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Iraq's ground forces are only about a third the size of what they were before the 1991 Gulf War, and postwar sanctions have further eroded the combat readiness of equipment. But it still has an estimated 430,000 soldiers and another 400,000 personnel in paramilitary units and security services.
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Special Republican Guard
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Based: Baghdad
Personnel: 15,000
Units: Four infantry brigades, an armored unit and an air defense unit.
Weapons: Armored units operate T-72 battle tanks.
Duties: The elite SRG is the only significant military unit allowed inside Baghdad, and nearly all of its members are from Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's al-Bu Nasir tribe. The SRG's 1st Brigade provides security for Saddam, and the 2nd Brigade protects presidential palaces and the northern approaches to Baghdad. The 3rd and 4th brigades defend palaces and the southern approaches to Baghdad, and are organized as full combat units capable of mounting counterattacks. The armored unit consists of two tank regiments.
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Republican Guard
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The Republican Guard is equipped with Iraq's most modern weapons and has an estimated 80,000 soldiers divided into two corps. The guard, however, is not allowed in Baghdad but is posted on its outskirts to defend the approaches of Iraq's capital. The guard is supervised by Qusay Hussein, Saddam Hussein's youngest son, and its chief of staff is Staff Gen. Ibraheem Abdul Sattar Muhammad al Tikriti.
Northern Corps
Based: Around northern Baghdad and Tikrit
Strength: 10,000 to 15,000 soldiers authorized per division
Units: Medina Armored Division, Adnan Mechanized Division, and Nebuchadnezzar Infantry Division.
Weapons: T-72 battle tanks, self-propelled artillery, BMP fighting vehicles, anti-tank missiles, and anti-tank and infantry-support guns.
Duties: The Northern Corps guards Baghdad and its northern approaches along with Tikrit, Saddam's birthplace.
Southern Corps
Based: Southern Baghdad
Strength: 10,000 to 15,000 soldiers authorized per division
Units: Al Nida Armored Division, Hammurabi Armored Division and Baghdad Infantry Division.
Weapons: T-72 battle tanks, self-propelled artillery, BMP fighting vehicles and anti-tank missiles.
Duties: The Republican Guard's Southern Corps guards Baghdad and its southern approaches.
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Regular Iraqi Army
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I Corps
Based: Around Kirkuk
Personnel: 10,000 authorized per division
Units: 5th Mechanized Division, 2nd Infantry Division, 8th Infantry Division and 38th Infantry Division.
Weapons: Armored units rely on T-54/-55/-62 battle tanks; mechanized battalions use a variety of armored personnel carriers. The military has up to 60 attack helicopters, including Mi-25 Hind, SA-316/-319 Alouette III and SA-342 Gazelle attack helicopters, though how many are operational is unknown.
Duties: Along with the Republican Guard, I Corps guards the northern portions of Iraq near the northern "no-fly" zone.
II Corps
Based: Northeast of Baghdad
Personnel: 10,000 authorized per division
Units: 3rd Armored Division, and 15th and 34th infantry divisions.
Weapons: Armored units rely on T-54/-55/-62 battle tanks; mechanized
battalions use a variety of armored personnel carriers. The military has up to 60 attack helicopters, including Mi-25 Hind, SA-316/-319 Alouette III and SA-342 Gazelle attack helicopters, though how many are operational is unknown.
Duties: II Corps guards the border with Iran northeast of Baghdad.
III Corps
Based: Southern Iraq
Personnel: 10,000 authorized per division
Units: 6th Armored Division, 51st Mechanized Division and 15th Infantry Division.
Weapons: Armored units rely on T-54/-55/-62 battle tanks; mechanized battalions use a variety of armored personnel carriers. The military has up to 60 attack helicopters, including Mi-25 Hind, SA-316/-319 Alouette III and SA-342 Gazelle attack helicopters, though how many are operational is unknown.
Duties: III Corps protects the route along the Euphrates River that leads to Kuwait through the southern city of Basra.
IV Corps
Based: Northeast of Baghdad
Personnel: 10,000 authorized per division
Units: 10th Armored Division, and 14th and 18th infantry divisions.
Weapons: Armored units rely on T-54/-55/-62 battle tanks; mechanized battalions use a variety of armored personnel carriers. The military has up to 60 attack helicopters, including Mi-25 Hind, SA-316/-319 Alouette III and SA-342 Gazelle attack helicopters, though how many are operational is unknown.
Duties: IV Corps guards the southern end of the border with Iran.
V Corps
Based: Around Mosul in northern Iraq.
Personnel: 10,000 authorized per division
Units: 1st Mechanized Division, and 4th, 7th and 16th infantry divisions.
Weapons: Armored units rely on T-54/-55/-62 battle tanks; mechanized battalions use a variety of armored personnel carriers. The military has up to 60 attack helicopters, including Mi-25 Hind, SA-316/-319 Alouette III and SA-342 Gazelle attack helicopters, though how many are operational is unknown.
Duties: V Corps guards the northern part of the country.
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Special Units
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Unit 999
Based: Salman army base southeast of Baghdad
Units: Six battalions of 300 men each. Each battalion specializes in a particular skill or focuses on relations with a neighboring country.
Duties: The 1st (Persian) battalion specializes in Iran; the 2nd (Saudi Arabia) Battalion handles Iraq's neighbor to the south; the 3rd (Palestine) Battalion deals with Israel; the 4th (Turkish) Battalion specializes in Turkey; the 5th (Marine) Battalion specializes in maritime operations such as mining waterways between Iran and Iraq. The "Opposition" Battalion is divided into a section focusing on dissident Kurds in the north and a section focusing on dissident Shiite Iraqis in the south.
Military Security Service
Based: Baghdad
Personnel: 5,000
Duties: This independent agency monitors Iraq's armed forces for signs of dissent. MSS personnel are assigned to all levels of every unit in the armed forces. It also has an independent, rapid-intervention military brigade.
People's Army
Iraq has 19 units organized by geographical region known as the People's Army, or Popular Army. The civilian volunteers receive only a few weeks of training before they are mobilized. The People's Army was not effective against Iran or in the Persian Gulf War, and is not expected to offer much resistance to a U.S.-led ground invasion.
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