Iraq Armed Forces

Iraq Armed Forces
source
Unit name	Iraq Armed Forces
Native name	القوات المسلحة العراقية
Start date	1921 (modern origins)
Country	Iraq
Allegiance	Republic of Iraq
Branch	Iraqi Army, Iraqi Air Force, Iraqi Navy, Popular Mobilization Forces
Garrison	Baghdad
Motto	Honor and Sacrifice
Commander in chief	Prime Minister of Iraq
Minister	Minister of Defence (Iraq)
Commander	Chief of the General Staff (Iraq)
Notable commanders	Saddam Hussein, Abdul Karim Qasim, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri

Iraq Armed Forces comprise the principal armed services responsible for the defense and security of the Republic of Iraq. Emerging from formations established under the British Mandate for Mesopotamia and the Kingdom of Iraq, the forces have been reshaped by the 1958 Iraqi coup d'état, the Iran–Iraq War, the Gulf War, the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and the Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011). They operate alongside paramilitary and irregular formations and have undergone extensive reform with assistance from United States Department of Defense, NATO, and regional partners.

History

The armed institutions trace lineage to the Iraq Levies and the Iraqi Army (1921–1958), expanded under King Faisal I of Iraq and modernized during the interwar period. The 1958 14 July Revolution transformed command structures and led to decades of politicization under figures such as Abdul Karim Qasim and Saddam Hussein, whose tenure saw the militarization before the Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988) and the occupation of Kuwait prompting the Persian Gulf War. Post-1991 sanctions and the UN Security Council regime degraded capabilities until the 2003 overthrow of Saddam precipitated disbandment and reconstitution during the Iraq War (2003–2011). The rise of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant led to mobilization of the Popular Mobilization Forces and partnered operations with Coalition forces culminating in territorial defeat of ISIL by 2017.

Organization and Structure

Command is vested nominally in the President of Iraq as head of state and practically in the Prime Minister of Iraq and the Ministry of Defence (Iraq). The main uniformed branches include the Iraqi Army, Iraqi Air Force, and Iraqi Navy, with the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service and Federal Police (Iraq) holding elite and internal security roles. Parallel entities such as the Popular Mobilization Forces integrate militia components from groups like Badr Organisation, Kata'ib Hezbollah, and Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq under a formal legal framework enacted by the Iraqi Parliament. Regional command structures correspond to corps, divisions, and brigades modeled on legacy and coalition advisory templates drawn from United States Army doctrine and British Army practices.

Personnel and Recruitment

Recruitment draws volunteers, conscripts, and re-enlistees from Iraq’s diverse population including Shia Islam, Sunni Islam, Iraqi Kurdistan, and minority communities such as Assyrians and Yazidis. Post-2003 personnel policies sought integration through professionalization programs, pay reform, and vetting processes implemented with assistance from the International Organization for Migration and United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq. Career progression aligns with educational tracks from institutes like the Iraqi Military Academy and foreign staff colleges including the United States Army Command and General Staff College and Joint Services Command and Staff College. Challenges include recruitment in disputed territories such as Kirkuk, retention after conflict, and addressing sectarian splits revealed during the collapse of units in the Northern Iraq campaign (2014).

Equipment and Capabilities

Equipment inventories reflect legacy Soviet and Western stocks including T-72, T-55, and M1 Abrams main battle tanks, MiG-29 and Sukhoi Su-25 combat aircraft alongside modern acquisitions like F-16 Fighting Falcons. Ground forces field armored personnel carriers such as the BMP-1 and M113, artillery systems including the D-30 howitzer and M198 howitzer, and air defense assets from SA-3 Goa series to Western radars. Naval capabilities are concentrated in littoral patrol craft and mine countermeasure vessels for operations in the Persian Gulf and Shatt al-Arab waterway. Procurement programs involve deals with United States Department of Defense, Russia, France, and Italy while sustainment depends on logistics links from coalition partners.

Operations and Deployments

Iraqi forces have conducted conventional campaigns in the Iran–Iraq War, the Gulf War, and counterinsurgency during the Iraq War (2003–2011). Post-2014 operations against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant featured integrated operations with U.S. Central Command, Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, and Iranian-backed militia coordination in urban battles such as the Battle of Mosul (2016–2017) and the Siege of Fallujah (2016). Peacekeeping and security cooperation include contributions to border security alongside Turkish Armed Forces tensions and joint efforts with Kurdistan Regional Government Peshmerga forces in contested zones.

Training and Doctrine

Doctrine evolution reflects influences from the U.S. Army Field Manuals, NATO standards, and regional doctrine exchanges with Iranian Armed Forces and Turkish Land Forces. Training institutions include the Iraqi Military Academy, the Babil Military College, and specialized centers for counterterrorism modeled after U.S. Special Operations Command methodologies. Multinational exercises with United Kingdom Armed Forces, United States Armed Forces, and Jordan Armed Forces emphasize urban warfare, counter-IED, and combined-arms interoperability. Professional military education reforms target noncommissioned officer development and staff officer curricula to address lessons from asymmetric conflict.

International Cooperation and Assistance

International partners providing assistance encompass United States Department of Defense, NATO Training Mission-Iraq, European Union advisory missions, and bilateral programs with Russia, France, Germany, and Italy. Security sector reform initiatives involve the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, defense equipment sales through the Foreign Military Sales Program (United States), and intelligence-sharing with Coalition partners. Foreign military training, arms transfers, and reconstruction aid are linked to strategic partnerships, regional diplomacy with Iran–Iraq relations, and counterterrorism frameworks tied to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS.

Category:Military of Iraq