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Description

This Strategic Forum paper analyzes the challenges of reconstructing Iraq’s armed forces following the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime. The author argues that rebuilding Iraq’s military must prioritize constitutional civilian control, professional military education, ethnic and sectarian inclusivity, and a defensively oriented force posture over rapid modernization or adoption of U.S. military models. Drawing on Iraq’s history of politicized civil-military relations and internal repression, the paper emphasizes the need to reform officer selection, integrate or demobilize militias, and establish parliamentary oversight mechanisms to prevent the armed forces from reemerging as instruments of domestic control or regional aggression. The study recommends a conscription-based force of approximately 350,000 personnel structured for territorial defense rather than power projection. Ultimately, it concludes that building a stable Iraqi nation-state must take precedence over building a powerful military.

Document Type

Policy Brief

Region(s)

Iraq, Middle East, Persian Gulf

Topic(s)

National Security, Defense Policy, Military Strategy

Publication Date

6-2003

Publication

Strategic Forum

Publisher

National Defense University Press

City

Washington, DC

Keywords

Iraq, Iraqi armed forces, civil-military relations, defense reform, postwar reconstruction, civilian control of the military, conscription, militia integration, military professionalism, Middle East security

Building an Iraqi Defense Force

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