Iraqi PM calls for stronger domestic arms industry to achieve sovereignty

Shafaq News/ Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Saturday said that a strong domestic military industry is vital to protect the country's sovereignty, pledging to take action to achieve this quest. 

"Today, we are laying the foundation for a military industry that safeguards our sovereignty and equips our security forces," al-Sudani, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, said during the inauguration ceremony of military industrial plant in southern Baghdad earlier today. 

Al-Sudani pledged to streamline the supply of raw materials to the Military Manufacturing Authority (MMA) and crack down on corruption in arms procurement. He directed security ministries to prioritize domestically produced weapons and urged parliament to investigate any suspicious import contracts.

"Any contract to import raw materials available locally should be probed as suspected corruption," al-Sudani said, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability in defense spending. 

He stressed the importance of a comprehensive approach to national security, encompassing both military strength and economic development.

"We are in a volatile region witnessing rapid developments and transformations," al-Sudani remarked. "We must have an armament plan that ensures Iraq's sovereignty, security, and unity. This can only be achieved with an advanced military industry supported by the Iraqi government and legislation from parliament."

The armed forces are administered by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which toppled the Saddam Hussein regime, the Iraqi Armed Forces have been rebuilt with substantial assistance from the United States armed forces. Since the implementation of the U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement on January 1, 2009, the Iraqi Armed Forces and the forces of the Ministry of Interior (Iraq) are responsible for providing security and upholding law and order throughout Iraq.

The armed forces of Iraq have a long and a complicated history. They were initially formed in the early 1920s. Six military Coup d'états were mounted by the Army between 1936 and 1941. The armed forces first saw combat in the Anglo-Iraqi War of 1941. They fought against Israel in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, in the 1967 Six Day War, and in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Under the former regime, two wars with the Kurds were fought in 1961-70 and 1974-75. A much larger conflict was the Iran-Iraq War, initiated by the Iraqis in 1980, which continued until 1988. Thereafter Iraq began the Iraq-Kuwait War which led to the Persian Gulf War of 1991, which led in turn to confrontations over the Iraqi no-fly zones during the 1990s, and the Iraq War of 2003. The Iraqi armed forces have had mixed success at the strategic level but consistently poor tactical performance during most of their history.