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Coalition Builder

Coalition Strength: CSTO vs NATO

+1 CSTO — 6 countries +27 NATO — 32 countries
Combined Military Strength
CSTO NATO
Combined ATLAS Index 84.9 100.0
Member states 6 32
Active military personnel 1,248,850 3,316,410
– Reserve troops 2,019,500 2,329,650
Military aircraft 5,819 21,242
– incl. combat aircraft 1,664 5,249
Military ships 465 2,300
– incl. aircraft carriers 0 13
– incl. submarines 56 141
Main battle tanks 6,769 12,658
Nuclear warheads 5,420 5,637
Combined defense budget $159B $1.5T
Combined Forces Chart

Overview

CSTO groups 6 countries against 32 for NATO. NATO fields 3,316,410 active troops combined — 2.7:1 CSTO's 1,248,850. NATO's combined $1.5T defense budget is 9.7:1 that of CSTO ($159B).

In the air, CSTO musters 5,819 military aircraft (1,664 combat) against 21,242 (5,249 combat) for NATO. At sea, the fleets total 465 ships for CSTO and 2,300 for NATO, including 56 and 141 submarines respectively. On the ground, CSTO deploys 6,769 main battle tanks vs 12,658 for NATO.

Both blocs hold nuclear weapons: CSTO's members maintain 5,420 warheads and NATO's hold 5,637.

Combined ATLAS Index

Country ranking →
CSTO 6 members
84.9/ 100
Six-pillar composite scored as one force: summed manpower, ground, naval and air points, combined nuclear deterrent and pooled defense budget, each conventional pillar read after the availability proxy of its branch (pooled budget per point of the force).
Pillar Weight Score Basis
Manpower 10% 97.8 2,475,350 effective
Ground forces 20% 85.4 6,769 main battle tanks
Naval power 20% 82.6 465 ships — the members' SEAS inventory power
Air power 25% 74.8 5,819 aircraft — the members' AIRS inventory power
Nuclear deterrent 10% 100.0 5,420 warheads
Defense budget 15% 79.1 $159B combined, PPP-adjusted
Availability modifier ground ×1.16 · naval ×1.02 · air ×1.03 Pooled budget per point of each force
NATO 32 members
100.0/ 100
Six-pillar composite scored as one force: summed manpower, ground, naval and air points, combined nuclear deterrent and pooled defense budget, each conventional pillar read after the availability proxy of its branch (pooled budget per point of the force).
Pillar Weight Score Basis
Manpower 10% 100.0 4,704,870 effective
Ground forces 20% 100.0 12,658 main battle tanks
Naval power 20% 100.0 2,300 ships — the members' SEAS inventory power
Air power 25% 100.0 21,242 aircraft — the members' AIRS inventory power
Nuclear deterrent 10% 100.0 5,637 warheads
Defense budget 15% 100.0 $1.5T combined, PPP-adjusted
Availability modifier ground ×1.20 · naval ×1.05 · air ×1.03 Pooled budget per point of each force

Combined scores treat each coalition as a single force: raw pillar values (troops, weighted equipment points, warheads, budgets) are summed across members and re-scored on the ATLAS Index scale. Alliance cohesion, geography and logistics are not modeled.

Forces by Domain

Air Forces by Category
Navies by Category
Ground Forces by Category
Ground inventories cover 4/6 and 25/32 members respectively.
Combined Defense Spending ($B)
Combined Personnel Evolution
Who Pays: CSTO
Who Pays: NATO

