The President of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad, has issued an administrative order to discontinue the retention and recall of non-commissioned officers and reserve personnel in the regime’s army whose service has reached six and a half years.
According to the administrative order, it includes the termination of retention and recalls for officers and reserve personnel, both retained and invited enrolled, who have completed active service of six and a half years or more until July 31st, as reported by the regime’s news agency SANA.
Maj. Gen. Hussein Koro, the director of the manpower department in the Syrian regime’s army, stated that the new administrative order encompasses the retention and recall of non-commissioned officers, retained individuals, and invitees who have completed at least six and a half years of active reserve service until July 31.
During an interview on the regime’s Al-Souriya channel, Kuro asserted that the regime’s army is “constantly committed to demobilizing groups of those enrolled in reserve service as field conditions improve, the number of enrollees increases, and completion rates rise, all to ensure the armed forces’ combat readiness.”
The officer in the Syrian regime’s army emphasized that “administrative orders are not contingent on the timing or duration of service or birthdates, but primarily rely on objective data and ground conditions, such as the improvement of field conditions, an increase in enrollments, and high completion rates, without compromising combat readiness.”
Previous decrees
The new decision, which was issued on August 27th, 2022, by the President of the Syrian regime, comes approximately a year after a similar decree. This decree effectively terminated the retention and recall of various personnel within the army, including cadets, non-commissioned officers, and other members. Among those affected by this decision were human doctors, dentists, pharmacists, anesthesiologists, as well as intensive care and emergency specialists. The Medical Services Department was granted the authority to determine whether these individuals’ services could be dispensed with.
Prior to this, on October 28th, 2021, Bashar al-Assad issued another decree. This earlier decree brought an end to the retention and recall of approximately 14,000 army members. This included both retained officers and individuals in reserve service, specifically those whose active reserve service had reached a duration of two years or more by the end of that same year.
Compulsory service in the Syrian regime army
Since the start of the Syrian revolution in March 2011, the Syrian regime has implemented a policy that obligates young Syrians who have completed their compulsory service to return to the army for reserve duty. This policy is in addition to retaining those who are already serving in the military.
Under the Syrian regime, military service, also known as compulsory service, is imposed on males above the age of 18, including Palestinian refugees residing in Syria. The duration of this service can last up to two years.
The exact number of recruits within the Syrian regime’s army forces is not publicly disclosed. However, according to information from specialized military websites, it is estimated that the Syrian regime’s army ranks 64th globally, with approximately 178,000 members. Please note that these figures may vary and should be considered as approximate estimates.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
