India has launched military strikes against Pakistan, putting the two nuclear-armed neighbours on the brink of an all-out war. The flare-up means that two of the region’s largest militaries are again in face-to-face conflict. The stand-off pits India, a global defence giant, against a country that may be much smaller, but is nevertheless heavily militarised and has dedicated a significant share of its resources to preparing for war.

As the world’s most populous nation, India has one of the largest militaries, numbering about 1.5 million active service personnel, which include 1.2 million in the army, 60,000 in the navy and 127,000 in the air force. India also has 1.6 million-strong paramilitary forces and a reserve of 1.1 million. The country is a defence expenditure heavyweight.

Its defence spend reached £58 billion ($77.4 billion) in 2024, the second-highest outlay in Asia after China.