Member Forces

CSTO 6 members
Collective Security Treaty Organization (6)
Country ATLAS Troops Aircraft Ships Budget
🇷🇺 Russia ☢ 83.0 1,100,000 5,307 456 96%
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan 28.7 39,000 218 9 2%
🇧🇾 Belarus 25.8 45,350 199 — 1%
🇦🇲 Armenia 20.4 44,800 62 — 1%
🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan 14.6 10,900 7 — 0%
🇹🇯 Tajikistan 12.2 8,800 26 — 0%
NATO 32 members
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (32)
Country ATLAS Troops Aircraft Ships Budget
🇺🇸 United States ☢ 100.0 1,326,050 12,892 228 60%
🇫🇷 France ☢ 56.3 270,000 991 166 4%
🇬🇧 United Kingdom ☢ 52.5 144,400 712 62 6%
🇹🇷 Turkey 51.0 355,200 1,321 197 2%
🇩🇪 Germany 47.9 183,500 706 72 7%
🇮🇹 Italy 46.2 165,500 801 312 3%
🇬🇷 Greece 42.0 142,700 756 141 0%
🇪🇸 Spain 41.8 120,350 524 84 2%
🇵🇱 Poland 40.5 114,050 497 75 3%
🇨🇦 Canada 37.8 67,400 394 33 3%
🇳🇱 Netherlands 34.7 35,400 159 108 2%
🇷🇴 Romania 33.6 69,300 202 70 1%
🇸🇪 Sweden 32.7 29,750 184 261 1%
🇫🇮 Finland 32.4 23,800 179 194 1%
🇳🇴 Norway 32.4 23,250 111 60 1%
🇩🇰 Denmark 30.7 14,500 94 109 1%
🇵🇹 Portugal 27.8 27,250 102 34 0%
🇧🇪 Belgium 27.7 26,300 114 9 1%
🇧🇬 Bulgaria 26.0 36,950 79 35 0%
🇭🇷 Croatia 23.3 15,200 85 31 0%
🇭🇺 Hungary 21.4 27,800 73 — 0%
🇱🇹 Lithuania 20.9 19,850 11 12 0%
🇨🇿 Czechia 20.6 21,750 105 — 0%
🇸🇰 Slovakia 18.4 15,850 48 — 0%
🇪🇪 Estonia 18.3 7,100 2 7 0%
🇸🇮 Slovenia 14.9 7,250 41 — 0%
🇦🇱 Albania 13.0 8,500 24 — 0%
🇲🇰 North Macedonia 11.0 8,000 16 — 0%
🇱🇻 Latvia 9.6 6,210 7 — 0%
🇱🇺 Luxembourg 6.9 900 1 — 0%
🇲🇪 Montenegro 6.7 2,350 11 — 0%
🇮🇸 Iceland 0.0 0 — — 0%

Economy & Geography

Combined Economy
CSTO NATO
Population 194.7 million 984.1 million
Combined GDP $3.0 trillion $59.2 trillion
GDP per capita $15,568 $60,148
Defense share of GDP 5.2% 2.6%
Land area 19,642,663 km² 25,897,183 km²
Coastline 37,653 km 382,102 km
Nuclear Forces
CoalitionCountryStatusWarheadsDeployed
CSTO 🇷🇺 Russia Active 5,420 1,796
CSTO 🇧🇾 Belarus Host — —
NATO 🇺🇸 United States Active 5,042 1,770
NATO 🇫🇷 France Active 370 280
NATO 🇬🇧 United Kingdom Active 225 120
NATO 🇹🇷 Turkey Host — 20
NATO 🇩🇪 Germany Host — 15
NATO 🇮🇹 Italy Host — 35
NATO 🇳🇱 Netherlands Host — 15
NATO 🇧🇪 Belgium Host — 15
Hosted warheads (NATO sharing) remain with their owner state and are not double-counted in coalition totals.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who is stronger, CSTO or NATO?

On the combined ATLAS Index, NATO scores 100.0 against 84.9 for CSTO. The score aggregates each bloc's manpower, ground, naval, air, nuclear and budget pillars as if it fought as a single force — it ignores geography, cohesion and logistics, which decide real wars.

How many troops do CSTO and NATO have?

CSTO fields 1,248,850 active military personnel across 6 member states, plus 2,019,500 reserves. NATO fields 3,316,410 active personnel and 2,329,650 reserves.

How much do CSTO and NATO spend on defense?

Combined defense spending reaches $159B a year for CSTO and $1.5T for NATO, summing each member's latest reported military budget.

Who has more military aircraft, CSTO or NATO?

CSTO operates 5,819 military aircraft (1,664 combat aircraft), while NATO operates 21,242 (5,249 combat). Each member is counted at its most recent inventory year in the GlobalMilitary.net database.

Do CSTO or NATO have nuclear weapons?

Yes — both. CSTO's nuclear-armed members hold 5,420 warheads combined, against 5,637 for NATO. Only warheads owned by member states are counted; hosted weapons remain with their owner.