The Iraqi military is currently deployed to handle internal security
rather than external conquest.
Ground Forces
Type
Number
Description
Iraqi Army
280,000
Regular army units whose training
and equipment readiness varies
greatly
Republican Guard
50,000
Elite ground forces composed of
motivated volunteers who receive top
equipment and training
Special Republican Guard
12,000- 15,0000
Responsible for protecting President
Saddam Hussein
People’s Army
Hundreds of thousands
Civilian militia used to protect against
internal opposition; serve as power
base and counterbalance to
regular army
Ground Equipment
Type
Number
Description
Tanks
1,300
Mostly Russian-made T-72s, T-62s
and T-55s
Armored Personnel Carriers (APC)
1,500
Come from various countries
including Egypt, Czech Republic,
Brazil and China
Artillery pieces
1,200
Retains certain capability in tube
artillery, although it lost a lot of
equipment during the Gulf War
Air Forces
Type
Number
Description
Combat aircraft
300
Consists of Russian and French
aircraft – only half of which are
believed to be serviceable
Anti-aircraft artillery and missiles
8,000
The United States claims to have
destroyed 30 percent of Iraq’s air
defenses – a computerized network
of radar, surface-to-air missiles and
anti-aircraft artillery
Navy
Iraq’s small Navy – with little
access to the sea – was virtually
destroyed in the Gulf War.
Unconvential Weapons
Saddam used only conventional
weapons in the Gulf War, but used
poison gas against Iran and against
his own people in the 1980s.
