Forget The Ashes – find out how the UK and Australian armed forces compare

Steve Smith vs Ben Stokes or Monty Panesar (It really depends). Vegemite vs Marmite. Neighbours vs EastEnders. Jason Donovan vs Lee Mead. Stephen Larkham vs Jonny Wilkinson.  

England and Australia have always fought over who has the best food, TV and rugby, and the two nations are fighting for the historic urn Down Under for the first time in four years. 

The battle between the two countries has got underway as England and Australia go head to head in the opening Ashes test in Perth, Australia. 

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While everyone compares the bowling strength of Australia's Scott Boland and Mitchell Starc and England's Mark Wood and Jofra Archer, BFBS Forces News has been looking at the strength and size of the UK and Australian – the Australian Defence Force – militaries. 

Army 

Canberra has around 28,000 regular personnel in its army and roughly 14,300 active reservists. 

By contrast, the British Army has more than double as many regular personnel, with 73,490 Regulars, according to the latest statistics released by the Ministry of Defence. 

The British also have more reservists, as London has a 25,640-strong Volunteer Reserve as of July 2025. 

Navy 

First of all, both navies are equal in that they have both been awarded Royal status by 'our' Royal Family, so Australia has the Royal Australian Navy, and the UK's four nations have the Royal Navy in all its glory.

In terms of personnel, the Royal Navy and Royal Marines have 37,680, combining both the Regular and Volunteer Reserve. Meanwhile, Australia has less than half of the British personnel, as the Royal Australian Navy has 15,000 personnel. 

Oz's navy has close to 50 commissioned vessels, including guided missile submarines like HMAS Collins, and amphibious assault ships HMAS Adelaide and Canberra. Their navy also has MH-60R-Seahawks and the Double Eagle Mk II, an underwater uncrewed vehicle. 

On the other hand, the UK has more ships than Australia, as the Royal Navy has a fleet of more than 60 vessels. The Royal Navy's fleet includes frigates like HMS Iron Duke and Type 45 destroyers such as HMS Dauntless. 

One crucial difference between the navies is that the Aussies don't have an aircraft carrier, whereas the UK has two: HMS Prince of Wales, the Royal Navy's flagship, currently deployed on Carrier Strike Group 25, and HMS Queen Elizabeth. 

So, if we are losing the test series down under, at least we can shout that we have bigger vessels than they do. 

Air Force

The Royal Australian Air Force currently has 14,960 full-time personnel, and more than 4,000 in reserve. Comparatively, the Royal Air Force has twice the number of personnel, with 30,550 Regulars and 2,960 in reserve. 

Regarding the aircraft both countries can call on, Australia has between 250 and 280 aircraft, including the EA-18G Growler, an electronic attack aircraft, and the C-27J Spartan, which can carry cargo and paratroopers and aid in the evacuation of injured personnel. 

The Royal Air Force has more aircraft than the land of Hugh Jackman, Crocodile Dundee and Home and Away, given that the UK has 347 fixed-wing aircraft, 114 rotary-wing, and 10 UAVs, according to the UK Defence Journal. 

Among these aircraft are the F-35B Lightning multi-role aircraft, the giant C-17A Globemaster III, and the P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft.