National Security
Rebuilding Iraq's national security doctrine on modern sovereign foundations — moving beyond reactive postures toward anticipatory strategy, and integrating military, economic, and informational dimensions into a unified decision-making framework.
Introduction
National security is not merely a military function; it is the state's capacity to protect its survival, the independence of its decision-making, and the well-being of its people in the face of threats in all their forms. This file addresses the redefinition of the Iraqi security system as a composite architecture, governed by a single sovereign authority and operating in accordance with a publicly declared strategic document.
Key Challenges
- Multiplicity of security decision-making centres and overlapping jurisdictions among various agencies.
- The need to translate Iraq’s National Security Strategy 2025–2030 into shared implementation priorities and publicly reported outcome indicators.
- Weakness of economic and cyber intelligence capabilities in the face of modern threats.
- Slow transition from the conventional confrontation model to the hybrid threats model.
- Fragility of institutional linkage among security, economics, and foreign policy.
Vision
A unified, proactively oriented Iraqi national security system that protects sovereignty across its four dimensions — geographic, economic, informational, and societal — within a transparent, accountable framework linked to legitimate political leadership.
Action Axes
Security Governance
Restructuring the National Security Council to serve as the unified strategic authority, incorporating sovereign security, economic, and diplomatic institutions, and producing and overseeing implementation of the national security document.
Military Doctrine
Modernising military doctrine to align with the nature of hybrid threats: specialised forces, advanced training, balanced armament, and a defensive doctrine that secures borders and maintains deterrence capability.
Cyber and Economic Intelligence
Establishing advanced capabilities to monitor cyber threats against critical infrastructure, track economic and financial warfare, and protect monetary reserves and banking decision-making.
Strategic Research
Linking the security establishment to a national strategic research network that produces analyses and scenarios, supplying decision-makers with knowledge.