Enab Baladi – Besan Khalaf | Lama Diab
After four months of agreeing to resolve all military factions in Syria and merge them under the umbrella of the Syrian Ministry of Defense, the Ministry announced on May 17 that all military units have been integrated into the ministry.
Syrian Defense Minister, Murhaf Abu Qasra, provided a maximum of ten days for the remaining small military groups to join the Ministry of Defense, considering that any delay in this regard would necessitate taking appropriate measures according to existing laws.
The merging of factions with various loyalties and orientations into a unified army in Syria is a significant issue that holds wide interest due to the developments it entails for achieving stability and enhancing national unity.
A leader in the 76th Division, who preferred to remain unnamed, informed Enab Baladi that Turkey is pushing the Syrian National Army (SNA) factions, which it supports militarily and logistically, to merge into the Syrian Ministry of Defense before July 1, the expected date for announcing the structure of the Syrian army.
A source in the Levant Front, who also preferred to remain unnamed, stated that the SNA factions in northwestern Syria had merged into divisions and brigades within the Ministry of Defense, according to the size of the faction. He continued that there are committees from the Ministry of Defense counting the personnel of the factions and integrating them into the structure, noting that the Levant Front has dissolved itself and become a brigade within the Ministry of Defense, while some headquarters and personnel are still awaiting orders from the ministry.
Merging factions raises questions
The merging of military factions under the umbrella of the Ministry of Defense has sparked many discussions and questions about the competencies of the new army, the absence of the role of officers defected from Assad’s regime, and the strength of an army built on unifying factions with different ideologies.
Military analyst Ahmad Hamadi believes that the formation of the new army will be the result of accumulated experiences from the factions that joined the Ministry of Defense, as these forces are being organized to become the nucleus of a national army.
Hamadi stated during an interview with Enab Baladi that the new Syrian army does not possess the significant capabilities to oppose Israel, for example, but it has capabilities and experiences and is in the process of rehabilitation and organization.
Regarding the defected officers, Hamadi mentioned that some of them were within the factions and that many remained with the faction that has become known as a “division, brigade, battalion…” and that part of the army’s leadership is being filled with defected officers, with some returning, especially from the air forces.
Hamadi expects that policies and ideologies will not have a future in the new Syrian army, as an agreement has been signed with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and the problem of southern Syria will be resolved within a national framework.
Stages of forming the army
Political and military researcher Rashid Hourani, during an interview with Enab Baladi, clarified that the merging of factions occurred in several stages, including counting and sorting weapons by type (heavy, light, or medium), then counting personnel, and subsequently merging those individuals into military units as in all global armies.
Most formations retained some characteristics that were predominant such as regional or tribal affiliations, but these traits are not predominant at the upper level. For example, a certain battalion may belong to a specific area, but this trait does not exist at the level of a formation with the size of a brigade or division, according to Hourani.
He continued that the Ministry of Defense issued a call for volunteers in a statement directed to everyone, not just one group, and nine officers from As-Suwayda province were appointed to the training authority, which is one of the leadership bodies in the army.
Regarding the utilization of military competencies defected from Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Hourani indicated that they should be dealt with according to the laws applicable in all armies, and the new Syrian army is being formed according to training mechanisms and methods. For instance, a significant percentage of defectors are now outside the service age, and based on the definition of science as a set of experiences in a particular field, the combat methods used to overthrow the regime differ from those held by defectors with academic military knowledge.
Concerning the jihadist background of the factions, they undertook deep reviews that became clear after reaching Damascus and taking control, according to Hourani.
Hourani noted that it is not possible to disclose the army’s preparations, but in general, the Syrian army is being built morally, physically, and nationally in a way that every Syrian wants to see in their country’s army after Bashar al-Assad’s regime tainted the military institution with corruption, sectarianism, “tafyeesh” (covering up absence) and “tafish” (looting).
Regarding the SNA, Hourani mentioned that the factions participated in the liberation battle and responded to the merging process since it was announced by the Defense Minister.
Syria is not the first
With the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, his army dissolved automatically, and some leaders whose hands were stained with the blood of the Syrian people fled beyond Syria, leaving a vacuum in the army institution, and the military factions that fought against Assad’s regime were dissolved to merge them into a unified structure under the Ministry of Defense.
Syria’s experience in reestablishing a new army is not the first; the Harmoon Center for Contemporary Studies published research on army restructuring that included several countries’ experiences in restructuring their armies after the military rule controlled by a dictatorial authority.
Among these experiences is that of Spain, which suffered from the army of General Franco, who derived his authority from the army’s predominance over political affairs and combat against his opponents. The Spanish army at that time contained separate sections not governed by a unified command.
With the appointment of Juan Carlos as king of Spain, he worked on reforming the army as a first step towards democratic reform, starting the reform mission through several steps, the most important of which were:
Constitutional Legal Structure: The establishment of a Ministry of Defense for the first time to unify the army’s sectors and weapons under a united command operating under the elected civilian government. Gradually Excluding the Army from Political Life: By limiting its constitutional and legal role and restricting military judicial authority over civilians. Raising Military Capabilities and Professionalism: And preventing military personnel from working in civilian positions. Reducing Troop Numbers: And adopting competence as a criterion for promotions instead of seniority. Shifting the Focus of the Armed Forces to the regional situation and engaging in military alliances instead of internal issues.
After merging factions, Syrian army awaits new structure Enab Baladi.
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