Imperial Iranian Army
From Roach Busters
| Imperial Iranian Army | |
| |
| Military manpower | |
|---|---|
| Total armed forces (males age 18-49) (females age 18-49) | 18,319,545 17,541,037 |
| Fit for military service (males age 18-49) (females age 18-49) | 15,665,725 15,005,597 |
| Reaching military age annually (males age 18-49) (females age 18-49) | 862,056 808,044 |
| Conscription age | 19 years of age |
| Military expenditures | |
| USD figure | 119.42 USD (nominal) 106.39 billion USD (PPP) |
| Percent of GDP | 7.8% (2004 est.) |
The Imperial Iranian Army is structured into three branches consisting of the:
Ground Force (285,000)
Air Force (100,000)
Navy (40,000)
In addition, there are 300,000 personnel in the reserve forces. This gives the military a total of 725,000 personnel (825,000 if the Imperial Iranian Gendarmerie is included).
The shah is constitutionally designated supreme commander of the armed forces, and important decisions regarding Iran's defense needs are made by him. He exercises operational control through the supreme commander`s staff, a joint organization that loosely coordinates the activities of the three services.
The chief of the supreme commander`s staff is second in command; the staff includes a vice chief of staff and directors of personnel, intelligence, operations, logistics, plans, communications, and fiscal matters, though the supreme commander's staff serve more as coordinating body than a command body within the chain of command, and the three service chiefs are encouraged to consult directly with the shah.
The minister of war, as a cabinet minister, is not in the military chain of command. He has legislative and budgetary roll. The vice minister of war is in charge of implementing the shah's decisions regarding arms procurement and thus is a highly visible and important figure.
