What is Iraq's military like today?

Answer 1

Iraq's current military underwent a significant overhaul in 2010 right before the US draw-down. They were officially designated as a recognized military, and even received new uniforms.

Obviously since the fall of the Saddam regime and the past Iraqi Militia there has been a complete change-over. During this process the country must accept virtually any person into its military; therefore there are people who are significantly older, or people who wouldnt be accepted into a developed nation's military.

Also understand that nearly every person within Iraq's military is new to the program.... so everyone has to be trained from basic skills on up. It isnt like a developed military thats been around for hundreds of years where there is a clear cycle to its training operations.

When Iraq's military was being conceived there obviously had to be a rank structure. Not everyone could come in and be the same lowest rank. So, the US, and Iraqi governments developed a plan to allow people to use money to buy their way into the Iraqi Military and pay for the rank they wanted to be. Using this system allowed for the more responsible, better-off, educated Iraqis to come in as officers, where the poor, middle-class Iraqi's were enlisted men.

Obviously, this same system was flawed and there were indications of terrorist organizations sponsoring individuals into the Iraqi Military causing a influx on crooked service members at the higher ranks.

From being deployed there, and working closely with the Iraqi Army, there is a lack of pride among soldiers because of the situation. They lack respect for one another, and a lot of them are in it for the pay only because of the lack of jobs in the Iraqi economy; therefore they do not want to learn, train, or participate in missions. Many of the enlisted men lack respect for the upper-enlisted / officers because they know they bought their rank...

Iraq's Air Force is the most underdeveloped of all branches, the Navy is only slightly better. They do not have a Marine Corps, and the Iraqi Army is large, and the most developed. The bases are some of the old military bases in the Saddam regime as well as bases the US Military has handed over to the Iraqi government.

The equipment used, such as vehicles, planes, etc. are all old US military items that have been refurbished, and given to the Iraqi government. They are not at all in the condition you would see in the present day US military.

That's about as much as I know about the Iraqi military. I know it doesn't include statistics, but it is more a first-hand account.