Syria’s Ministry of Defense has begun the second phase of a programme to reorganise the country’s armed forces, nearly two years after the fall of the former Syrian regime. The effort follows the integration of multiple armed factions into the ministry and is intended to remove remaining factional, ideological, ethnic and religious affiliations from the military structure, according to Enab Baladi.
The restructuring is taking place after years of conflict in which armed groups that had previously fought one another were brought into a common organisation. The first phase focused on placing these factions under the authority of the Ministry of Defense, ending the use of their former names and bringing their weapons under a single command.
Redeployment follows initial integration
The second phase is centred on personnel reassignments and the redeployment of ground forces across Syria. Enab Baladi reported that the objective is to weaken loyalties to individual factions and leaders, and to establish a military identity linked to the Syrian state rather than to previous ideological or communal affiliations.
The Ministry of Defense is headed by Murhaf Abu Qasra, identified by Enab Baladi as a former HTS commander and one of the leaders of Operation Deterrence of Aggression. That operation ended with the overthrow of the former Syrian regime on 8 December 2024. At the beginning of 2025, the ministry announced organisational measures aimed at bringing armed factions under its control and creating a unified structure for the country’s military.
| Phase | Main measure |
|---|---|
| First phase | Integration of factions into the Ministry of Defense and consolidation of weapons under one command |
| Second phase | Reassignments and redeployment intended to reduce factional and ideological loyalties |
Questions over command and military doctrine
The process has also raised concerns about the extent of HTS influence within the new army. Enab Baladi reported fears that the dominance of the group, described as central to Syria’s political and military leadership, could lead to new loyalties within the armed forces. There are also concerns that some formations may retain ideological or ethnic affiliations despite the formal integration process.
Those concerns have broader implications for the organisation’s future role. The restructuring leaves open questions about the doctrine the army will adopt, how it will represent all Syrians and how its command system will function after years in which Syria’s military capabilities were severely weakened by war. The publication also reported that the army’s weapons and eventual strength remain unresolved issues.
- The first phase placed former armed factions under the Ministry of Defense.
- The second phase involves personnel transfers and the redeployment of ground forces.
- Concerns remain over HTS influence and the survival of ideological or ethnic loyalties.
For Syria, the restructuring is therefore not limited to renaming or regrouping existing units. It is an attempt to create a single military institution from organisations with different wartime identities and political outlooks. Its progress will depend on whether the new command arrangements can replace those earlier allegiances while establishing a doctrine and force structure accepted across the country.
