Source: platosguns.com
The Syrian Defense Ministry issued a nationwide call for military reserves to return to active duty on December 18. This was the biggest mobilization effort since the start of the Syrian war and probably since the Arab–Israeli War in 1973.
Some experts suggest that reservists will serve in security forces formed to maintain stability in the recently liberated areas as Aleppo and Western Ghouta – the move that SouthFront predicted on December 14 in an analysis of possible developments after the liberation of Aleppo.
This will allow to free significant number of active soldiers for further offensive operations.
A series of operations to clear the remaining pockets near Damascus is an important task for the Syrian military because every pocket draws forces and facilities that the Syrian army could use at other frontlines.
If these areas are liberated and secured by police formations, Damascus will get a high number of free troops that could be used in a number of crucial frontlines of the ongoing conflict.
They still had reserves……?
Why the hell haven’t they been using them sooner? Or are we talking about the Syrian equivalent of the Volkssturm?
Now the morale is higher than ever. You don’t really want to call to service totally unwilling people, they will either leave the country, go into hiding, defect to the rebels or whatever else. And you will need to jail them if you find them, too, that doesn’t help anyone really.
A second reason may be that now the government controls more territory so can call to service more people from liberated cities and towns that were not …. hmmm available before. All these civilians that pour into government areas to avoid death? Yeah, time to do their duty to their country.
They should guard Aleppo,because the city is liberated,but the terrorists can try again if they see a chance to infiltrate the city like they did 4 years ago.
Yes Syria has not fully mobilized, the war has soon been going on for 6 years and a relative small country like Syria could not haved keept the living of standards and day to day life going if they had done that since start of war..
Assad has spoken about this on sevral occasions and if the needs arise they could fully mobilize for a short period, and maybe they see the begining of the end now after Aleppo was liberated who knows..
Are you kidding me. You need solders to win a war Ever since Russia got involved Syrian should have had a general mobilization and the war could very likely be over by now!
You need soldiers to win a war, yes, but those soldiers generally shouldn’t be reservists, unless its a total war like WWII. Reservists are just casual people with jobs which try to keep economy afloat. Mobilization is a last thing country can do, if Syrian Government decided to mobilize, then the situation must be indeed very dire and conventional military and paramilitaries unable to hold all fronts.
Think of mobilization as sort of overdrive or supersaiyan mode, whatever you call it, it may grant you with a huge number of capable men to overwhelm your adversary but it will burden economy ravaged by blockade of the “democratic” countries, mad jihadists blowing up people and infrastructure and extreme unemployment even more.Consequences of mobilization can be beyond disastrous, think of USSR in like 1945-1950.
Yes exactly, there needs to be a balance. And like Igor mentions if you dont provide a better future or life to people they will flock to extremist and your policy backfires badly in the long run!
That is what I mean the reservists should guard their own communities so regular soldiers doing it now can be freed up for use in battle and offensives. This is how it is done reservists and older soldiers over 40 guard communities and young soldiers and professional regular solders go to battle.
Syria has no economy right now it is all aid from Russian / Chinese / Iranian ‘aid etc.
I would say better to mobilize and damage the economy and win the war much more quickly without the country being destroyed is the way to go. A slump in an economy can easily be overcome but a country physically destroyed with hundreds of thousands dead takes a lot of time to rebuild.
The war would very likely have been over by now, if Putin-Lavrov hadn’t stupidly stopped bombing, pulled out most of the Russian planes, and forced a ceasefire on the request of their U.S. “partners” in February 2016, just as the Syrian army was getting close to complete victory over the jihadis along the whole Northern front and there were no U.S. or Turkish troops on Syrian territory.
Most reservists refused to work for the army and choose instead to join the national defense force, NDF. There they can defend their local towns and neighborhoods instead of being deployed away from their families and leave then unguarded against attack.
The Syrian army is despised by most civilians because they are dominated by inept crony appointed officers and the Alawite forces get all the equipment, all the air support, and better pay, everyone else gets bad equipment and often no pay and are used as cannon fodder.
The NDF gets no pay and has to arm themselves. That the NDF is preferred gives you an idea how unpopular the army is for most people. An attempt to call people back to the army and away from NDF, requires them to trust their commanders will know something about tactics besides ordering charges against fortified positions, and getting paid, and getting decent weapons and assurances their family homes won’t be left unguarded.
Southfront gave a detailed article on the Syrian army and the need to reform. Its overall review was negative and confirmed all the rumors of how badly managed the Syrian army is organized. If you have a population that is 70% sunni and you have zero Sunni officers trusted with good weapons and given equal pay, then Syria will never have sufficient manpower for this war.
Still….Empire with all its puppet nations, Satellite, control of media,the seas Even skies, Could not defeat the totally screwed up Syrian patchwork society nation.
Guess it’s True…
Light casts away darkness : )
The call for reservists may only be a call to expand the NDF, not the SAA. But you can’t really attract any more unless you start offering the NDF some pay, and more importantly, give them some artillery support.
Many argue that the Russian army has not done enough. My personal opinion is that the Russian instructors have done the impossible. They are the ones creating the foundations for further Syrian soldiers. Best syrian army units were in Aleppu and what happened in Palmayra is disappointing but unfortunately it has already proved in Homs that 11 division is not able to act independently without leadership of Tiger or 4 divisions
Question is: why now????