Iraqi Security Forces

Iraqi Security Forces
Cloudcounter · CC0 · source
Name	Iraqi Security Forces
Native name	القوات العراقية الأمنية
Founded	2003 (reconstituted)
Country	Iraq
Allegiance	Republic of Iraq
Branch	Iraqi Armed Forces; Iraqi Police
Motto	"Defend and Serve"
Headquarters	Baghdad
Commander1	Abdul Latif Rashid
Commander1 label	President
Commander2	Muhammad Shia' al-Sudani
Commander2 label	Prime Minister
Commander3	Mohammed Khalid al-Ghanim
Commander3 label	Minister of Defense
Identification symbol	Flag of Iraq

Iraqi Security Forces are the collective security institutions responsible for internal and external security of Iraq, including land, air, maritime, and policing elements. Reconstituted after the 2003 Iraq War, they evolved through influences from Coalition Provisional Authority, United States Department of Defense, and regional actors such as Iran and Turkey. Their development intersects with major events like the 2011 withdrawal of U.S. troops, the rise of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and the 2014 Northern Iraq offensive.

Organization and Structure

The command architecture ties the Prime Minister, such as Nouri al-Maliki in earlier periods and Haider al-Abadi in subsequent reforms, to ministries like the Iraqi Ministry of Defence and the Iraqi Ministry of Interior. Corps-level formations mirror structures from Ottoman Empire legacies and British Army advisory models; coordination involves the Joint Operations Command and provincial Iraqi Kurdistan arrangements with the Peshmerga. Administrative oversight includes entities such as the Supreme Judicial Council for legal action, the Independent High Electoral Commission indirectly affecting force composition, and international partners like NATO and the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq.

History and Development

Post-2003 rebuilding followed directives from the Coalition Provisional Authority and the US Congress authorizations such as the 2004 National Defense Authorization Act. Early stages featured de-Ba'athification linked to Saddam Hussein-era purges and influences from pre-1958 Iraqi Army traditions. The 2006-2007 Iraq War troop surge of 2007 reshaped counterinsurgency doctrine alongside lessons from the Afghanistan War (2001–2021). The 2014 collapse in northern provinces during the Sinjar massacre and Fall of Mosul (2014) prompted rearmament and retraining, drawing assistance from United States Central Command, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and United Kingdom Ministry of Defence advisers.

Components and Branches

Main components include the Iraqi Army, Iraqi Air Force, Iraqi Navy, and internal security forces under the Iraqi Ministry of Interior such as the Iraqi Federal Police and Counter-Terrorism Service (Iraq). Paramilitary actors like the Popular Mobilization Forces (al-Hashd al-Shaabi) operate alongside formal units, with political ties to blocs such as State of Law Coalition and figures like Muqtada al-Sadr. Regional forces include the Peshmerga in Kurdistan Region (Iraq) with command structures linked to parties like the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.

Equipment and Capabilities

Inventory derives from legacy Soviet Union systems, United States transfers, and regional procurement from Russia, Iran, and France. Ground equipment ranges from T-72 tanks and M1 Abrams subsidies to armored personnel carriers like Stryker-type vehicles and Type 63 variants. Aviation assets include F-16 Fighting Falcon acquisition plans, rotorcraft such as Bell AH-1 Cobra and Mil Mi-17 helicopters, and surveillance drones resembling MQ-1 Predator capabilities. Naval elements operate patrol craft similar to Type 021 designs for Persian Gulf littoral security. Intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance frameworks integrate systems supplied by Raytheon Technologies, Thales Group, and regional signal intercept platforms.

Training, Recruitment, and Professionalization

Training programs have involved institutions like the Iraqi Military Academy, Jordan Armed Forces training exchanges, and advisory efforts from US Army Training and Doctrine Command and NATO Training Mission-Iraq. Recruitment draws from provinces including Anbar Governorate, Nineveh Governorate, and Basra Governorate, affected by sectarian dynamics involving Sunni Arabs, Shia Arabs, and Iraqi Turkmen. Professionalization initiatives addressed dishonorable practices noted in reports by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, while legal frameworks invoke provisions of the Iraqi Constitution (2005) and parliamentary oversight by the Council of Representatives (Iraq).

Operations and Engagements

Forces have been engaged in major operations: the Operation Phantom Fury-era engagements, the Battle of Mosul (2016–2017), operations against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Tal Afar, and counterinsurgency in Anbar Campaign (2003–2011). Interventions included coordination with Coalition forces during the War in Iraq (2013–2017), joint counterterrorism with Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, and security operations during events like the 2019–2021 Iraqi protests. Cross-border incidents invoked responses involving Turkish Armed Forces incursions and diplomatic engagement with United Nations Security Council members.

Challenges, Reforms, and Oversight

Challenges include equipment maintenance traceable to supply chains from Soviet Union-era stocks, corruption scrutinized by Transparency International, sectarian militia integration debates involving Popular Mobilization Forces, and legal accountability issues raised by International Criminal Court-related concerns. Reforms focused on force integration under the Prime Minister of Iraq as commander-in-chief, budgetary adjustments approved by the Iraqi Council of Representatives, and anti-corruption measures enforced by the Integrity Commission. International oversight and assistance have involved United States Department of State security assistance, European Union advisory missions, and monitoring by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq.

Category:Military of Iraq