Iran Army’s Ground Force to measure strength in face of ‘new threats’

The Eqtedar (Strength) 1401 maneuvers is to start in the city of Nasr Abad in central Iran on Wednesday, the maneuvers’ spokesman Second Brigadier General Amir Cheshak said.

“The military drills seek to evaluate and increase the level of readiness of the Ground Force’s [various] units in the face of new threats,” he said.

The official said the drills were to be participated by various units that hail from the Army’s infantry, armored, artillery, Army Aviation, drone, engineering, airborne, and electronic warfare divisions.

The event assesses the Ground Force’s ability to mobilize its servicemen from various countrywide locations to the area that is hosting the maneuvers, he said.

It also seeks to enhance the level of mobility that is possessed by the Ground Force’s Special Forces and Rapid Reaction Brigades, Cheshak noted.

According to the official, the Ground Force’s Specialized Units would also be practicing implementation of their creative indigenous tactics and various skills.

The force’s professional brigades would, meanwhile, exercise the level of coordination that exists among them in performing hybrid operations, he said.

Finally, the official noted, the participating forces would try to manage the situation on the battleground based on the realities that have governed recent real world battles.

Chashak said the approach that was to be assumed during the drills was practice-oriented, but also offensive and defensive in nature.

The news about the drill came days after Iran’s Defense Ministry said it had equipped 51 cities across the country with civil defense systems to monitor and thwart any threats at the shortest possible time.

Based on its military doctrine, the Islamic Republic asserts that it would never be the party to initiate a conflict.

The military, however, has said on numerous occasions that it would deal any potential aggressor a far greater blow than the latter could have sought to afflict on the country.