Index:
Abbreviations/acronyms
Introduction
Province
Area
Zone, base and battalion
Footnotes
Appendix - Reference material translations
Abbreviations/Acronyms:
aZ: al-Zahra; battalion name.
BaM: Beit al-Moqdas; battalion or exercise name.
bn: battalion
BRB: Basij Resistance Base; lowest administrative level.
BRZ: Basij Resistance Zone; middle administrative level.
BRA/SRA: Basij/Sepah Resistance Area; highest administrative level below the province.
co: company
HQ: headquarters.
IA: Imam Ali; battalion name.
IH: Imam Hussein; battalion name.
IRGC: Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (aka, Sepah)
IRGCGF: Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Ground Forces
Introduction:
The Basij in Semnan province are organized according to the Gen. Jafari's Mosaic Doctrine, which directly subordinated the Basij of each province to the IRGC's command structure, and is briefly described in part one of this series. The highest level of this organization is the provincial IRGC itself ,and in Semnan it is the 12th 'Mohammed al-Qaem' Infantry Brigade. Below this are eight SRAs, corresponding to each of the province's counties. Below this, are BRZs and their associated BRBs and combat battalions.
Province:
Based in Shahrud city, the 12th Brigade is the nexus around which the Basij are organized. The brigade is responsible for coordinating and providing regular training to the province's Basij.[1]
The only other IRGCGF maneuver element in the province is the 10th Air Defense Group, which is based in Semnan city.[2] Their relationship to the provincial IRGC is unknown, and it is possible that a combat-support unit such as this one is subordinate to a larger operations command in much the same way they are in the Army. Otherwise, a strict province-based command for the IRGCGF would risk an inefficient piecemeal deployment of support equipment like artillery and air-defense.
Area:
 | |
| Leadership hierarchy of the Semnan-province Basij and IRGC |
The are alternatively known as BRAs, or SRAs, highlighting the degree to which the Basij have ceased to function as an independent entity. There is no distinction between the two terms.
Each area is commanded by an active-duty IRGC officer, typically a colonel.
Zone, Base, and Battalion:
Below the county-level, the picture of Basij combat-strength is incomplete. BRZs and BRBs cease to predictably correspond solely to geographic designations, as some are organized according to type, many of which do not have a combat role. Similarly, they are too great in number and localized to be uniformly reported on.
Instead, an alternative is the use of exercise reports to estimate combat strength. This includes the 'Beit al-Moqdas' exercises, which have taken place twice in the Semnan province, first in late-2012, and most recently in early-2014. Since they are meant to simulate a simultaneous mobilization of all SRAs in a 'rapid-reaction' scenario against a conventional military threat, these two-day exercises offer the best approximation of the province's practical capacity.
Although the numbers vary between exercises, are questionably precise, and are subject to interpretation, they provide an approximate picture of an SRA's strength:
Beit al-Moqdas Exercise, 2012: [5], [6], [7]
| SRA | Bns, all | BaM | IH | aZ | Personnel |
| Aradan: | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Damghan: |
[8]
|
[5]
|
[1]
|
[2]
|
1700 |
| Garmsar: |
[7]
|
[5]
|
[1]
|
[1]
|
1250 |
| Mehdishahr: | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1100 |
| Miyami: |
[7]
|
[5]
|
[1]
|
[1]
|
1250 |
| Semnan: |
[8]
|
[4]
|
[2]
|
[2]
|
1800 |
| Shahrud: | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2400 |
| Sorkheh: | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
| Total: | 45 | 27 | 9 | 9 | 9500 |
Beit al-Moqdas Exercise, 2014: [8]
| SRA | Bns, all | BaM | IH | aZ | Kosar | Other* | Personnel |
| Aradan: |
[3+1 co]
|
2 |
1 co
|
[1]
|
0 | 0 | 690 |
| Damghan: |
[4-6]
|
2 |
[1-2]
|
[1-2]
|
0 | 0 | 1000 |
| Garmsar: |
[4]
|
2 |
[1]
|
[1]
|
0 | 0 | 768 |
| Mehdishahr: |
[3]
|
2 |
[1]
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 668 |
| Miyami: |
[4]
|
2 |
[1]
|
[1]
|
0 | 0 | 868 |
| Semnan: |
[8-10]
|
[3-5]
|
[1]
|
[1]
|
[1]
|
[2]
|
1770 |
| Shahrud: |
[5-6]
|
[2]
|
[2-3]
|
0 |
[1]
|
0 | 1300 |
| Sorkheh: |
[3]
|
1 |
[1]
|
[1]
|
0 | 0 | 650 |
| Total: |
[34-39]
|
[16-18]
|
[8-10]
|
[6-7]
|
[2]
|
[2]
|
7714 |
Note: Brackets indicate uncertainty where the number of participating bns is not explicitly stated, but instead deduced from context. Low-moderate confidence in exact figures, high-confidence in overall trend and distribution.
