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Syria Size, Equipment, Command Structure and Organization
By 1987, the Syrian armed forces were increasingly
professional and well-equipped. The Syrian armed forces totaled
500,000 regulars and 340,000 reservists in 1985. These figures
represented a tremendous expansion in the manpower, training, and
equipment, achieved with considerable financial and military aid
from the Arab states and the Soviet Union and several of its East
European allies. By early 1987, the vast majority of Syrian
military equipment was Soviet manufactured and the organization
and military doctrine of the armed forces followed the Soviet
model.
President Assad was commander in chief of the armed forces,
retaining the rank of lieutenant general. Directly responsible to
Assad was the flamboyant Deputy Premier and Defense Minister
General Mustafa Tlas, who also held the title of deputy commander
in chief of the armed forces and army. Although a Sunni Muslim,
Tlas has been a close friend of Assad since they were deputed as
officers to the Egyptian Army (1959-61). Tlas was jailed for his
part in an abortive officers' coup in 1962-63 in cooperation with
Assad and later helped bring Assad to power. A tank commander, he
was appointed lieutenant general and, in March 1972, minister of
defense. He received general staff training in Moscow at the
Voroshilov Academy and advocates close ties with the Soviet Union
and a hard line on the Arab-Israeli conflict. Vice president for
military and national security affairs was the president's
brother, the volatile Rifaat al Assad. As a result of political
infighting over the issue of succession to Assad, Rifaat was
living in temporary exile in France in early 1987. Chief of the
General Staff and Chief of the Armed Forces Lieutenant General
Hikmat Shihabi was third in command. General Ali Aslan was deputy
chief of the general staff. Commander of the ground forces was
Major General Yusuf Bin Raghib Shakur. The air force retained its
own commander, Major General Ibrahim Hassan. The navy commander
was Rear Admiral Mustafa Tayara.
The chief of staff of the armed forces functions through the
general staff, an administrative body that is divided into the
usual branches, such as personnel, intelligence, training, and
logistics. The general staff does not possess decision-making
powers; these are largely confined to the commanders and chiefs
of staff acting on behalf of the president. In 1970 a "political
department" was established "to guide members of the armed forces
ideologically and to instill in them loyalty toward the present
regime."
Data as of April 1987
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