How a professional military transformed into a tool for coups and civil war

Cultures · Published 30 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Born from a French mandate volunteer force, the Syrian military evolved from a colonial-era unit into a central political actor. For decades, the army did not just defend borders; it frequently seized power, executing a series of coups that reshaped the nation's destiny.

The origins of the Syrian military lie in the 1923 French Mandate volunteer force. Initially led by French officers, this unit was expanded in 1925 as the Special Troops of the Levant. As independence approached, the officer corps began to be filled by Syrian graduates of the Homs Military Academy, a transition that saw the force grow to roughly 5,000 men by 1945.

Following independence, the military's role shifted from defense to governance. Between 1943 and 1970, the army mounted six distinct military coups, including significant power shifts in 1949 and 1963. The 1963 coup, led by a Military Committee including Hafez al-Assad, was particularly transformative. By purging Sunni officers and promoting Alawites, the regime fundamentally altered the military's internal demographics and political loyalty.

Under the Assad era, the military underwent massive expansion, growing by 264% between 1971 and 2000. However, this period was marked by intense external conflicts, including four wars with Israel and a long-term occupation of Lebanon from 1976 to 2005. The military's focus shifted from conventional Soviet-style warfare to counter-insurgency during the Syrian Civil War (2011–2024).

The collapse of the Ba'athist regime in December 2024 marked the end of an era. As the Assad regime fell, the established armed forces effectively dissolved, with some units fleeing to Iraq. Today, a transitional government is working to reorganize the military, recently integrating the Syrian Democratic Forces to bring the total active strength to an estimated 180,000 to 182,000 personnel.

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