Iran Military Assessment Military Assessment

MILITARY OVERVIEW: The Cold War era and the arms race started in that time has made countries aware of the importance of maintaining a reasonable arsenal of weapons, specially attaining independence in manufacturing and assemblage of weapons. Many countries, starting with Korea started focusing on development of a strong defense industrial base. Establishment of this not just allows a country to gain relative independence in manufacturing of military equipment but also provides a means for assessing the capabilities and vulnerabilities. Of the existing Military arsenal. Such an assessment is not only beneficial to the world community for gauging threats posed by different nations but also to the countries politicians and military analysis's for weighing of and enhancement of said capabilities (RAAND document, pg. 136-138).

AT present the Islamic Republic of Iran is making use of the services of its 'regular forces' that is Army, Navy and Air force, also called Artesh, an Islamic Revolutionary Guards Division, an Aerospace Force, a special operations unit called 'Quds' and normal Law Enforcement divisions

. In 2007 the Iranian regular forces were made up of 420,000 active soldiers, the IRG corps contained 125,000 members.

According to an estimate the number of citizens available for service in 2010 included 23,619,215 men and 22,628,641 women between the ages of 16 and 49. Out of this around 20,149,222 men and 19,417,275 women were deemed fit and worthy of service in the Iranian military

. By 2011, the total manpower available for service rose to 46,247,566 but active military force amounted to just 545,000 and the reserves are estimated at 650,000. In comparison Pakistan has a larger number of active soldiers, 650,000 and a slightly less 528,000 are enlisted as reserves

. The...

Up until the start of the 'war on terror' the biggest problem Iran had to face was the use of its borders for narcotics smuggling. Pakistan's military development was to provide it with a psychological and physical safeguard against India. Iranian military was first given its due importance so that it could serve as a strong pro-west watch dog to keep other Middle Eastern countries in check. In 1978, the ousted Iranian President Shah Pahlavi introduced a new military division by the name of 'Immortals' through the monetary and spiritual support of the U.S.A. This eventually led to Iran becoming the biggest military power in the area, even above the more populated Egypt. The current military make up, including the IRGC, is a product of the revolutionary era and has the successful defense against Iraqi invasion to its credit.
This deviation to a widely disliked form of government lost Iran its military support and lead to its first arms embargo

. Although problematic, this helped the nation become independent in military concerns. Today the country steers completely clear of military alliances but signed some agreements for supplying arms. One example is a 10-month, $4 billion, agreement with Russia for assistance in maintenance and designing of fighter planes

. In comparison Pakistan is completely reliant on other nations. Another measure that helps ascertain a government's seriousness and dedication towards enhancing military prowess is the portion of GDP allotted to it. It's no secret that differences between India and Pakistan have both countries spending a large amount on military installations. Pakistan spends…