In early June of this year, Iraq was attacked by militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (by now the name of the organization has been shortened to “Islamic State”). The militants were able to take advantage of the surprise attack, resulting in the capture of a number of major Iraqi cities in just a few days. In addition, the militants recaptured a fairly large amount of weapons and various military equipment from the Iraqi military. The fighting in Iraq, which has received serious international attention, continues to this day.
Already in the first days of the conflict, the Iraqi army lost a certain amount of weapons and equipment to the enemy. Because of this, official Baghdad was forced to turn to foreign countries for help. To date, a number of states have provided political support to Iraq. In addition, the United States began to launch air strikes against the positions of the Islamic State. Russia did not stand aside either. A few days after the militant attack, the Iraqi leadership turned to our country with a request to sell military equipment that could be used in the fight against the enemy.
Russia and Iraq have solid experience of cooperation in the military-technical sphere, although after the change of power in the first half of the 2000s, such cooperation was sporadic. However, the attack by militants and the peculiarities of cooperation with third countries affected Baghdad’s plans and actions. The Iraqi Armed Forces are in serious need of combat aviation, since some of the Air Force's planes and helicopters were destroyed or captured by the enemy. Great hopes were placed on the delivery of American F-16 fighter-bombers, ordered in September 2011. However, for a number of reasons, the United States cannot yet begin supplying this equipment, despite all the requests of the Iraqi military.
In need of military equipment, Iraq turned to Russia for help. At the end of June, reports emerged of the first instance of such cooperation prompted by a militant offensive. On the 20th of June, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced the purchase of six Sukhoi fighters, which would soon be transferred to his country's air force. The official did not name the specific type of aircraft, but it soon became clear that we were talking about Su-30K fighters.
According to information that soon appeared, Iraq acquired six Su-30K fighters built for the Indian Air Force. At the end of the nineties, Russia sold 18 fighters of this model to the Indian military, which were used until 2008. After this, the aircraft were returned to the manufacturing country, and the Indian Air Force acquired new Su-30MKI. After returning to Russia, the aircraft underwent repairs and modernization, while some of the fighters were repaired at the 558th aircraft repair plant in Baranovichi (Republic of Belarus).
Of the 18 aircraft returned by India, 12 were subject to contract with Angola. The transfer of equipment in accordance with this agreement will begin next year. The remaining six aircraft were apparently sold to Iraq, which needed urgent supplies of aircraft. In late June, the Su-30K fighters were handed over to the customer.
At the very beginning of July, new information appeared about cooperation in the field of combat aviation. It was reported that by the end of June the parties managed to discuss, conclude and partially fulfill a contract for the supply of Su-25 attack aircraft. At the end of June, several of these aircraft were sent to Iraq. According to available data, Russia transferred 5-6 aircraft to Iraq. The attack aircraft were delivered disassembled. Iraqi specialists had to prepare them for use by the troops.
Later, some details of the deal appeared in the domestic press. Thus, in total, more than 10 attack aircraft were ordered at a total cost of about 500 million US dollars. In addition, some Russian media claimed that the aircraft transferred to Iraq were taken from Russian storage bases and some of them could have been used in the war in Afghanistan. A little later, the fleet of Iraqi Air Force equipment was replenished with Su-25 aircraft donated by Iran.
The latest information about the supply of Russian aircraft to Iraq appeared at the end of August. In 2012, Russia and Iraq signed a contract for the supply of Mi-28NE attack helicopters. In accordance with this document, the Middle Eastern state was to receive 40 helicopters. Slightly less than half of the ordered vehicles were delivered in the fall of last year and in the winter of this year. On August 30, the Iraqi Ministry of Defense announced the delivery of a new batch of attack vehicles. A little later, the number of helicopters in this batch was announced: the Iraqi Air Force received three new machines.
Combat aircraft must strike positions of Islamic State militants, but the leading role in battles remains with ground forces. The fairly rapid offensive of the militants affected both the quantitative and qualitative features of the equipment of the Iraqi army. Because of this, Baghdad was forced to make several orders for the supply of ground military equipment.
In July, Iraq received part of the ordered BM-21 Grad multiple launch rocket systems. In total, Baghdad ordered three divisions of such vehicles. Each division can include up to 18 combat vehicles. In addition to self-propelled launchers, the Iraqi military has ordered a large amount of ammunition for them. This technique will be used to strike militant positions at a distance of up to several tens of kilometers.
Also at the end of July, photographs were published of the unloading of the Russian An-124 aircraft, which delivered the TOS-1A Solntsepek heavy flamethrower systems to Iraq. Previously, there was no information about the purchase of this equipment, which is why its delivery attracted a lot of attention. The cargo plane delivered at least one self-propelled launcher and one transport-loading vehicle of the TOS-1A complex.
At the end of July and beginning of August, reports appeared in the Russian media about further cooperation with Iraq, received from sources in the Ministry of Defense and the defense complex. In addition to the Grads (two or three divisions) and Solntsepeks (four complexes), the Iraqi military wants to receive several divisions of Msta-B howitzers, several types of mortars, as well as various ammunition for the ordered systems.
