Transformations of the Combating Structure of the I.R. Iran's Gendarmerie in the War with Iraq (1980-1988)

The mission of the Gendarmerie of the Islamic Republic of Iran was to maintain order and security in the field of protecting villages, roads and all non-urban areas, controlling and guarding the borders. At the beginning and during the imposed war, this organization was very effective in ensuring order and security in the war zones and dealing with illegal parties, apart from carrying out the assigned tasks and directly fighting with the invading Iraqi forces. The purpose of this research is to examine the structural changes of the Gendarmerie in the 8 years of war with the Baathist regime in Iraq.Using documents, library sources and interviews with gendarmerie commanders, this research seeks to answer the main question: what strategic and innovative changes did the gendarmerie of the Islamic Republic of Iran make in its organizational structure against the Iraqi border attacks? The findings of the research indicated that the Gendarmerie started the imposed war as the first force engaged against the Baathist enemy, relying on innovation and carrying out innovative measures in its organizational structure, such as the establishment of the Arvand base, the strengthening and expansion of the border battalions, as well as the creation of non-organizational combat units. Equipped with heavy weapons, he engaged with the Iraqi forces in the vast border area of Khuzestan, Kurdistan, West Azerbaijan, Ilam and Kermanshah, which before that time had no force and means to deal with border aggressions except border posts.