Iraqi Armed Forces | |
---|---|
![]() Emblem of the Armed Forces of Iraq | |
Motto | Arabic: الجيش سور الوطن transl. 'The army is the wall of the homeland' |
Founded | 6 February 1921 |
Current form | 18 August 2003[1] |
Service branches | Branches Paramilitary Forces |
Headquarters | Republican Palace, Baghdad |
Website | www |
Leadership | |
Ceremonial High Command[3] | ![]() |
Commander-in-Chief[4] | ![]() |
Minister of Defence | ![]() |
Chief of the General Staff | ![]() |
Personnel | |
Military age | 18[5] |
Conscription | No[6] |
Active personnel | 193,000 (2024)[7] |
Expenditure | |
Budget | $10.3 billion (2023)[7] |
Industry | |
Foreign suppliers | |
Annual imports | $2.4 billion (2023)[8] |
Annual exports | $1.8 billion (2023)[8] |
Related articles | |
History | |
Ranks | Military ranks of Iraq |
The Iraqi Armed Forces[a] are the military forces of the Republic of Iraq. They consist of the Ground forces, the Army Aviation Command, the Iraqi Air Force, the Air Defence Command and the Iraqi Navy. Along with these primary service branches, there exists the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service and the Popular Mobilization Forces. The Prime Minister of Iraq acts as the commander-in-chief according to Article 78 of the constitution of Iraq. The president of Iraq according to Article 73 of the constitution is the ‘high command’ for ceremonial and honorary purposes, such as approving the appointment of the chief of the general staff.[9] The armed forces are administered by the Ministry of Defence (MOD).
The armed forces of Iraq were initially formed in the early 1920s. Six military coup d'états were mounted by the army between 1936 and 1941. The armed forces first saw combat in the Anglo-Iraqi War of 1941. They fought against Israel in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, in the 1967 Six-Day War, and in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Two wars against the Kurds were fought during 1961-1970 and 1974–1975. A much larger conflict was the Iran–Iraq War, initiated by the Iraqis in 1980, which continued until 1988. Thereafter Iraq began the invasion of Kuwait, which led to the Gulf War of 1991, which led in turn to confrontations over the Iraqi no-fly zones during the 1990s, and finally the Iraq War of 2003, which resulted in the US-imposed dissolution of the Iraqi armed forces. The nascent post-Iraq war Iraqi armed forces were engaged in anti-insurgency during the civil war that followed the US-led invasion of the country. The latest major conflict in which the armed forces of the country participated was the war against ISIS during 2013-2017.
Logistics and combat engineering have been traditional strong points. Iraqi soldiers have also usually fought hard in difficult situations.[10]
After the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, which resulted in the toppling of the Saddam Hussein regime and the disbanding of the entire military, the United States sought to rebuild the Iraqi armed forces and so the country received substantial assistance from the United States Department of Defense. Since the implementation of the U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement on January 1, 2009, the Iraqi Armed Forces and the forces of the Iraqi interior ministry are responsible for providing security and upholding law and order throughout most of Iraq.
The Iraqi armed forces were historically one of the more competent militaries in the Arab world. However, during Saddam Hussein's dictatorship and interference in military organization, the competence of the Army severely declined.[11] The Army, in particular, is one of the most trusted national institutions of Iraq. Iraqi Armed Forces deficiencies have been identified in enabling functions, such as, logistics and military intelligence. In high-end conventional operations, Iraqi capabilities are currently limited by lack of artillery and air power.
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