This volume investigates the global distribution of military power and defense capabilities at the turn of the millennium. Authored by experts at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the text provides a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative assessment of national armed forces. It utilizes standardized data sets to evaluate defense spending, equipment inventories, and personnel levels across sovereign states to establish a baseline for international security analysis.

Experts and policy analysts consistently identify this publication as a foundational reference for historical military data. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose and the exhaustive nature of the statistical reporting provided within the volume.