صفقات تسليح الجيش العراقي 1958 – 1968 دراسة تاريخية

Rp-Iraqi Army Arms Deals 1958 - 1968 A Historical Study.pdf

The military has played a crucial and historical role in achieving the goals of the Iraqi government by protecting the state’s supreme interests and preserving its national independence. To ensure the effectiveness of the military in performing its tasks, it is essential for the armed forces to be equipped with the latest weapons and advanced technologies. This requires the continuous modernization of military equipment and the provision of adequate training to the Iraqi army. Such efforts would enhance its capabilities to face various threats and ensure the security and stability of the country.
The title of this thesis, “Arming the Iraqi Army 1958-1968: A Historical Study” was chosen due to the significance of the topic and the lack of academic studies addressing the history of Iraq’s military institution and its armament resources. The researcher found that the available sources did not cover the topic in sufficient detail and lacked the necessary research and analysis to meet its actual importance, especially given that the period under study represents one of the most significant historical phases that saw major changes in the Iraqi army’s armament doctrine.
The thesis aims to shed light on the role of the Iraqi governments in developing the military institution, particularly its armament, by analyzing military deals between Iraq and other countries, focusing on the modernization, development, and effectiveness of the weapons. It also discusses the reasons that led to these deals and studies the armament expenditures in the Iraqi Ministry of Defense’s budgets. The study’s significance lies in providing a detailed analysis of the Iraqi government’s capabilities in negotiating armament agreements, highlighting its ability to navigate available options and choose the sources of its army’s armament in line with its strategic and tactical needs. Moreover, the study examines Iraq’s independence in making its armament decisions, free from external influences or pressures from certain powers, while attempting to assess the capabilities of the Iraqi army during the period under study based on the evaluation of weapon types, equipment, and their development. The study also covers negotiation processes and cooperation with various countries for weapon supply and evaluates the Iraqi government’s ability to conclude new armament agreements. Furthermore, the study highlights the challenges faced by the Iraqi government in diversifying its armament sources and ensuring its ability to choose freely, while examining the political and economic impacts on armament decisions.
The thesis is divided into four chapters, preceded by an introduction and followed by a conclusion, a list of sources, appendices, and an English abstract. Chapter one serves as an introduction and necessary preface to the study, titled “Arming the Iraqi Army 1921-1958.” It consists of three sections that reflect the roots of arming the Iraqi army over different phases. The first section, “Arming the Iraqi Army 1921-1941,” reviews the establishment of the Iraqi army and its early sources of armament. The second section, titled “Arming the Iraqi Army 1941-1958,” examines the impact of the war against Britain in 1941 on the army’s equipment and the changes in its armament, as well as the effect of Iraq’s joining the Baghdad Pact in 1955 and how it shaped armament policies in the following years. The third section, “Military Spending in Iraq 1921-1958,” covers the development of the Iraqi Ministry of Defense’s budget from its establishment in 1921 until the end of the monarchy in 1958.
The second chapter of the study, titled “Arming the Iraqi Army 1958-1963,” focuses on the armament of the Iraqi army during the first republican era. The chapter is divided into three main sections. The first section discusses the Iraqi army’s armament from the Soviet Union, marking a major shift in its doctrine from the Western bloc to the Eastern bloc for the first time. It explores the details of military deals with the Soviet Union and the impact of this shift on the Iraqi army’s strategy. The second section focuses on the armament of the Iraqi army from Western countries in light of the political changes following the July 14, 1958 revolution. It discusses how Britain and the United States continued their military relations with Iraq as secondary sources of armament. The third section examines Iraq’s armament from other countries, discussing the diversification of sources used by Iraq to arm its military. It also covers military manufacturing in Iraq, highlighting the Iraqi government’s efforts to develop its military industry and its impact on the Ministry of Defense’s budget.
Chapter three is dedicated to studying the armament of the Iraqi army from 1963 to 1966, consisting of three sections. The first section explores Iraq’s armament from the Soviet Union, focusing on the continued reliance on Soviet weapons to equip the military and how increasing armament deals helped meet the needs of the Iraqi army during the unrest in northern Iraq. The second section discusses the armament of the Iraqi army from the United States, studying American strategies to maintain its interests in Iraq by concluding armament agreements with the