The total cost of all artillery systems planned for delivery exceeds $1 billion. The corresponding agreements were signed on the twentieth of July during the visit of the Iraqi delegation to Moscow. Deliveries are expected to be made both through the production of new equipment and using existing reserves.
The Islamic State organization poses a great danger to Iraq and a number of countries in the Middle East. The specifics of the current conflict force the Iraqi leadership to make decisions as quickly as possible and turn to those suppliers of weapons and equipment that can fulfill the order in the shortest possible time. As the events of recent months have shown, Russia is capable of fulfilling defense orders under tight deadlines. Let us recall that the first information about the supply of combat aircraft to Iraq appeared at the end of June, i.e. just three weeks after the fighting began.
Iraq's unexpected orders are beneficial to Russia from an economic point of view, since the Middle Eastern state is willing to pay about a billion dollars for artillery systems alone. In addition, the contracts received stimulate the industry by providing it with new orders. Finally, supplying equipment removed from storage can also be considered a positive character consequence, since it allows you to get money for unused and possibly unnecessary equipment without making adjustments to the production plan for new ones.
Russia is fulfilling the terms of the new contracts and supplying Iraq with various military equipment and ammunition that will be used to fight the Islamic State militants. Despite the minimal deadlines, Russia is fulfilling its contractual obligations and playing a certain role in the fight against militants. However, the final victory over them is the task of the Iraqi armed forces.
Based on materials from sites:
http://ria.ru/
http://lenta.ru/
http://rg.ru/
http://interfax.ru/
http://bmpd.livejournal.com/
In addition to problems with weapons (under Saddam and now) and discipline, Iraqi soldiers have big problems with motivation
With the intensification of the actions of the Russian Aerospace Forces in Syria and the simultaneous attack of the SAA on the positions of the Islamic State, news about the remaining members of the anti-ISIS forces almost disappeared from the news feeds. In particular, on October 6, the Iraqi army launched an offensive to recapture the city of Ramadi in Anbar province, which was almost not written about in the Russian media. Meanwhile, the Iraqi military has achieved significant success, seizing control of several square kilometers of the city of Ramadi.
Known for its numerous failures, the Iraqi army was still a formidable force in the region. However, the defeat of Saddam’s troops in the war with Kuwait (Operation Desert Storm) was due to the total superiority of the United States in the air. The Second Iraq War was more difficult for the Americans, but the goals were not comparable. In both cases, the Iraqi army faced a force several times its firepower.
The current Iraqi armed forces trace their history back to the summer of 2003, when the occupation forces initiated the creation first of law enforcement units, and then of the Ministry of Defense.
However, looking at the command staff of the newly-minted army and the political and ethnic composition of the soldiers, we can say with confidence that these people are not in the military sphere yesterday. Most of the military were left without work after the defeat of Saddam Hussein's troops, and when such a chance arose, they all took advantage of it. Thus, despite the interrupted continuity of statehood, the continuity of army personnel remained.
Created in 2003, the army gradually received weapons from the peacekeeping contingent, NATO countries, and of course, overwhelmingly from the United States. The diversity of NATO countries' weapons was complemented by Saddam's legacy. The preparations were carried out by American companies under a contract with the Pentagon.
From 2003 to 2014, more than 1,500 terrorist attacks occurred in the country. This figure can be called the main indicator not only of the level of training of the security forces, but of the degree of motivation of intelligence workers.
In the summer of 2014, the Islamic State group begins its triumphal march across the vast expanses of Iraq, and then the unprecedented happens - the army men who are supposed to protect the cities simply scatter, the Islamists capture city after city with incredible speed, capture Samarra, Mosul, Ramadi, Fallujah, Tikrit and others. Along the way, the Islamists take away the latest American weapons, becoming no longer a bunch of militants with machine guns, but a force with its own artillery and powerful armored support.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi army is trying to curb the panic, but in vain. In total, during the 3 months of the ISIS offensive, the army lost from 3 to 6 thousand soldiers killed, 4-5 thousand captured, and 90 thousand escaped!
Many army soldiers were later seen on the other side. This also applies to the command - the most famous example is Abu Ali Al-Anbari, who resigned from Saddam's army after accusations of corruption.
Such problems, according to analysts, are associated with several reasons:
- the fighters “fought” well in peacetime, because this is a good salary and maintenance with minimal labor costs;
— many fighters adhered to Islamist views and directly sympathized with the enemy;
— the training of fighters carried out by American companies turned out to be ineffective.
Raman Berzenchi, 16 years old, Kurdish militiaman from the Peshmerga - “I know many cases of Iraqi army fighters defecting to the Islamic State. This mainly happens with prisoners who are threatened with execution, but there have also been voluntary transfers.”
Another Peshmerga militiaman (who did not give his name), who clashed with the Iraqi military during the liberation of the road near Mosul, speaks of them much more harshly:
“They have terrible discipline, they behave disgustingly.” They were usually armed, although they had the latest American machine guns and machine guns, and were dressed in black clothes (this was the special forces battalion Sukur Al-Rafidain (Rafidain's Falcons)).
