Iran's Military Strategy
“Iran’s Military Strategy“
Speaker: Bahgat, G. (National Defense University)
Date: 18 June 2019
Speaker Session Preview
SMA hosted a speaker session presented by Dr. Gawdat Bahgat (National Defense University) as a part of its SMA CENTCOM Speaker Series. During his presentation, Dr. Bahgat spoke about the continuous buildup of Iran’s missile program since the 1970s. He first characterized the program, highlighting that it is the largest and most diverse missile program in the Middle East, though it is not the most lethal. He further stated that, despite the pressure that the US and Europe have been putting on Iran to cease this buildup, Iran has continued its efforts with little hesitation. According to Dr. Bahgat, Iran’s unwillingness to abandon its missile program is a result of its belief that the Islamic Republic cannot exist without its missile program. This is a matter of Iran’s survival, and therefore, Iran is highly unlikely to accept restraints on its missile program, Dr. Bahgat stated. He then explained that missiles play a prominent role in Iran’s defense and deterrence strategies due to three things: 1) Iran’s experience in the Iran-Iraq War; 2) a military imbalance with regional adversaries (missiles are seen as an “equalizer”); and 3) missiles, from Iran’s standpoint, are a symbol of scientific and technological advancement. Next, Dr. Bahgat discussed the history of Iran’s missile program, as well as its current capabilities. He provided an assessment of the military program, highlighting that since 2017, Iran has primarily focused on improving the accuracy of its missiles rather than their range. He also emphasized that claims regarding Iran’s missile program are often not verifiable. Dr. Bahgat then explained that it is important to compare Iran’s missile program to other regional actors’ programs to provide context. So, he proceeded to speak about Israel’s missiles and missile defense systems, as well as Israel’s close cooperation with the US, and Saudi Arabia’s missile capabilities. To conclude, Dr. Bahgat re-articulated his main points and discussed the way forward for the US.
Dr. Gawdat Bahgat is professor of National Security Affairs at the National Defense University’s Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Study. He is an Egyptian-born specialist in Middle Eastern policy, particularly Egypt, Iran, and the Gulf region. His areas of expertise include energy security, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, counter-terrorism, Arab-Israeli conflict, North Africa, and American foreign policy in the Middle East.
Bahgat’s career blends scholarship with national security practicing. Before joining NESA in December 2009, he taught at different universities. Bahgat published ten books including Alternative Energy in the Middle East (2013), Energy Security (2011), International Political Economy (2010), Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in the Middle East (2007), Israel and the Persian Gulf (2006), and American Oil Diplomacy (2003). Bahgat’s articles have appeared in International Affairs, Middle East Journal, Middle East Policy, Oil and Gas Journal, and OPEC Review, among others. His work has been translated to several foreign languages.
Bahgat served as an advisor to several governments and oil companies. He has more than 25 years of academic, policy and government experience working on Middle Eastern issues. Bahgat has contributed to CNN, BBC, Washington Post and Al-Jazeera. He has spoken at Tufts University, Columbia University, London School of Economics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Swiss Foreign Ministry, Yildiz Technical University in Istanbul, Qatar University, Kuwait University, Oman Diplomatic Institute, King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (Saudi Arabia), Griffith University (Australia), India School of Business (Hyderabad, India), Institute of Military-Aeronautic Sciences (Florence, Italy), University of Viterbo, (Rome, Italy), and Institute for International Political Studies (Milan, Italy).
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