Generally, each SRA contributes between 500 and 2500 personnel. The more populous counties provide more, while the less populous counties provide less, though not necessarily proportionally to population size. For instance, Semnan and Shahrud counties together contain close to 75% of the province's population, but contribute only about 40% of exercise participants. It is unknown whether the larger SRAs are mobilizing less of their available forces, or if the smaller SRAs have to fulfill a quota that is a proportionally larger.
The majority of personnel – half or more – are assigned to BaM battalions, while the remainder are generally split in equal measure between IH and female (aZ and Kosar) bns. This skew toward BaM bns is consistent both with the nature of exercises, the roles established for BaM and IH bns in the first two parts of this series, as well as with the general male-orientation of combat-forces worldwide.
As noted, since these exercises are geared toward a specific purpose – simulating a rapid-reaction scenario – the numbers above represent a fraction the county's overall personnel. In Mehdishahr, which contains about 10% of the province's population, the total number of Basij is quoted at 24,000. If accurate, this represents close to 60% of the county's 2006 population, buttressing the notion that the Basij are better understood as a multi-spectral organization (cultural, social political, and academic), closer 'the Party' in ex-East Bloc countries, than to a classical militia.[3]
Similarly, in Damghan, which contains close to 20% of the province's population, one urban BRZ reportedly contains 13 Ashura bns with a strength of 2,860 personnel.[4] Although difficult to extrapolate, this indicates that there are many-10s of unaccounted-for battalions in each SRA, albeit without as much combat-potential as the BaM and IH types.
Footnotes:
[1] Supplementary Training for Imam Hussein Battalions Held. FNA. 04/23/12.
[2] 10th 'Muharram' Air Defense Group. The Arkenstone. 01/17/14.
[3] 1,100 Mehdishahr Basij in Beit al-Moqdas Exercise. FNA. 12/01/12
[4] Preparation of 10 Battalions from Shahrud for the Beit al-Moqdas Exercise. FNA. 11/28/12.
[5] 10,000-Person Beit al-Moqdas Exercise Will be Held. FNA. 11/28/12.
[6] 7,500 People Participated in the Beit al-Moqdas Exercise in Semnan. FNA. 02/27/14.
[7] ibid FNA 12/01/12
[8] Call-up of Ashura Battalions from the Damghan SRA. Damghan News. 09/29/12.
Appendix - Reference Material Translations:
Title: Call-Up of Ashura Battalions from the Damghan SRA
Date: September 24, 2012 / Mehr 3, 1391
Source: Damghan News
The commander of the al-Hadi city-BRZ of the Damghan-Area-Sepah announced the two-day call-up of 1,000 Damghani Basij in Ashura battalions.---
IRGC Col. Seyyed Taqi-pour said on the sidelines of of the call-up of Ashura battalions from Damghan's SRA: The two-day call-up of Ashura battalions will commemorate the arrival of Sacred Defense Week on Shahrivar 30 and 31, and will be held in the Bilal mosque in the Boostan neighborhood of Damghan.
He stated: In this two-day call-up, seven Ashura battalions subordinate to the al-Hadi neighborhood BRZ in the Damghan BRA/SRA, which includes 1,000 people.
The commander, noting that the al-Hadi neighborhood BRZ of the Damghan BRA has 13 Ashura battalions, said: 2,860 Basij from urban-BRBs are members of these battalions.
He added: Over the two-day call-up, Ashura bn members from this BRZ will be presented with military, ideological, and cultural training.
[articles fill continues]
Title:10,000-person Exercise 'Beit al-Moqdas' will be Held
Date: November 28, 2012 / Azar 8, 1391
Source: Fars News Agency
FNA: The commander of the 'Hasrat Qaem al-Mohammed' in the Semnan provicne said: The 10,000 person rapid-reaction-battalions 'Beit al-Moqdas' exercise will be held on Azar 9 and 10 simultaneously across the province.---
General Ali Hosseini said in an interview with FNA today: In the eight-year Sacred Defense, Semnan contributed the second-highest number of fighters as a proportion of its population.
He added: After the victory in the Sacred Defense, exercises were performed across the country and province, one of them is Beit al-Moqdas, which, under the name 'Labik ya Rasoolallah', is carried out at the provincial level in the five counties of Miyami, Shahrud, Damghan, Semnan, and Garmsar.
The commander said: This exercise is carried out with 27 Beit al-Moqdas battalions, 9 Imam Hussein battalions, and 9 al-Zahra battalions.
Hosseini said: Programs planned in this exercise include [urban]-defense, SAR, riot-control, defense of sensitive targets, checkpoints, ambush and counter-ambush, and the province's Basij will complete this exercise with attention paid to internal threats.