That day there was a conflict between us. It all started with the liberation of the point (Mosul Road). After taking the point, we gained a foothold, then American armored vehicles of the Iraqi army arrived at our positions, and their commander demanded that we leave this territory. Naturally, we didn’t go anywhere, which is why there was a conflict between our commanders, then the soldiers of our army and the Iraqi army fought almost hand-to-hand, after which the Iraqis, shouting Glory to Iraq and Allah Akbar, left our positions in their vehicles.
Having traced the entire history of the Iraqi army over the past three decades, one can understand that in addition to problems with weapons (under Saddam and now) and discipline, Iraqi soldiers have big problems with motivation. Often the military's missions conflict with the soldier's cultural and religious beliefs and personal goals. This leads to the fact that the army suffers most of its losses from desertion, and not from bullets and shells.
Please note that the following extremist and terrorist organizations are prohibited in the Russian Federation: Jehovah's Witnesses, National Bolshevik Party, Right Sector, Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), Islamic State (IS, ISIS, Daesh) , “Jabhat Fatah al-Sham”, “Jabhat al-Nusra”, “Al-Qaeda”, “UNA-UNSO”, “Taliban”, “Majlis of the Crimean Tatar people”, “Misanthropic Division”, “Brotherhood” of Korchinsky, “Trident named after. Stepan Bandera", "Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists" (OUN).
However, in reality, his influence on the fate of the country is not limited to a 24-year period: it began much earlier and continues to this day, although the fate of the former president has already been sealed by the Supreme Criminal Court of Iraq: he will be hanged. Hussein's personality, as well as the results of his reign, are assessed differently: some call him a bloody announcer who led the country to a national catastrophe, others consider him a martyr who suffered in the struggle for the integrity and independence of the country. One thing is clear: the “era of Hussein,” which is gradually receding into the past, will long determine the fate of not only the Iraqi people, but the entire world.
Background
The modern Iraqi state was created by Britain in 1920, and the country gained formal independence in 1932. In reality, the levers of control were in the hands of the British.
For the West, control over a country with huge oil reserves was of strategic importance. Back in 1925, the Anglo-French-American consortium "Turkish Petroleum" received a concession to develop the oil wealth of Iraq, which four years later was renamed "Iraq Petroleum". In 1952, Iraq's share of the company's rapidly growing oil revenues increased to 50%. However, this was clearly not enough for anti-Western figures.
In 1957 20-year-old Hussein joined the newly formed Baath Party, which preached the ideas of pan-Arab nationalism with a socialist tint. The young Saddam helped organize two coups. One was aimed at overthrowing the British-installed Iraqi monarchy in 1956, the other aimed at killing Brigadier General Abdel Karim Qassim, who seized power in 1958.
However, both of them failed. The Baath Party managed to come to power much later - in 1968. General Ahmad Hassan al-Bakr, whose daughter Saddam was married to, then came to power. Al-Bakr and Hussein became close associates and the dominant force in the Baath Party.
Nationalization of Iraq Petroleum 1973
In the mid-70s. The new Iraqi leadership is taking a number of steps that have caused obvious discontent in the West. In 1972 - signs a 15-year cooperation agreement with the Soviet Union. In 1973, relying on the support of the Soviet Union, Baghdad decided to nationalize Iraq Petroleum, which sold cheap oil to the West. The nationalization of this company had the same meaning for Iraq as the nationalization of the Suez Canal for the Egyptian people.
Increased oil revenues allowed the Iraqi authorities to increase investment in the oil industry itself, as well as in education and health care, making the standard of living in Iraq one of the highest in the entire Arab world. By 1979, when Saddam Hussein became president, oil provided 95 percent of the country's foreign exchange earnings.
Kurdish uprising of 1974 and Algiers Accords of 1975
March 10, 1970 An agreement was signed with the Kurds, which included provisions on the rights of the Kurds to autonomy within Iraq. It was assumed that a specific law on autonomy would be developed within four years by mutual agreement.
However, on March 11, 1974, Baghdad unilaterally proclaimed a law that did not suit the Kurds. Most of all, the Kurds were outraged by the establishment of borders, as a result of which half of Iraqi Kurdistan, including oil-bearing Kirkuk, was not included in the autonomy. Meanwhile, in Kirkuk, the government had been vigorously Arabizing for several years, expelling the Kurds and settling Arabs in their place.
The Kurds, with the support of Iran and the United States, launched a year-long uprising that was defeated after the Algiers Treaty between Iraq and Iran (March 6, 1975). In exchange for border concessions from Iraq, it provided for Iran to end its support for the uprising. The uprising was suppressed.
Iran-Iraq relations have also improved. In the fall of 1978, Iraq expelled the main opponent of the Iranian Shah, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who then remained in exile for 15 years. However, this expulsion made Saddam a personal enemy of Khomeini, which could not but affect the relations between the two countries after the Ayatollah came to power in Iran in 1979.
Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988
Saddam Hussein, meanwhile, consolidated his power by promoting relatives and allies to key roles in government and business. In 1978, joining the ranks of opposition parties became punishable by death. And in 1979, Saddam Hussein forced General Bakr to resign (officially due to health reasons) and became head of state. Within days of taking power, he executed dozens of his rivals.
However, this policy was largely fueled by the actions of neighboring Iran. After the 1979 ouster of the Western-backed Shah Reza Pahlavi and the rise to power of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran intensified attacks on the Ba'athist regime in Iraq with the help of its Shiite opponents. It was not difficult to inspire Iraqi Shiites, long oppressed by the Sunni elite, to fight. They rebelled, and in 1980 they even organized an attempt on the life of Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz.
Under these conditions, Hussein resumed the old dispute about the Iraqi-Iranian border along the Shatt al-Arab River and about the status of oil-rich Iranian Khuzestan (called Arabistan in Iraq). Apparently, Saddam also hoped that victory in the war against Iran would help him deal with the Kurdish rebels. On September 22, 1980, Iraq began its invasion of the neighboring country.
ZVO No. 8/2007, pp. 15-21
national defense forcesIRAQ
Captain 1st rankS. KOVTUN
Political disunity and internal contradictions do not allow the Iraqi leadership to fully develop a coordinated program of action in both foreign and domestic policy. The formation of national interests is directly related to the position of the main ethno-confessional groups of the country, each of which pursues its own goals and tries to secure maximum powers in the power structures of the state. Nevertheless, practical measures for the construction of post-war Iraq, as well as international contacts of Iraqi politicians, make it possible to identify a number of general directions and principles of the country’s military-political course. Their content is determined by the objectives of the Iraqi state, the priority of which are: ensuring sovereignty and territorial integrity, creating a comprehensive security system, restoring the country’s economy and the sphere of social services to the population, developing international cooperation, and the fight against terrorism.
Taking into account the activity of armed resistance, the implementation of these plans is impossible without the creation of combat-ready security forces, and above all Iraqi National Defense Forces (SNDF or armed forces), which are considered as a core element of ensuring the functioning of the entire state system. Along with this, the priority is the restoration of the fuel and energy complex, and in particular the oil industry, which will allow the implementation of long-term government programs in the economic sphere. The main projects offered to foreign investors also involve the development of air and rail transport, the construction of highways and port communications, the creation of a developed system of wired and wireless communication systems, and others. Thus, as Iraqi politicians believe, a basis will be created for the subsequent build-up of Iraq's military and military-economic potential.
The long-term plan for the construction of SNOI and the economic program of the government do not provide for the creation of military-industrial complex enterprises in the near future. This is due not only to significant economic difficulties and lack of financial resources, but primarily to the approaches of Iraqi politicians to assessing the purpose and objectives of the Armed Forces. The construction of the country's national defense forces is being carried out in accordance with a plan developed by the coalition military training assistance group with the leading role of American specialists.
According to the views of the US Armed Forces command, in the foreseeable future, the newly formed Iraqi security forces will primarily perform tasks of ensuring security and protecting the borders from the penetration of terrorist elements into Iraqi territory. In this regard, the creation of impact elements in their structure is not planned. It is planned to equip units of the Iraqi security forces with weapons and military equipment through direct purchases abroad.
Legal aspects of the construction and operation of SNOI. Adopted October 15, 2005 constitution Iraq became the first document that provided the legal basis for the construction and functioning of the armed forces.
In accordance with Art. 9 of the Basic Law, the Iraqi National Defense Forces are staffed by Iraqi citizens, regardless of their religious and ethnic affiliation, are administratively subordinate to civilian leadership and are intended to protect the state from external aggression and internal reaction. At the same time, the SPLA cannot be used against its own people, interfere in the political activities of the civilian leadership and in any way participate in the process of forming power structures.
The fundamental provision enshrined in the text of the Basic Law is the ban on the use for military purposes of any type of weapon of mass destruction, including nuclear, chemical, bacteriological and other military weapons.
Dislocation diagram of the main connections and parts of the SNOI
The functions of the commander-in-chief of the armed forces are performed by the prime minister, who nominates for parliamentary approval candidates for the chief of the general staff, commanders of the armed forces, as well as heads of main departments and commanders of military formations up to the division. The head of government has the right to declare war and a state of emergency in the country, but in each case, as the constitution prescribes, this requires a corresponding decision of the legislative assembly.
These provisions were confirmed and further developed in the fundamental document in the field of construction and combat use of national armed forces for the period until 2011, which received the name "Iraq Military Strategy".
Iraqi soldier at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Baghdad
This document defines the concept of construction of the SNOI, which involves two phases. The first provides for an increase in operational capabilities, as well as the transfer to the military leadership of functions to ensure the country's security, the second - the transfer of these functions to civilian authorities at all levels.
The process of forming the SNOI is planned to be largely completed by the end of 2007. At this stage, they will be managed by the joint headquarters with limited support from the MNF command. As commanders and staffs gain experience in combat command and control, the degree of participation of foreign military formations in solving problems of ensuring the security of Iraq will decrease.
