Iranian Imperial Army
From Daily Escape
| Military manpower | |
| Availability (males age 18-49) (females age 18-49) | 18,319,545 17,541,037 |
| Fit for military service (males age 18-49) (females age 18-49) | 15,665,725 15,005,597 |
| Reaching military age annually (males age 18-49) (females age 18-49) | 862,056 808,044 |
| Military expenditures | |
| Dollar figure | $205.29 billion |
| Percent of GDP | 10.4% |
The Iranian Imperial Army is structured into three branches consisting of the:
The shah is constitutionally designated supreme commander of the armed forces, and important decisions regarding Iran's defense needs are made by him. He exercises operational control through the supreme commander`s staff, a joint organization that loosely coordinates the activities of the three services.
The chief of the supreme commander`s staff is second in command; the staff includes a vice chief of staff and directors of personnel, intelligence, operations, logistics, plans, communications, and fiscal matters, though the supreme commander's staff serve more as coordinating body than a command body within the chain of command, and the three service chiefs are encouraged to consult directly with the shah.
The minister of war, as a cabinet minister, is not in the military chain of command. He has legislative and budgetary roll. The vice minister of war is in charge of implementing the shah's decisions regarding arms procurement and thus is a highly visible and important figure.
The military is quite large, even by regional standards, partly due to the country's close proximity to the Soviet Union, a nation Iran views with distrust. Many of Iran's personnel were trained by advisors from the United States, the United Kingdom, or other Western nations; as such, their performance, efficiency, and commitment to duty are consistently excellent. Moreover, the revenues derived from Iran's vast petroleum reserves allow it to purchase the latest in Western military technology. These factors, as well as the presence of American and other military bases, make Iran the undisputed hegemon of the Middle East.
