Military Security in Imam Khamenei's (i.e., the Supreme Commander-in-Chief; may His shadow extend) Discourse

Focusing on the political-defensive ideas of Imam Khamenei (the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, may His shadow extend), rooted in the divine sources explaining the security of the I. R. of Iran in the era of intensified insecurities, this study attempted to investigate the nature of and approach to the military security of the I.R. of Iran in light of a theoretical framework and the oral and written discourses of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. Having offered a conceptual sample and developed a questionnaire for data collection, the researcher tried to investigate the main factors affecting the military security of the I.R of Iran. As an applied-developmental research in design, the study involved 65 participants as the including commanders, university professors, and officials involved in the fields of military, security, and defense. Ideas of 17 military experts were also incorporated. The findings revealed that the military security, conceptually, refers to assurance of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the military forces of defending all threats and military operations organized by the enemy and achieving military superiority in light of religious belief and insight, resistance, deterring military preparedness, and effective combat power framed based on the will and orders of the Velayat (Jurisdiction). Main parameters of the military security of the I. R of Iran are, respectively, strategic resources, science and technology, organization culture, development and generation capability, intelligence, and organizational structure which are determining at the internal and external levels, and abstract and concrete dimensions of the military security. Out of the 20 parameters promoting the military security, 10 were recognized as prior characterized by “the Authority of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and Muslims’ Leadership and Velayat-based Submission of the Commanders” at the top of the priority list, followed, orderly, by jihad-scientific efforts in achieving knowledge and accessing new technologies and sophisticated defensive equipment that can play a crucial role in strengthening and enhancing the military security of the I.R of Iran given the availability of the efficient, faithful, and resistant human resources fighting the enemy based on feeling divine function in light of Islamic teachings and managing the affairs based on ShiitesJurisprudence in line with meeting the ideals of Imam Khomeini [may His grave be holy] through relying on national mobilization and close ties the with the nation.