Iranian naval and maritime strategy pdf

Iranian supreme leader ali khameneis address to graduates of the iranian naval academy, 9 september 2018. They have defined their interests in causing instability throughout. Irans asymmetric naval warfare washington institute. Maritime security in the middle east and north africa. Iranian naval and maritime strategy institute for the study of war. Iranian naval and maritime strategy institute for the. Pdf past, present and future of iranian naval health and. Iran s naval strategy in the persian gulf has advantages and disadvantages. Navy warships in the strait of hormuz in december 2007 and january 2008. Iran s maritime forces, the islamic republic of iran navy irin and the islamic revolutionary guards corps navy irgcn, as well as its commercial shipping fleet, the islamic republic of iran. They link up with a tanker to refuel, then continue 500 miles to their targetan islamic state stronghold in northern iraq.

Middle east security report 12 iranian naval and maritime strategy christopher harmer june 20 the iranian regime has among its strategic objectives expanding its power in the middle east and rolling back u. They destroyed iranian naval and intelligence facilities on two oil platforms in the persian gulf. Iranian leadership considers the persian gulf and much of central asia to. Iran s military doctrine michael connell the iran iraq war 19801988 was a defining moment for the iranian military and it continues to underpin many aspects of iranian military doctrine. Iran submarine capabilities iranian kiloclass diesel submarine, photo via wikimedia commons the two branches of iran s navy, the islamic republic of iran navy and the islamic revolutionary guards corps navy, command a vast submarine force of around 34 vessels. Irans asymmetric naval warfare fariborz haghshenass the washington institute for near east policy 3 islands, together with four other iranian islands lesser tunb, abu musa, bani forur, and sirri, are particularly important because they lie near the route that all. According to iranian network press tv, an iranian rear admiral said that the exercise would take place over an area spanning the strait of hormuz, the gulf of oman, the. The islamic republic of iran navy came into being when the former imperial iranian navy iin of the pahlavi era was renamed following the iranian revolution in 1979.

Small highspeed boats are difficult to detect and identify, and enjoy a great deal of flexibility and maneuverability. Dark chill in the persian gulf irans conventional and. The shah, awash with oil revenue, provided a large defense budget. Table of contents executive summary 5 introduction a brief history of irans naval forces 7 chapter 1 organization, leadership and personnel chapter 2 naval strategy, doctrine and missions 21 chapter 3 naval capabilities 27 chapter 4 training, operations and exercises 37 outlook 42 additional resources.

An iranian navy in one form or another has existed since achaemenid times and the first persian empire around 500 bc. Shipbuilding was largely abandoned after the fall of the soviet union. Irans military doctrine michael connell the iraniraq war 19801988 was a defining moment for the iranian military and it continues to underpin many aspects of iranian military doctrine. Middle east security report 12 iranian naval and maritime strategy christopher harmer june 20the mediterranean show that iranian regime has thecapability and the strategic ambition to deploy ships tothe mediterranean and use those ships to convey suppliesto allies, or load supplies for transfer back to iran. India maritime partnership facing a rising china in the region, and that all three powers prefer an accommodative strategy with respect to one another. Friedman suggests that most writings that are purportedly about u. Benefiting from iran s geostrategic position along the persian gulf and the strait of hormuz, iran s layered. Mar 02, 2017 iran is developing a submarine that could launch an antiship cruise missile designed to quickly sink an american warship operating in the strait of hormuz, according to a new report. On a mild winter day in january 2018, a pair of fa18 fighters launch from the uss theodore roosevelt cvn71 in the persian gulf. General mohammad hossein baqeri, chief of staff of the iranian armed forces said in remarks published on 27 november 2016 that iran needed a fleet in the indian. In fact it has become a large task involving many entities from international, public and private sectors. Indias maritime military strategy published by ministry of defence, government of india, draws a clear linkage between our economic prosperity and our naval capability, which will protect the nations vast and varied maritime interests. Beginning in 2007, a major shift occurred in irans military strategy which.

It closely examines the islamic republics navys warwaging capacity in the persian gulf, its new unconventional fighting philosophy, force imperatives, doctrinal underpinnings, combat objectives, and the implications that this might have on shipping and oil trade in the persian gulf. On the other hand, they suffer from major limitations in firepower and endurance. Tehran views maritime combat operations much the same way as it views landbased. Past, present and future of iranian naval health and maritime. The past, present and future of maritime trade warfare the. These two events illustrate the role maritime activities play in irans growing ability to project influence far from its shores, and how the iranian navy has emerged, in the. Most of it was a retaliation for an american warship hitting an iranian mine in the persian gulf. Similarly, in china too, the political leadership has become acutely.

