Ministry of Defense (Syria)
The Ministry of Defense is a government ministry office of the Syrian Arab Republic, responsible for defense affairs in Syria. Ali Mahmoud Abbas, Minister of Defense holds the position of Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Armed Forces.
Yusuf al-Azma
Saadallah al-Jabiri
Khalid al-Azm
Image: Maamoun Kuzbari
The Syrian Arab Armed Forces are the military forces of the Syrian Arab Republic. They consist of the Syrian Army, Syrian Air Force, Syrian Navy, Syrian Air Defense Force, and paramilitary forces, such as the National Defence Forces. According to the Constitution of Syria, the President of Syria is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Minister of Defense holds the position of Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Armed Forces.
A Syrian soldier manning a checkpoint near Damascus.
Bashar al-Assad (centre) alongside Syrian Defence Minister General Mustafa Tlass (right) and Military Chief of Staff Hasan Turkmani (left), both Ba'athist leaders. Military-Ba'ath party nexus constructed by Hafez al-Assad constitute the backbone of Assad government's support base.
A Syrian soldier aims a Type 56 assault rifle from his position in a foxhole during Operation Desert Shield. The soldier is wearing a Soviet-made Model ShMS nuclear-biological-chemical warfare mask.
Female Syrian soldiers with an MTs-116M rifle in Jobar, December 2015.
