Iran

Page 2

Cautions

We’ve downgraded reliability from Good to Poor. (1) We have no information on the actual size, readiness, and equipment of divisions. Many divisions are actually brigades, and there is no standardization in terms of TOE. (2) Everyone’s orbat – ours too – relies on obsolete information. (3) Anticipating conflict with the US, Iran has been putting increased reliance on ideologically motivated units – and creating more of them – on the premise “the man counts more than the material. We have no good information on these units.

We’ve begun a reassessment of Iranian deployments and division numbers. Divisions identified from 2003 onward are designated by the year last identified.

The Iranian Army/IRGC is heavily exercised at all levels, perhaps more than any other army in the world. For example, in February 2007 the IRGC held a 3-day exercise, its eighth in six months. Its performance 1980-88 should not be used for comparison to its capabilities now. At the same time, its material condition is poor. The Iranians have done their best to indigenize weapons production/modernization, and this has helped to some degree.

Origins: the original Iran orbat used in most sources came from Ty Bomba of Command Magazine (1998). Our new partly uses information from Mr. Richard M. Bennett (2008).

Please note the Jaffee Center in Israel originates many Iran orbats but is seldom acknowledged as a source. Our information, however, is that the Jaffee Center avoids using information from Israeli intelligence agencies. So do not automatically assume because Jaffee Center is involved, the orbat is authoritative!

TERRITORIAL MILITIA

Iran has created another militia 2-million strong militia, ostensibly for urban defense. with the Basij militia. The new militia will have 2000 Ashura battalions. Some analysts suspect the real mission is to control urban areas in the face of rising opposition. We are unclear why another organization is needed when the Basij Militia already claims a membership of 12-million.

MISSILE UNITS

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