The main tasks of the Iraqi Armed Forces for 2007 are:
- increasing the level of operational and combat training of troops, creating a modern command and control system, forming a logistics service and intelligence agencies;
- countering terrorist threats;
- ensuring the safety of infrastructure facilities;
-expanding the capabilities of the country’s military leadership for the operational management of formations and units;
- improvement of the material and technical base;
- improving the moral and psychological state of personnel, improving the recruitment mechanism;
-development of military cooperation.
The document also reflects factors that could negatively affect the practical implementation of the proposed “military strategy.” These include, in particular, a possible change in political course, widespread corruption, and insufficient funding for a number of key programs and projects.
Military administration bodies. The highest administrative authority for the Iraqi National Defense Forces is the MoD. The competence of the military department includes the following issues: military development, recruitment of the armed forces, equipping units and units of arms and military equipment, logistics and logistics support, as well as personnel training. Along with this, the Minister of Defense is responsible for developing military doctrine and the principles for the use of armed forces. Currently, the Iraqi Defense Ministry is actively working on a number of bills regulating the status of military personnel, the procedure for interaction of military command and control bodies with other departments and, in addition, to improve the field regulations and manuals for the internal service of troops.
The Department of Defense includes: the Training Command, seven major directorates under the overall direction of the Secretary General of the Secretary of Defense, the Office of Advisors, and the Veterans Affairs Agency.
Directly subordinate to the Minister of Defense is the Commander-in-Chief of the National Defense Forces of Iraq - the Chief of the Joint Staff (JS) of the SNDF, who is entrusted with general leadership:
Joint headquarters of the SNOI;
Commanders of the armed forces (ground forces, air force and naval forces);
Unified Commands (special operations forces, training and combat support);
Headquarters of special troops and services (military medical and military legal).
The Joint Headquarters exercises operational control of the Strategic Defense Forces and is also responsible for the combat and mobilization readiness of formations and units of the armed forces. It is led by the Chief of Staff - Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the SNOI. The structure of the OH is formed by eight departments (personnel, intelligence, operational, logistics, planning, control and communications, combat training and automated control systems).
Organizational and staffing structure of SNOI. Significant difficulties in staffing units and units of the Iraqi security forces, insufficient funding for military programs and the lack of weapons and military equipment caused a lag behind the planned schedule for the construction of national defense forces. In this regard, in 2005, the structure of the newly formed Armed Forces, which assumed the presence of ground, air force, naval components and the national guard, was revised. Based on real possibilities, the Iraqi military-political leadership decided to exclude the national guard from the armed forces as an independent element and transfer its units to the ground forces.
Iraqi tank crews during combat training
In accordance with this, the construction of the Iraqi National Defense Forces is carried out in three components: ground forces, air force and naval forces. Priority in terms of the pace of construction and invested funds at the present stage is given to the ground forces, which solve the problems of ensuring security and countering armed opposition units. Completion of the implementation of the plan for the formation of SNOI is scheduled for the end of 2007.
Organizationally, the Iraqi National Defense Forces include:
- control authorities (Iraqi Ministry of Defense and joint headquarters);
- formations and units of ground forces;
- special operations forces;
- units and units of the air force;
- units and divisions of naval forces;
- military educational institutions(militaryAcademy in Zakho and AcademySNOIin Baghdad).
As of January 1, 2007, the strength of the SDF was about 135 thousand military personnel, of which up to 133 thousand were in the ground forces and approximately 1 thousand each in the Air Force and Navy.
The armed forces have nine infantry and one mechanized divisions, six aviation squadrons, a patrol boat division and a marine battalion.
The combat equipment of the formations and units of the Ground Forces of the Special Forces is represented by T-55 tanks, 1-12, Soviet-made BTR-60PB and BMP-1, Chinese-made BTR-531 and American-made BTR M113A2; The Air Force is armed with the C-130E Hercules, SB7L 360 Seeker, 7SL Comp Air aircraft, as well as the UH-1H Iroquois, Bell 206 Jet Ranger helicopters ( Bell Jet Ranger) and Mi-17; The Navy has Predator boats and various watercraft at its disposal. Armed Forces units are equipped with small arms of Soviet, Chinese, Iraqi and American origin.
Ground troops - the main branch of the Iraqi Armed Forces - designed to conduct combat operations independently, as well as in cooperation with the Air Force, Navy and internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Their main tasks are to ensure state security, fight terrorism, and provide assistance to the population in eliminating the consequences of natural disasters. The ground forces of the SNOI, numbering 133 thousand people, have in combat composition:
Nine infantry and one mechanized division;
Special Operations Forces Brigade (SSO);
Three separate transport regiments;
Separate engineering regiment;
Seven defense and service battalions of the Defense Ministry;
Battalion for the protection of military and government facilities;
17 oil pipeline security battalions (under formation);
Training battalion. Number of division personnel
ranges from 4.5 thousand to 15 thousand people. Organizationally, they consist of two to five battalion-level brigades (up to five battalions per brigade). The main type of brigade is infantry, there are also a small number of tank and mechanized ones.
