Iranian Operational Art

Abstract

Since 1979, the Islamic Revolution has established itself as a stable government with the strategic goal of weakening Western influence in the Middle East and exporting the Shia ideology globally. The Iranian Constitution speaks to an absolute aim with a global vision that synchronizes multiple organizations by way of a doctrinal belief in the guardianship of the Islamic jurisconsult identified as Wilayat-al-Faqih. Wilayat-al-Faqih instructs the Islamic masses to bear the banner of holy struggle (jihad) against foreign oppressors to liberate Jerusalem and spread social justice throughout the world. Ironically, Iranian operational art uses the method of hybrid warfare to seek limited gains through limited means in an attempt to reach its absolute political aim. Iranian way of hybrid warfare flexes beyond international borders, treaties, and laws in inconsistent limited pursuits to achieve an absolute aim. This monograph seeks to explore evolving Iranian operational art through the method of hybrid warfare in pursuit of Iran's absolute political aim from 1979 to 2016. Under Iranian control, particular attention is paid to the presence of conventional, unconventional, irregular, and paramilitary organizations actions in Syria. This work defines Iranian hybrid warfare as, a strategically patient political war connected by its flexible and varying means (most often deniable through mass media) synchronized in depth below the threshold of US intervention.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 23, 2019
Accession Number
AD1083594

Entities

People

  • Robert V. Miron

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Strikes
  • Civil War
  • Command And Control
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Fish
  • Foreign Policy
  • Governments
  • House Of Representatives
  • Hybrid Warfare
  • Middle East
  • Military Operations
  • National Security
  • New York
  • Political Movements
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.
  • Nuclear Non-Proliferation and International Security
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.