The Military Balance 2000/2001 is an indispensable reference work, providing data on the military strength, organization, equipment, and defence expenditure of the world's armed forces in some 170 countries. It also contains short analytical articles on topical military and strategic issues.

This directory is a survey of the armed forces of the world. It presents the composition, size and deployment of every country's armed forces, together with information about population, GNP and defence expenditure. Widely used for official purposes and frequently quoted by analysts around the world, it is a work of reference for all those engaged in the analysis or study of defence and security matters, and who need accurate information on armed forces, manpower and budgets.