[article fill continues]
Title: 1,100 Mehdishahr Basij in Beit al-Moqdas Wargame
Date: December 1, 2012 / Azar 10, 1391
Source: Fars News Agency
FNA: The commander of the IRGC in Mehdishahr county announced the presence of 1,100 people from the Mehdishahr Basij in the Beit al-Moqdas exercises.---
Yahiya Dinpour said in an interview today with FNA on the sidelines of the 10,000-person Beit al-Moqdas Battalions Exercise held in in Semnan on public-land [near] Chashtkhowran: Three BaM battalions, one IH battalion, and an aZ battalion – more than 1,100 people in total – from the Basij are participating in this exercise.
He explained: The exercise is being held with the participation of BaM rapid-reaction squads and five battalions from Mehdishahr county's Basij over a period of two days in the public-land [near] Chastkowran, for the purpose of upgrading the combat capability of the Basij forces.
The commander of the IRGC in Mehdishahr county, stating that the exercise was being held under the name ''Labik ya Rasoolallah', said: This exercise is being held temporally-centralized, and geographically-decentralized simultaneously across six counties in Semnan province.
He noted that: On the first day of the exercises, Basij forces completed unit training, and on the second day defensive-exercises were completed, [including] [urban]-defense, defense of sensitive targets, ambush and counter-ambush, SAR, and checkpoints.
Dinpour continued: Given the insults by Western media against Prophet Mohammed, this exercise has been named 'Labik ya Rasoolallah' and the Basij in this exercise [exemplify the ideals of the Prophet].
The commander of the IRGC in Mehdishahr county said: One of the characteristics of the Basij is that they have the necessary flexibility to confront enemy-threats in all times and places, and can deal with them quickly.
He explained: This issue has been demonstrated in the eight-year Sacred Defense, and today the Basij are better prepared for a comprehensive defense of the Islamic Revolution.
Dinpour emphasized: The Basij of this county [have considerable interest] in holding this exercise, and 100% of the personnel called-up participated in this exercise.
The commander of the IRGC in Mehdishahr said: More than 24,000 people from Mehdishar are members of the Basij and have been organized into several classes.
The 10,000-person rapid-reaction-battalions exercise 'Beit al-Moqdas' is now being held simultaneously across the Semnan province.
The exercise is being performed under the name 'Labik ya Rasoolallah' across the province in the five counties of Miyami, Shahrud, Damghan, Semnan, and Garmsar.
This exercise is being held with 27 BaM battalions, and with 9 IH and 9 aZ battalions.
Planned programs in this exercise include urban-defense, SAR, riot-control, defense of sensitive targets, checkpoints, ambush and counter-ambush, and the Basij from Semnan will complete this exercise with attention paid to internal threats.
In Semnan, more than 217 operations-squads have been formed subordinate to Rapid Reaction Beit al-Moqdas Battalions and these battalions include 147 'Zulfiqar' Rapid-Reaction squads, and 70 'Beit al-Moqdas' Rapid Reaction Squads.
The site of this exercise in Shahrud, Miyami and Garmsar is in public-lands, and in Damghan in the Qods Garrison, and in Semnan and Mehdishahr, which is being jointly held, is in the Qods HQ. (?)
The number of participating individuals in this exercise is 10,000 people, and is 1,800 in Semnan county, 2,400 in Shahrud, 1,700 in Damghan, 1,250 in Garmsar, 1,250 in Miyami, and 1,100 in Mehdishahr.
Title: 2,400-Person Beit al-Moqdas Battalion Exercise Began in Shahrud
Date: December 1, 2012 / Azar 10, 1391
Source: Fars News Agency
FNA: Shahrud 2,400-person BaM exercise began in the county's public-lands.---
The BaM battalion exercise was carried out with Ashura basij and the […] slogan.
The BaM battalion exercise in Shahrud is a two-day exercise and on the first day of this exercise the Basij were called-up and organized.
Then, the Basij attended classis for ideology, politics, SAR, urban-defense, passive-defense, and during the night completed night-fighting, and ambush and counter-ambush exercises.
Battalions from Mosque and neighborhood-zones were also seen in this exercise.
BaM battalions from the Seyyed al-Shohada, Karbala, Khatem ol-Anbiya, Ali ibn Abi Talib, and Najaf Ashraf BRZs were added to this exercise in Shahrud county on its second day.
[article fill continues]
Title: Preparation of 10 Battalions from Shahrud for the Beit al-Moqdas Exercise
Date: November 28, 2012 / Azar 8, 1391
Source: Fars News Agency
FNA: The commander of the IRGC in Shahrud county announced the preparation of 10 Basij battalions from Shahrud for participation in the Beit al-Moqdas exercise, which is to be held with 10,000 Basij.---
In the exercise's coordination-meeting held for the Shahrud-IRGC's Beit al-Moqdas battalions, which was held in the IRGC's meeting-hall, Abbas Motahari said to FNA: The Beit al-Moqdas rapid-reaction exercise is being held on the 9th and 10th of Azar in Shahrud, with the objective of preserving and consolidating Basij forces.