They opportunely published their writings during the zenith of british power, which was built primarily upon the british navy. The maritime strategy of regional powers china, india, iran. This reorganization and the establishment of new bases are in keeping with iranian naval strategy in the event of a conflict. The irins combat fleet consists of a half dozen obsolete frigates, a dozen missileequipped patrol boats, a number of midget submarines, and three large diesel submarines that operate outside the gulf in support of iran s maritime accessdenial strategy. The totality of evidence indicates that iranian maritime activity in support of the iranian strategic objective of regional power and influence is evolving and expanding, not contracting. Iranian leadership considers the persian gulf and much of central asia to be a near abroad where iranian culture and interests should have significant influence. The maritime strategy research project is working to fill the analysis and policy void. The threat of war with iran may seem distant to many in united states and europe, but its strategic implications became all too clear only hours after two freshly loaded tankers the frontline and the kokuka courageous were attacked in the gulf of oman on june 12, 2019 just outside the persian or arab gulf. Operating from range to defeat iran s antiaccess and areadenial threats xi iran has begun investing in the capabilities necessary to execute this hybrid a2ad strategy and could continue to improve upon them significantly over the next two decades. Naval strategy is the planning and conduct of war at sea, the naval equivalent of military strategy on land naval strategy, and the related concept of maritime strategy, concerns the overall strategy for achieving victory at sea, including the planning and conduct of campaigns, the movement and disposition of naval forces by which a commander secures the advantage of fighting at a place.

Irans armed forces have tailored their warfighting strategies to counter. Iranian naval force has dramatically evolved during the past recent decades in terms of modern indigenous made fleets, missiles, communication tools, radars, submarines and flying systems. Maritime trade warfare between iraq and iran began in october 1980 when iraq declared waters along the iranian coast north of 29. Pdf fleet tactics and naval operations download full. The article hypothesizes that there has been a transition from a unipolar to a tripolar system manifest by a triangular matrix, with a u.

Maritime strategy in a globalizing world sciencedirect. Tehran has historically used its naval forces to send strategic signals and project its foreign policy ambitions. Past, present and future of iranian naval health and. Soon after its release, analysts, pundits, and naval officers began to offer criticisms and interpretations. Irans islamic revolutionary guard corps an open source analysis. Nov 14, 2012 the growing threat of irans sea power. Iranian naval and maritime strategy institute for the study. Irans defense and military goals, strategy, plans, and intentions. Factors influencing irans approach to asymmetric naval warfare. Mar 01, 2017 the following is the 2017 office of naval intelligence report, iranian naval forces.

The new strategy calls for the construction of new nuclearpowered icebreakers to allow access to the arctic. Oct 11, 2010 the iraniraq war 19801988 was a defining moment for the iranian military and it continues to underpin many aspects of iranian military doctrine. Sir julian corbett, writing in 1911, defined maritime strategy as the principles which govern a war in which the sea is a substantial factor. Recent developments confirm that iran is committed to this ambition, has a strategy to realize this outcome, and is making significant progress towards it. Irans asymmetric naval warfare the washington institute. To many observers maritime security appears to be a large and sometimes nebulous concept. American naval policy, strategy, plans and operations in. Tehran has consistently developed a robust maritime strategy. The university has recruited a number of leading israeli security and naval professionals and academics to study key maritime strategic, geographic and legal issues related to israel and generate thoughtprovoking policy positions.

Doing these operations that also had to sink defendng crafts, three speedboats but also an iranian frigate, a fast attack gunboat, and another frigate. Naval forces central command, declared on a visit to riyadh on sept. Irans maritime forces, the islamic republic of iran navy irin and the islamic revolutionary guards corps navy irgcn, as well as its commercial shipping fleet, the islamic republic of iran. The growing threat of irans sea power oped us news. Jul 26, 2012 iranian naval strategy in the red sea iran recognizes the red sea as a strategic area of interest because of its desire to gain control over the main maritime oil and gas route to the west, the straits on each corner of the arabian peninsula. The past, present and future of maritime trade warfare. Analysts suggest that the highly globalised economy, development of land transport routes and small size of modern navies compared to the vast fleets of the last world war make a return to commerce raiding highly unlikely. Maritime security perspectives for a comprehensive approach lutz feldt, dr. Iranian military planners are adept at incorporating lessons from other conflicts, such as the u. Maritime security perspectives for a comprehensive. As mahan published his writings nearly 20 years earlier than corbett, his writings began as the more popular and influential of the two. In parallel, the medical needs and requirements of naval forces have markedly evolved in all health dimensions. It is not surprising therefore that since the 1979 revolution tehran has consistently developed a robust maritime strategy.

