Israel is a key US ally in the Middle East and has a battle hardened armed forces, well-equipped with latest weaponry and technology.
The Israel Defence Forces are believed to have had an operational nuclear weapons capability since 1967.
The country's special forces are reputed to be among the best in the world.
Canada is a key member of NATO, participating in many operational exercises and serving in many small and major conflicts.
The country announced it would spend billions of dollars replacing existing Hornet jet fighters with American-made F-35 warplanes.
Canada and the US make up the strategically vital North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD).
Australia's armed forces will undergo a major expansion, with the nation's navy acquiring nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS defence pact.
A landmark defence review in April 2023 highlighted the growing tensions in the Indo Pacific and how the Australian Defence Force must respond.
The Australian government is committed to a major defence overhaul, with long range strike weapons a priority.
Italy, like many European countries, announced an increase in defence spending after Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year.
The Italian Armed Forces are made up by the Italian Army, the Italian Navy and the Italian Air Force.
A fourth branch of the armed forces, known as the Carabinieri, take on the role as the nation's military police and are also involved in missions and operations abroad as a combat force.
Ukraine's military spending has leapt a staggering 640 per cent in one year since it was invaded by Russia.
The country has acquired massive shipments of Western-made heavy weapons including tanks, howitzers and missiles.
Ukraine's armed forces have used them to tremendous effect in pushing back Russian forces and are now poised to begin a counter-offensive.
In late 2022, Japan announced the biggest increase in its defence budget since 1952.
Japan, a close ally of Australia and the US, is increasingly concerned about growing Chinese assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific as well as the nuclear ambitions of North Korea.
Among the biggest planned purchases by Japan are six F-35B stealth fighter jets, costing $US183 million each, for deployment in 2024.
South Korea is a close ally of the US and continuously invests in modernising its defence forces
Tensions between the two Koreas bolsters military spending.
A peace treaty between North and South Korea set up a four-kilometre wide demilitarised zone across the peninsula.
French military spending has ramped up under the government of President Emmanuel Macron.
In 2023, he announced yearly rises in defence budgets into the 2030s to meet mulitple threats.
Spending has been targeted towards arming drones and hiring "cyberfighters", as well as increasing domestic military deployment after a string of deadly extremist attacks.
After the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the German government announced a massive increase in defence spending.
The German government has been under pressure from its NATO allies to push up its military budget.
Germany is supplying Ukraine with advanced weapons including the Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft tanks, pictured.
Britain has a long and proud military history and in 2023 its government pledged to increase defence funding by $US6 billion over the next two years in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the challenge posed by China.
The extra money will be used, in part, to replenish Britain's ammunition stocks, depleted from supplying Ukraine in its defence against Russia.
Some will also go towards the AUKUS deal to build nuclear-powered submarines for Australia.
Saudia Arabia's defence spending has swelled to one of the largest in the world as a result of growing threats from terrorist organisations and struggles for regional dominance against Iran.
The Middle East kingdom recently acquired the American-built F-15SA fighter jet and Spanish corvettes for its navy.
India spends big on defence and has consistently ranked among the leading defence importers worldwide for a number of years.
The Indian government announced further increases in military spending in coming years amid tensions with China.
It wants to upgrade its squadrons of fighter jets and build new roads along the contested border with China.
Despite spending billions of rubles on defence in recent years, major failures in Russia's military have been revealed since it invaded Ukraine.
Amid battlefield failures and major logistical problems, Russian President Vladimir Putin last year announced a partial military mobilisation.
But the move has not stemmed Russian defeats, with many of the recruits simply being used as cannon fodder against well equipped and highly motivated Ukrainian forces.
China remained in second spot after its 28th-consecutive annual rise in military spending.
China says its military is strictly for defensive purposes but takes a broad view of what constitutes threats to its core interests — including protecting maritime territory that is in dispute with neighbouring countries such as the South China Sea.
The People's Liberation Army is the world's largest military force with about 2 million active personnel.
The United States remains the world's biggest military spender — up 0.7 per cent to $US877 billion ($1.3 trillion) in 2022 — which was 39 per cent of total global military spending.
American military planners are increasingly concerned about China's rapid military build-up, particularly in the area of advanced hypersonic weapons.
The US is planning new spending across all four services of its armed forces: navy, army, air force and marine corps.