1. So what if the British use more US weapons than the French? Maybe the UK is better placed to chose the best weapons available for the job i.e. FN Minimi from Belgium, AH-64D from US, Typhoon from a european consortium, Saab Bofors of Sweden for NLAW. It can be argued that the UK spends more of it's defence budget buying the best proven technology on the market to ensure that our forces are the best equiped (SA-80 aside :0) instead of propping up domestic defence companies for political rather than military reasons (yes, I know the Rafale is good!)

2. Pluton? Great, so France's military is still living in the Cold War era of nuking everything (including small islands in the Pacific?!).... Welcome to the 21st Century and the 'New World Order'!

As the west no longer faces a credible military threat, and there is still an Atlantic Alliance through NATO to protect its members. The future of western military effort is in small regional operations around the world from full armed conflict to peace keeping. Sorry, but you just can't nuke enemy forces if you are trying to bring about regional stability!!!!

So, schoolboy 'Top Trumps' cards aside ("My nuclear capability is bigger than yours!"), the best army is surely the one that can respond to the greatest number of threats/scenarios. In this the UK is almost unique in that we have invested for future scenarios through a number of projects that give us a very balanced and flexible capability - including:

16 Air Assault Brigade - which pound for pound (or is that kg for kg?!) is equal to a Brigade of the US 101st Airborne (in fact it is more powerful - up to 48 rather than 24 AH-64D plus an armored reconnaisance squadron).

Large Amphibious Force - including 3 Commando Brigade, an LPH, 2x LPDs, 5x LSLs, 3x Carriers (which can be converted to Helicopter carriers as in Op Telic), 2x (soon to be 6x) RO-RO Container Ships, 11x TLAM armed Attack Subs, etc.

Large Air-lift capacity including 50x C-130, and 4x C-17 (soon to be increased).

Lastly, given the UK has been at the forefront of so many recent conflicts of varying types it can be argued that we have the most 'real life practiced' forces for the wide vaiety of operations that we could face.

Falkands (mainly Naval/amphibious 8,000 miles from UK mainland)
Iraq - twice! (mainly armored conflict with air campaign)
Bosnia (mainly peacekeeping)
Kosovo (air campaign followed by peacekeeping - Russians aside, who went into Kosovo first?)
Sierra Leone (very rapid Airborne Op taking place within 64 hours of 'notice to move' followed by an Amphibous Op!)
Afghanistan (mainly Air Op followed by stabalisation using ground forces).