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Islamic Republic of Iran Army
The Islamic Republic of Iran Army is the national land force of Iran. In Iran, it is also called Artesh, which is Persian for "army."
Manpower
The IISS Military Balance estimates the regular Iranian Army in 2006 to have a total of 350,000 personnel, including 220,000 conscripts.
Organisation
Iran's Army is structured into two parallel armies with some integration at the command level. One branch consists of the regular Artesh which this article will deal with while the other consists of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps or Pasdaran.
1987
In 1987, and on the verge of the end of the Iran-Iraq war the Artesh was organized as follows:
* Three mechanized divisions,
o Each with three brigades,
+ Each of which in turn was composed of three armored and six mechanized battalions,
* Seven infantry divisions,
* One Special Forces division composed of four brigades,
* One airborne brigade,
* One Air Support Command,
and some independent armored brigades including infantry and a "coastal force."
Force structure, order of battle, and unit identifications for Iranian forces differ greatly among sources. It is unclear which identifications are accurate. The evolution of Iranian units over time is somewhat opaque, and rather dated wartime designations are often published, sometimes confusing brigades with division (during the Iran-Iraq war some Brigades formed the nuclei of new divisions, and presumably reverted with the end of the war).
2004
By 2004 the Army was organized as follows:
* In four corps,
o With four armored divisions,
o Six infantry divisions,
* Two commando (Takavar)brigades,
* An airborne brigade
and other smaller independent formations.
It is important to note that each Iranian division has a different organization. Only the 92nd Division has enough equipment to be a true armored division, and two of the armored divisions are much larger than the others. The 28th and 84th infantry divisions are much more heavily mechanized than the others.
Smaller formations in the army include the 23rd Special Forces Division, established in 1993-1994, and the 55th Paratroop Division. One source reports that the 23rd Special Forces Division is the most professional units in the Iranian Army, with 5,000 regulars soldiers and strictly no conscripts.
The regular army also has a number of independent brigades and groups, though there is almost no reliable data on the size and number of these smaller independent formations. These include several small armor units, an infantry brigade, an airborne brigade, two or three special forces brigades, and five artillery brigades/regiments. There are also coastal defense units, a growing number of air defense groups, between four and six army aviation units, and a growing number of logistics and supply formations.
There are a variety of other reports of doubtful veracity. Some sources claim that small light formations in the regular army include an Airmobile Forces Group created after the Iran-Iraq War. This formation is said to includea the 29th Special Forces Division, which was formed in 1993-1994, and the 55th Paratroop Division. Other sources claim that the commando forces of the regular army and IRGC are integrated into a Corps of about 30,000 soldiers, with integrated helicopter lift and air assault capabilities. These airborne and special forces troops are said to train together at Shiraz.
History
Antiquity
A national army of sorts has existed in Iran since the establishment of the Persian Empire. National armies usually appeared throughout the country's points of strength, while in times of weakness mercenaries and conscript armies were recruited temporarily from fiefdoms. The original core of full time troops and imperial body guards were called the Immortals, these were established in 580BC by Cyrus the Great. These were replaced by the Junishapur Shah-n-Shah in the Sassanid Dynasty after a period of disunity and chaos in the country. Following the Arab invasion of Iran and eventual resurgence of Iranian dynasties a new full time army was formed by the name of Qezelbash in the Safavid Dynasty. The Qajar period saw several attempts to re-model the traditional Iranian military based on western models. These were met with limited success at the time.
Training over the centuries has varied wildly, however until the Qajar era it was common to see many train for combat in Zurkhaneh (Persian: House's of Stregth).
The pre-revolutionary (Pahlavi) period
Following the rise of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1925 the new Imperial Iranian Army became a priority. Dramatic reforms brought in a host of western advisors and over the course of the next 50 years the army was to become the worlds 5th strongest by 1979. Throughout the 1970s the Imperial Iranian Ground Forces, as they were then known, underwent a rapid transformation and increase in strength.
In 1979 the Army was a largely mechanized and armored force of about 285,000 troops; Organized in 3 corps, with headquarters in Tehran area, in Shiraz in the south, and in Kermanshah near the Iraq border. There were additional plans for a fourth corps to be established at the Chah Bahar complex at the eastern end of the Persian Gulf. Major ground formations included 3 armored divisions (One more in organization in Sistan Baluchestan) each with six tank battalions and five mechanized infantry battalions, 3 infantry divisions, 2 Iranian Imperial Guard Divisions and 4 independent brigades (1 armored, 1 infantry, 1 airborne and 1 Special Forces) and the Army Aviation Command. These combat units, backed up by the usual complement of support units, were said to be 85 percent operational.
The post revolutionary period
Immediately after the revolution a series of purges gutted the core of the Army's western trained senior commanders. This left it poorly prepared when Iraq invaded Iran in the Iran-Iraq War. A new cadre of commanders, shaped by their experiences in the war, drastically reduced reliance on foreign supplied equipment and training. Following the war the military pursued a dramatic restructuring, much of it under total secrecy. While still only a mere shadow of its pre-revolutionary self, today's Artesh is rapidy re-asserting its abilities and continuing to grow.