Special operations forces are considered the most trained in the Iraqi army. The MTR (commando battalion, anti-terrorist task force, support battalion, reconnaissance company and training unit) are consolidated into a separate brigade of about 1,500 people, equipped with American-made equipment and weapons. The brigade's units operate throughout Iraq and solve problems typical of special forces of the armies of other countries. The main problem is the lack of aviation vehicles that can quickly respond to emerging threats and eliminate them.
The ground forces are armed mainly with small arms and light armored vehicles, which confirms the main purpose of divisional units and units - to perform the functions of security forces. The exception is the mechanized division, which is armed with 121 tanks (77 T-72 Soviet and 44 T-55/T-59 Chinese), as well as a large number of light armored vehicles. Significant progress in the technical equipment of the military forces was achieved in 2005, after the formation of the transitional government and thanks to the start of the development of military-technical cooperation with foreign partners. Supplies of arms and military equipment for the formed units of the Iraqi Armed Forces are carried out mainly from countries that supported the United States in the military operation against the Saddam Hussein regime and took part in the post-war reconstruction of Iraq, as well as from Arab states. In particular, small arms, ammunition, personal protective equipment and automotive equipment come from many NATO countries, light armored vehicles are received from Jordan, the UAE and Ukraine.
The structure of the Army operates three training centers for training military personnel within units (up to a company). In each of the centers, up to 3 thousand military personnel can simultaneously undergo training.
According to American military sources, at present, in the north of Iraq, out of 10 planned divisions, the formation of only six has been completed, out of 36 brigades - 30, out of 112 battalions - 90. The troops do not have artillery, anti-tank and air defense systems, tank and engineering units are very poorly represented units, communications, reconnaissance, technical and logistics support. Troop mobility also remains weak. Most formations and units are not able to independently fight rebels and terrorists and, as a rule, operate with fire and air support, as well as logistics support from the US Armed Forces. The army is experiencing an acute shortage of trained officers and sergeants, and the quality of management of subordinate units and subunits remains low.
Air Force, being an independent branch of the armed forces, they are intended for reconnaissance support of ground forces, patrolling oil industry facilities, as well as for transporting people and cargo. According to the plan of the Iraqi Air Force, the Air Force should play a prominent role in the combat support of ground forces in solving security problems, especially with the beginning of measures to transfer these functions from multinational forces to Iraqi security forces.
In April 2006, the joint headquarters of the SNOI developed and approved a long-term plan for the development of the Air Force until the end of 2007. The main tasks of the air force are declared to be the ability of this type of aircraft to exercise control over the entire territory of Iraq, to protect the country's airspace, its infrastructure, population and natural resources from the actions of external and internal enemies, including terrorist and rebel organizations.
To accomplish these tasks, priority areas of activity of the Iraqi Air Force headquarters are provided, which are aimed primarily at developing and implementing plans for modernizing the aircraft fleet and determining the optimal organizational and staffing structure. In the interests of the fight against terrorism, it is planned to resolve the issue of providing air reconnaissance data to the headquarters of ground forces and special operations forces on a permanent basis in real time, as well as to obtain the opportunity for the simultaneous transfer of up to 650 Iraqi military personnel with small arms to the combat area. Control of borders and provision of early warning of their violation oblige the Air Force to carry out continuous control of the 12-mile coastal zone, more than 350 km of land borders, as well as reconnaissance of border areas.
As of January 1, 2007, the Iraqi Air Force continues to form six aviation squadrons, including three helicopter squadrons, one reconnaissance squadron and one transport squadron, which also transports senior commanders.
In total, the SNOI Air Force operates: 34 aircraft (C-130E - 3, SB7L-360 "Siker" - 16, 7SL "Comp Air" - 9, SN-2000 - 6) and 26 helicopters (UH-1H "Iroquois" - 16, Bell 206 “Jet Ranger”-10, Mi-17-8).
The Iraqi leadership and the MNF command are making significant efforts to form a combat-ready Iraqi Air Force. It is planned to significantly increase their number, transfer new aircraft and helicopters into service with aviation units, as well as modernize existing aircraft. However, despite the efforts made, due to a lack of material resources and trained specialists, whose training takes a long time, most (over 60 percent) of helicopter equipment is faulty. Almost half of the reconnaissance aircraft fleet also requires repairs. The equipment of military air bases needs modernization.
Navy, according to the views of the Iraqi command, they are intended to carry out coastal defense tasks, in particular to protect the maritime border and territorial waters, ensure navigation, protect water areas, sea communications and coastal infrastructure from the penetration of militants of anti-government formations, as well as to prevent smuggling and illegal migration. At the same time, the area of responsibility of the Iraqi Navy will include: the northwestern part of the Persian Gulf (including the Khor ez-Zu Beir Gulf, the Khor Shetana and Abdallah straits), the river bed. Shatt al-Arab, water areas of the sea oil ports of Mina al-Bakr and Khor al-Ameya (32 and 41 km southeast of the city of Fao, respectively) and elements of the oil infrastructure (platforms and derricks) around them. Small-sized naval vessels can be used to support combat operations of ground forces in the Tigris and Euphrates river basins, as well as to transport individual units of the armed forces and military cargo.
