet Union), contained (North Korea, Iraq, Iran) or relations have improved (Russia, China) the two million strong army looked like an obvious choice for some cuts. While it looks stupid now (real stupid) at the time it made sense because most “wars” at the time involved the UN or NATO and with their highly multinational forces the need for American troops decreased. After September 11^th though it all changed, Americans were mad and wanted some revenge no matter if anyone backed them or not and now with a smaller force the old “large armies and large battles” tactics of old didn’t work anymore with this reduced but still effective army. Enter Donald Rumsfeld, with the “Rumsfeld Doctrine” it called for small forces quick supported heavily by the air force and quick moving tanks to nullify the lack of bodies on the field. It sought to defeat the enemy quickly and so fast they wouldn’t have time to recover. With all radical new military doctrines this one was labeled too optimistic to succeed but with recent quick victories in Afghanistan and Iraq its radical ideas have been embraced as the new way for warfare in the 21^st century of whose effects only time can tell.

Tactics: The Americans don’t like high causality numbers (expect for Grant) and will seek to bomb the hell out of an enemy before they clean up with light and quick forces. Their deficiency in numbers is made up by the training of the individual solider, the smartness of the officer corps, and the technological advantage the United States has over its enemies.