The Islamic Republic of Iran Army is the national land force of Iran. In Iran, it is also called Artesh, which is Persian for "army."
Manpower
The IISS Military Balance estimates the regular Iranian Army in 2006 to have a total of 350,000 personnel, including 220,000 conscripts.
Organisation
Iran's Army is structured into two parallel armies with some integration at the command level. One branch consists of the regular Artesh which this article will deal with while the other consists of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps or Pasdaran.
1987
In 1987, and on the verge of the end of the Iran-Iraq war the Artesh was organized as follows:
* Three mechanized divisions,
o Each with three brigades,
+ Each of which in turn was composed of three armored and six mechanized battalions,
* Seven infantry divisions,
* One Special Forces division composed of four brigades,
* One airborne brigade,
* One Air Support Command,
and some independent armored brigades including infantry and a "coastal force."
Force structure, order of battle, and unit identifications for Iranian forces differ greatly among sources. It is unclear which identifications are accurate. The evolution of Iranian units over time is somewhat opaque, and rather dated wartime designations are often published, sometimes confusing brigades with division (during the Iran-Iraq war some Brigades formed the nuclei of new divisions, and presumably reverted with the end of the war).
2004
By 2004 the Army was organized as follows:
* In four corps,
o With four armored divisions,
o Six infantry divisions,
* Two commando (Takavar)brigades,
* An airborne brigade
and other smaller independent formations.
It is important to note that each Iranian division has a different organization. Only the 92nd Division has enough equipment to be a true armored division, and two of the armored divisions are much larger than the others. The 28th and 84th infantry divisions are much more heavily mechanized than the others.
Smaller formations in the army include the 23rd Special Forces Division, established in 1993-1994, and the 55th Paratroop Division. One source reports that the 23rd Special Forces Division is the most professional units in the Iranian Army, with 5,000 regulars soldiers and strictly no conscripts.
The regular army also has a number of independent brigades and groups, though there is almost no reliable data on the size and number of these smaller independent formations. These include several small armor units, an infantry brigade, an airborne brigade, two or three special forces brigades, and five artillery brigades/regiments. There are also coastal defense units, a growing number of air defense groups, between four and six army aviation units, and a growing number of logistics and supply formations.
There are a variety of other reports of doubtful veracity. Some sources claim that small light formations in the regular army include an Airmobile Forces Group created after the Iran-Iraq War. This formation is said to includea the 29th Special Forces Division, which was formed in 1993-1994, and the 55th Paratroop Division. Other sources claim that the commando forces of the regular army and IRGC are integrated into a Corps of about 30,000 soldiers, with integrated helicopter lift and air assault capabilities. These airborne and special forces troops are said to train together at Shiraz.
History
Antiquity
A national army of sorts has existed in Iran since the establishment of the Persian Empire. National armies usually appeared throughout the country's points of strength, while in times of weakness mercenaries and conscript armies were recruited temporarily from fiefdoms. The original core of full time troops and imperial body guards were called the Immortals, these were established in 580BC by Cyrus the Great. These were replaced by the Junishapur Shah-n-Shah in the Sassanid Dynasty after a period of disunity and chaos in the country. Following the Arab invasion of Iran and eventual resurgence of Iranian dynasties a new full time army was formed by the name of Qezelbash in the Safavid Dynasty. The Qajar period saw several attempts to re-model the traditional Iranian military based on western models. These were met with limited success at the time.
Training over the centuries has varied wildly, however until the Qajar era it was common to see many train for combat in Zurkhaneh (Persian: House's of Stregth).
The pre-revolutionary (Pahlavi) period
Following the rise of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1925 the new Imperial Iranian Army became a priority. Dramatic reforms brought in a host of western advisors and over the course of the next 50 years the army was to become the worlds 5th strongest by 1979. Throughout the 1970s the Imperial Iranian Ground Forces, as they were then known, underwent a rapid transformation and increase in strength.
In 1979 the Army was a largely mechanized and armored force of about 285,000 troops; Organized in 3 corps, with headquarters in Tehran area, in Shiraz in the south, and in Kermanshah near the Iraq border. There were additional plans for a fourth corps to be established at the Chah Bahar complex at the eastern end of the Persian Gulf. Major ground formations included 3 armored divisions (One more in organization in Sistan Baluchestan) each with six tank battalions and five mechanized infantry battalions, 3 infantry divisions, 2 Iranian Imperial Guard Divisions and 4 independent brigades (1 armored, 1 infantry, 1 airborne and 1 Special Forces) and the Army Aviation Command. These combat units, backed up by the usual complement of support units, were said to be 85 percent operational.
The post revolutionary period
Immediately after the revolution a series of purges gutted the core of the Army's western trained senior commanders. This left it poorly prepared when Iraq invaded Iran in the Iran-Iraq War. A new cadre of commanders, shaped by their experiences in the war, drastically reduced reliance on foreign supplied equipment and training. Following the war the military pursued a dramatic restructuring, much of it under total secrecy. While still only a mere shadow of its pre-revolutionary self, today's Artesh is rapidy re-asserting its abilities and continuing to grow.
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