The naval forces of the SNOI number about 1 thousand people and include a division of patrol boats, a battalion of marines and logistics support units. The division's combat strength includes five Predator-type patrol boats (Chinese-made, provided to Iraq by the American side) and 34 motor boats (including 24 with a rigid hull and 10 inflatables). All forces and assets of the SDF Navy are concentrated in the Umm Qasr naval base area (55 km south of Basra).
The process of forming the Iraqi Navy is in its initial stages. The coastal infrastructure of naval bases has not been restored to date. Administrative buildings, repair docks, berths, radar and navigation facilities need radical modernization. In the future, the Navy will be transferred to a permanent organizational structure, which includes the inclusion of an amphibious division (for the rapid delivery of marines to objects in the coastal zone), a support and maintenance division, and a detachment of divers.
Personnel training system The new Iraqi army is being created according to Western models. Currently, the main role in training Iraqi military personnel is played by specialists from the United States and a number of other NATO countries. The educational process is organized on the territory of Iraq (training centers in the cities of Taji, Er-Rustamiya, Baghdad, Mosul), as well as outside its borders - in Norway, Germany and other countries. In particular, from 2003 to the present, more than 1,500 Iraqi military personnel have been trained at the anti-terrorist training center in Amman (Jordan). Classes are taught by teaching officers from the USA, Jordan and Iraq. Since March 2006, the main activities of this center have been transferred to Iraq.
To train recruits, a special training brigade has been created, consisting of three battalions (training bases), two of which are located in the Kirkuk area and one in the city of An-Numa-niyah. The general initial training period for recruits is five weeks. Then training continues in a specific military specialty: infantryman, tankman, signalman, driver, repairman, military policeman, staff worker And etc. Such training (lasting three to seven weeks) is carried out in specialized educational institutions (communications school, military police school, engineering school).
NCOs for the positions of squad commander and platoon commander are trained in three special and six regional training centers. These centers offer monthly retraining courses for officers and sergeants of the old Iraqi army who have expressed a desire to serve in the new one.
Junior officer training for the armed forces is carried out at a military academy (in fact, it is a military school) with a training period of 12 months. The program of this educational institution (Er-Rustamiya) is adapted to the program of the English military college (Sandhurst). The academy has courses for company commanders. In January 2006, the first group of 73 people graduated.
Senior officers are trained at the Staff College. In 2006, the National Defense College was opened to train senior officers. A large group of American military advisers and instructors is directly involved in training personnel within the troops. There are also a military institute for support and support, military intelligence, military police and military engineering schools.
The duration of education and training for enlisted personnel and officers for Air Force units is 1-6 months. The training is carried out in training centers in the United States (specialties - pilot, navigator, maintenance officer, flight engineer) and Iraq (private and non-commissioned personnel of maintenance and repair units).
Training for the Iraqi Navy is carried out in a separate training unit (Basra), with the main focus on engineering and maritime training. Additional training in Marine units takes an additional six weeks.
Prospects for the construction of SNOI. The construction of Iraqi security forces, and in particular the national defense forces, is of fundamental importance from both a military and political point of view.
Based on the current situation, the Iraqi leadership has concentrated its efforts on the accelerated formation of formations and units of ground forces, which will play a decisive role in countering and suppressing combat units of the armed opposition. The plan of the country's Ministry of Defense provides for the completion by the end of 2007 of nine infantry and one mechanized divisions, as well as a brigade of special operations forces of the ground forces. In this case, the main attention is paid to the creation of mobile formations capable of arriving in the destination area in the shortest possible time to carry out combat missions. Replenishment of the remaining formations of the Ground Forces of the Special Forces will be carried out as targeted allocations are received in the budget of the Ministry of Defense. Due to the insufficient financial resources to implement military programs, the Iraqi government has high hopes for gratuitous assistance from neighboring Arab countries, as well as coalition member states.
The main tasks of the SNOI air force, represented by 34 aircraft and 26 helicopters for various purposes, are to provide fire support, conduct reconnaissance activities and transport cargo. At the same time, no more than 50 percent of the available aviation assets are used, which is due to the lack of not only trained pilots, but also technical personnel in the units. This problem is being solved at this stage with the assistance of the United States and Great Britain, whose instructors are training the flight and technical personnel of the Iraqi Air Force. Taking into account their limited capabilities and small numbers, there are no plans to create or restore flight and aviation technical schools in Iraq itself. Nevertheless, the SDF command attaches great importance to the development of the national air force and, despite financial difficulties, is making efforts to improve its capabilities. It is expected that in the coming months, ten CH-2000 aircraft purchased from Jordan with financial support from the United States will enter service with the SNOI Air Force.
The Iraqi naval forces are in the initial stages of formation. The main plans of the country's command for the near future include the reconstruction of the infrastructure of the Umm Qasr naval base, as well as increasing the combat strength of the patrol boat division.
