Military
45% of All NATO Allied Forces' Submarines Belong to This Country
Published:
In the age of modern warfare, submarines have been indispensable assets since their advent in the American Revolution. During World War II, these submersibles carried out covert strikes on Axis and Allied vessels alike, ultimately finding a place for themselves as a tactical necessity in any navy. However, over the years, only the top quartile of naval forces on the planet have accumulated a significant amount of submarines, and most reside within NATO forces.
To determine the NATO countries with the most military submarines, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed GlobalFirePower, an annually updated website tracking defense-related statistics of 145 nations. Countries were ranked by the number of military submarines in active service. We also added the GlobalFirePower PowerIndex score, which denotes a country’s overall military strength, with lower scores denoting greater power. We included supplemental information regarding the total naval fleet size per country and the types of submarines in each fleet. We excluded countries that did not have any submarines in their navy.
Why Is This Important?
NATO members work together to tackle crisis management, promote democracy, and create peaceful resolutions to disputes. Its principle of collective defense is the group’s hallmark and speaks to the cooperation encouraged between countries.
Here is a look at the NATO countries with the most submarines.
14. Poland
- Number of submarines in active service: 1
- Total naval fleet size: 45 – #15 out of 32 NATO countries
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.2917 – #21 most powerful out of 145 countries
- Submarines in fleet: Kilo-class, Kobben-class
13. Portugal
- Number of submarines in active service: 2
- Total naval fleet size: 113 – #10 out of 32 NATO countries
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.5609 – #38 most powerful out of 145 countries
- Submarines in fleet: Type 209, Tridente-class
12. Netherlands
- Number of submarines in active service: 3
- Total naval fleet size: 112 – #11 out of 32 NATO countries
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.5644 – #40 most powerful out of 145 countries
- Submarines in fleet: Walrus-class
11. Spain
- Number of submarines in active service: 3
- Total naval fleet size: 168 – #7 out of 32 NATO countries
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.2882 – #20 most powerful out of 145 countries
- Submarines in fleet: Peral-class
10. Canada
- Number of submarines in active service: 4
- Total naval fleet size: 67 – #13 out of 32 NATO countries
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.3813 – #27 most powerful out of 145 countries
- Submarines in fleet: Victoria-class
9. Sweden
- Number of submarines in active service: 5
- Total naval fleet size: 353 – #2 out of 32 NATO countries
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.4009 – #29 most powerful out of 145 countries
- Submarines in fleet: Abborren-class, Laxen-class
8. Norway
- Number of submarines in active service: 6
- Total naval fleet size: 25 – #18 out of 32 NATO countries
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.5664 – #41 most powerful out of 145 countries
- Submarines in fleet: Ula-class
7. Germany
- Number of submarines in active service: 6
- Total naval fleet size: 64 – #14 out of 32 NATO countries
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.2847 – #19 most powerful out of 145 countries
- Submarines in fleet: 212A
6. Italy
- Number of submarines in active service: 8
- Total naval fleet size: 309 – #3 out of 32 NATO countries
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.1863 – #10 most powerful out of 145 countries
- Submarines in fleet: Argonauta-class, Balilla-class
5. France
- Number of submarines in active service: 9
- Total naval fleet size: 128 – #8 out of 32 NATO countries
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.1878 – #11 most powerful out of 145 countries
- Submarines in fleet: Rubis-class, Suffren-class, Triomphant-class
4. United Kingdom
- Number of submarines in active service: 10
- Total naval fleet size: 117 – #9 out of 32 NATO countries
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.1443 – #6 most powerful out of 145 countries
- Submarines in fleet: Vanguard-class, Trafalgar-class
3. Greece
- Number of submarines in active service: 11
- Total naval fleet size: 187 – #5 out of 32 NATO countries
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.4349 – #32 most powerful out of 145 countries
- Submarines in fleet: Glavkos-class, Okeanos-class
2. Turkey
- Number of submarines in active service: 12
- Total naval fleet size: 186 – #6 out of 32 NATO countries
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.1697 – #8 most powerful out of 145 countries
- Submarines in fleet: Balao-class, Dumlupinar, Sakarya
1. United States
- Number of submarines in active service: 64
- Total naval fleet size: 472 – #1 out of 32 NATO countries
- GlobalFirepower PowerIndex score: 0.0699 – #1 most powerful out of 145 countries
- Submarines in fleet: Ohio-class, Los Angeles-class, Virginia-class
Find a Qualified Financial Advisor (Sponsor)
Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to 3 fiduciary financial advisors in your area in 5 minutes. Each advisor has been vetted by SmartAsset and is held to a fiduciary standard to act in your best interests. If you’re ready to be matched with local advisors that can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.