The IRGC commander in Shahrud county stated: [They] must try until the forces attending this exercise [are] completely prepared.
Mohtahari continued: The Shahrud-IRGC's Beit al-Moqdas Rapid Reaction Battalion Exercise is being held on Azar 9 and 10, on public-land in Shahrud, and in this exercise, five BaM battalions, three Imam Hussein battalions, and two al-Zahra battalions from the Shahrud Basij will participate.
In this meeting, the necessary coordination was completed for Basij's two-day exercise-program, and their deployment to the exercise region.
Today, the commander of the IRGC's 'Qaem al-Mohamed' [force] in Semnan province said to FNA: The 10,00-person Beit al-Moqdas rapid-reaction-battalions exercise is being held at the province-level on the Azar 9 and 10 [November 29-30].
General Ali Hosseini stating that in the Semnan province more than 217 operational/operations-squads have been formed under Beit-al-Moqdas-Rapid-Reaction-Battalions, said: These battalions include 147 'Zulfiqar' rapid-reaction squads, and 70 'Beit al-Moqdas' rapid-reaction squads.
Prof. Hosseini said that the most important objective of this exercise is to prepare the Basij to [protect] the sacred System of the Islamic Republic.
Title: 7,500 People Participated in the 'Beit al-Moqdas' Exercise in Semnan
Date: February 27, 2014 / Esfand 8, 1392
Source: Fars News Agency
The commander of the 'Qaem al-Mohmmed' IRGC in Semnan province said: More than 7,500 Basij participated in the 'Beit al-Moqdas' exercise throughout the Semnan province.
General Ali Hosseini in an exclusive interview with FNA said in this regard: The big 'Beit al-Moqdas' exercise began this morning in Semnan province, and more than 7,500 people participated in this exercise across the province's various counties.
He explained: [This] big exercise is held every year in all of the country's provinces, which has been [given] the name 'Beit al-Moqdas' in order to show the goals of the Islamic Revolution in the liberation of Islamic countries and the export of the Revolution to the world.
The IRGC commander stated: This year's Beit al-Moqdas exercise is being held in 31 of the country's provicnes, and today Semnan is witness to the powerful maneuvers of the BaM, Ashura, aZ, and Kosar battalions.
Hosseini said: The exercise is a tactical, combat, and cultural action, and will be a [warning] to the enemies of Islam and the System.
Stating that the exercise will be held today and tomorrow in Semnan province, he announced a speech on friday in Semnan's Qods garrison by General Mohamed-Reza Naghdi – the head of the Basij.
The commander of the IRGC in Semnan stated: 250 government-personnel will also have a presence in this exercise and our request of them (?) is that everyone wear the uniform of the Basij.
1,300-person 'Beit al-Moqdas' exercise in Semnan:
This morning in Semnan, the exercise began with 1,370 people from BaM, IA, and Kosar battalions. The exercise's reveille will be held on Friday, [February 28th] in Semnan's Qods garrison with 1,770 people from BaM, HQ, IA, Kosar, Imam Hussein, and aZ battalions.
Also, other counties of the province have begun the exercise simultaneously with Semnan, including Shahrud, Garmsar, Miyami, Mehdishahr, Aradan, and sorkheh.
702-Person exercise in Shahrud:
This morning in Shahrud, the exercise began with 702 people in BaM and Kosar battalions, and on Friday, [February 28th] reveille will be held in this province with 1,300 people from BaM, Kosar, and IH battalions.
468 people present in Damghan exercise:
In Damghan, the exercise is being held with 468 people in two BaM battalions. Reveille will be held with 1,000 people from BaM, IH, and aZ battalions.
Holding exercise in Sorkheh with 236 people:---
The exercise is being held in sorkheh with 236 people from a BaM battalion. Reveille will be held in this county with 650 people from BaM, IH, and aZ battalions.
468 people in Garmsar exercise:
In Garmsar, the exercise is being held with 468 people from two BaM battalions. Reveille will be held with 768 people from BaM, IH, and aZ battalions.
Holding exercise in Mehdishahr:
The exercise is being held in Mehdishahr with 468 people in two BaM battalions. Reveille will be held in this county with 668 people from BaM and IH battalions.
468 people in Miyami hosting exercise:
In Miyami, the exercise is being held with 468 people from [a] BaM battalion. Reveille will be held with 868 people from BaM, IH, and aZ battalions.
Aradan also went into the field:
The exercise in Aradan is being held with 468 people in two BaM battalions. Reveille in this county will be held with 690 people in BaM, and aZ battalions, and Imam Hussein companies.
No comments:
Post a Comment