In general, at the present time the Iraqi National Defense Forces are in the formation stage and are not able to fully carry out the tasks assigned to them. At the same time, the country's leadership, taking into account the vital importance of the issue of building the national armed forces, is making every effort to accelerate the implementation of the plans. It is expected that by the end of 200 7 years, formations and units of the ground forces of the SNOI will achieve the required level of combat readiness. It should be emphasized that military-technical cooperation with Iraq, taking into account the long-term needs of the armed forces of this country for arms and military equipment and specialists, as well as the government’s plans for the development of the national military-industrial complex, is becoming one of the priority areas of activity of the leadership of many states.
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The Iraqi armed forces are one of the three pillars on which the military-dictatorial regime of Saddam Hussein rests. In addition to the army, this is also a rigid authoritarian centralized government and a one-party system - the Arab Socialist Renaissance Party (Baath).
The Iraqi Armed Forces were created shortly after the First World War. Officially, January 6, 1921 is considered the birthday of the Iraqi army. In the early 30s. The Iraqi Air Force was formed, which consisted of several squadrons of English-made aircraft. On the eve of the 40s. small naval forces appeared.
During World War II, the armed forces of Baghdad did not take part in serious combat operations. However, under the influence of the anti-fascist liberation struggle of the peoples, anti-imperialist and anti-colonial sentiments grew in the Iraqi army. Among the officers, these patriotic sentiments contributed to the overthrow of the reactionary monarchist regime on July 14, 1958.
Party and army
However, already the first years of the independent development of the Iraqi Republic led to contradictions between the various political parties included in the National Unity Front. In the process of tough inter-party struggle, the Arab Socialist Renaissance Party (Baath) came to power.
In December 1958, Saddam Hussein joined the Baath Party. He participated in a failed terrorist attack to assassinate then-Iraqi President Qassem. Saddam Hussein fled first to Damascus and then to Cairo. Upon his return to Iraq, he surrounded himself with close friends from the Ba'ath Party and isolated his rivals - his own comrades in the organization and the army.
On July 17, 1979, Saddam Hussein removed Albakr from all posts, placing him under house arrest (according to the official version, this was his resignation due to illness), and took political power into his own hands, becoming the president of the country. In fact, it was another coup d'etat, which was organized by the Baath Party and the army.
After his arrival, Hussein transformed the Baath Party, following the example of the army, into a well-organized and disciplined organization capable of not only seizing, but also maintaining power in Iraq. He sought to transform the army into a powerful armed force based on a one-party system.
Military potential
The armed forces play an important role in Iraq's military potential. In 1990, when the Gulf War began, Saddam Hussein deployed about 1 million people, and 650 thousand were in reserve. Today, according to open foreign sources, there are 429,000 regular armed forces. There are up to 50,000 paramilitary forces, including security units - 15,000, border troops - 20,000, Saddam Hussein's fedayeen (volunteer armed formation) - up to 15,000. Military budget - $1.4 billion. An important place in the regular armed forces of Iraq is occupied by the ground forces (ground forces), air force (air force) and naval forces (navy). NE - 375,000 people, 7 corps headquarters, 23 divisions (3 armored, 3 mechanized, 11 infantry, 6 Republican Guard), 11 separate brigades. Armament: up to 6 launchers of operational-tactical missiles, about 2,200 tanks (T-55, T-59, T-62, 700 T-72), up to 900 infantry fighting vehicles, 2,400 armored personnel carriers, 400 combat reconnaissance vehicles, 1,900 towed guns field artillery, 150 self-propelled howitzers, 200 multiple launch rocket systems, about 500 anti-aircraft artillery guns, 375 army aviation helicopters (100 combat).
Air Force: 30,000 (including 17,000 in air defense). Aircraft and helicopter fleet: 20 MiG-25, MiG-29, MiG-23 and MiG-27, Su-22, Mirage-F1, 5 An-12, Il-76, RS-7, RS-9, Mi -24, Mi-8, Mi-17, Mi-6, SA-32, SA-330, SA-342L, Alouette-3.
Naval forces: about 2000 people, 6 combat boats.
Iraq has great potential for mobilizing human resources. By the end of the Iran-Iraq War, as a result of total conscription, the number of personnel in the armed forces was increased to one million people. The Iraqi armed forces have elite units - command units; In addition, police units and intelligence forces can be used for military purposes.
The supreme commander of the Iraqi armed forces is the president, and they are directly led by the minister of defense through the general staff and commanders of the armed forces.
The Iraqi armed forces are recruited on the basis of the law on universal conscription. Conscription for military service - from 18 years of age. The period of compulsory military service for ordinary personnel is 2 years; stay in reserve - up to 45 years. The non-commissioned officer corps is composed of privates who have served for one year. The officer corps is recruited on a voluntary basis, mainly from young people with higher education, and is trained in the country's military educational institutions. Combat training is carried out by branch of the armed forces and branches of the armed forces, as well as during combined arms maneuvers.
By supporting Hussein's dictatorial regime, the Iraqi army carries out authoritarian-conservative functions in domestic and foreign policy.