A significant iranian military exercise geopolitical futures. According to iranian network press tv, an iranian rear admiral said that the exercise would take place over an area spanning the strait of hormuz, the gulf of oman, the northern indian ocean and the bab elmandeb strait. Middle east security report 12 iranian naval and maritime strategy. A new mediumrange missile is fired from an iranian naval ship during a war game on sea of oman near the strait of hormuz in southern iran on january 1, 2012.

Navys new maritime strategy is contained in a fairly terse tenpage document that speaks in broad terms about how sea power should be used through the next ten to fifteen years to defend the nation and its global interests. Guerrilla warfare, not the traditional sea fight, makes a better analogy for iranian maritime strategy. Maritime strategy in a new era of great power competition 3 introduction. One of the clearest indicators came last month when iran yes, iran announced through its official media that it would soon participate in joint naval exercises with russia and china. Pdf on feb 29, 2016, ali reza khoshdel and others published past, present and future of iranian naval health and maritime medicine find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate.

Both forces also possess air assets for reconnaissance and strike missions. The maritime strategy is integral to our national strategy, for if the united states must go to war, it must go to sea. And even though the success of such an approach at this stage appears unlikely, they may still hold some key cards, to be able to pose a credible and effective threat. Why would russia, chinaand iranplan joint naval exercises. Oct 21, 2019 vice admiral jim malloy, commander of u.

Iran in 1979 is a good example of a combination of events which were not expected and perhaps could not have been predicted. With this type of incursion iran has shown it is ready to engage in its preferred naval strategy of areadenial to enforce new acquisitions. Fleet tactics and naval operations available for download and read online in other formats. Political instability in egypt, somalia, and yemen has raised security risks for the global shipping industry in the waters of the middle east and north africa. Today, the policy that the front of arroganceheaded by the oppressive and cruel united states has adopted is a malicious policy. Iranian warships were ordered to approach us maritime borders as a. Irans new strategic horizons at sea beginsadat center.

The author is a longtime contributor to, advisor on, and observer of us navy strategy and policy. It was originally written as a contribution to an international conference on maritime strategy and security, and originally published as a chapter in a routledge handbook in 2015. Iranian defenders will concentrate asymmetric firepower and effort at the narrowest and most convoluted points in the strait, where an enemys whereabouts are known in advance, targeting is easy, and escape is hard. The buildup of irans naval, air, and missile capability poses a wide range. Alfred thayer mahan and sir julian corbett are viewed in many circles as the fathers of sea power theory and maritime theory. The maritime strategy, however, is not an independent strategy,although it can be described independently. Benefiting from iran s geostrategic position along the persian gulf and the strait of hormuz, iran. The iranian regime has among its strategic objectives. Washington nns the sea services released a new maritime strategy, march, a plan that describes how the navy, marine corps, and coast guard will design, organize, and employ naval forces in.

These attacks came less than a month after four previous attacks on. In parallel, the medical needs and requirements of naval forces. The iranian seaairmissile threat to gulf shipping csis. Feb 15, 2011 with a newfound assertiveness and aggressive tactics, the iranian naval forces are now challenging the dominant force in the persian gulf the us navy. Confrontation between the united states and iran global. Iranian naval dispute refers to a series of naval standoffs between iranian speedboats and u.

The university has recruited a number of leading israeli security and naval professionals and academics to study key maritime strategic, geographic and legal issues related to. What is a maritime strategy 3 in searching for provocative ideas, studies of the maritime experience of great britain in the years between 1815 and 1851 might, for the moment, be more useful to american naval. Iran has tested these waters with an incursion by an oil platform which was virtually unopposed by the lackluster azeri navy. The iranian regime has among its strategic objectives expanding its power in the middle east and rolling back u.

Navy capstone strategies and concepts misc d0026419. Maritime superiority for americas navy and marine corps is enabled by technological superiority. Secondly, iran s naval capabilities emphasize an antiaccess area denial strategy. Apr 15, 2020 a new mediumrange missile is fired from an iranian naval ship during a war game on sea of oman near the strait of hormuz in southern iran on january 1, 2012. The new russian naval doctrine center for international. Recently, russia has begun a program of naval vessel building to supplement a program of naval vessel building to supplement and replace its aging cold war era fleet. The strategic threat from iranian hybrid warfare in the. Irans asymmetric naval warfare fariborz haghshenass the washington institute for near east policy 3 islands, together with four other iranian islands lesser tunb, abu musa, bani forur, and sirri, are particularly important because they lie near the route that all vessels entering or leaving the gulf use. The iranian regime is not in decline, and it is not a. Maritime strategy in a new era of great power competition.