The Associated Press January 21, 2003
Some facts about Iraq's military forces
By The Associated Press
Some facts about Iraqi military forces, which once were among world's largest, with nearly 1 million soldiers at start of Gulf War:
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GROUND FORCES
Estimated at 350,000 soldiers, including about 50,000 in elite Republican Guard, according to GlobalSecurity.org, Alexandria, Va.-based think tank that compiles data on military forces around globe.
Additional 12,000-15,000 members of Special Republican Guard primarily responsible for protecting President Saddam Hussein, commander in chief with rank of field marshal. People's Army, militia of Saddam's Baath Party, has hundreds of thousands of members who have received light-arms training. Militia's role mainly to indoctrinate Iraqis on Saddam's vision for country and counterbalance regular army.
Saddam's son Qusai supervises Republican Guard, once open only to young men from Saddam's hometown of Tikrit but expanded recruiting during 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War. Most members of Special Republican Guard still drawn from Saddam's tribe or tribes closely allied with it.
Iraq's arsenal include estimated 1,300 tanks, 1,200 artillery pieces, 1,500 armored personnel carriers, according to GlobalSecurity. Military research company Periscope concluded that while U.N. trade sanctions made it difficult for Iraq to get spare parts or make advanced weapons, "Iraqi domestic conventional weapons manufacturing capabilities remain essentially intact."
Indigenous weapons include unknown number of Al Samoud, Ababil-100 and other missiles developed to meet U.N. demands that Iraq have no missiles with range of more than about 95 miles. Recent CIA report on Iraq said U.S. officials believe those missiles can fly farther than U.N. limit. Iraq also believed to have hidden up to two dozen Scuds, bought from former Soviet Union and modified to extend range to 400 miles.
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AIR FORCE
About 300 combat aircraft, only half of which believed to be serviceable, according to Periscope. At start of Gulf War, Iraq had estimated 500-750 combat aircraft, including Soviet and French fighters.
United States claims to have destroyed 30 percent of Iraq's air defenses. Since Gulf War ended, U.S. and British planes have been patrolling southern and northern enclaves to protect Shiite Muslims and Kurds. Last year, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld disclosed he had ordered that pilots attack command and communications links in Iraq's air defense network rather than guns and radars used to target U.S. and British pilots.
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NAVY
Has little access to sea. Was virtually destroyed in Gulf War.
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UNCONVENTIONAL WEAPONS
Iraq pursued biological, chemical and nuclear weapons programs starting in 1970s. United Nations says Iraq has failed to provide enough details to answer U.S. charges it is lying about having abandoned those programs. U.N. inspectors in 1990s, for example, said they believe Iraq produced three times amount of anthrax and 16 times more gas gangrene than it declared. Saddam used only conventional weapons in Gulf War, but used poison gas against Iran and his own people in 1980s.
Copyright © 2003, The Associated Press
