MPR Country Profile

Iraq
Military Power Ranking 2026

Iraq ranks 35th in the 2026 Military Power Rankings. Its MPR profile is shaped by decades of conventional war, foreign intervention, insurgency, the ISIS conflict, counterterrorism operations, armored-force rebuilding, artillery modernization, and the slow reconstitution of national air power.

The Iraqi Armed Forces are more capable than they were after the 2003 collapse, but they remain constrained by internal fragmentation, foreign dependency, limited naval power, uneven command cohesion, and a security environment shaped by militia forces, terrorism, border threats, and regional competition.

Combat Experience Armored Rebuilding Counterterrorism Oil Infrastructure Internal Security

MPR Rank35th

MPR Score778

MPR Index0.33481.0000 is perfect

Reverse MPR Index0.63040.0000 is perfect

Z Score+0.865Standard deviations from the mean

Doctrine ProfileGround combat, counterterrorism, rebuilding, and internal security

MPR Overview

Iraq's 2026 MPR profile reflects a military still rebuilding after extreme institutional shocks: the Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf War, the 2003 invasion, insurgency, ISIS territorial expansion, and post-ISIS stabilization. The country has rebuilt armored, artillery, counterterrorism, and air support capacity, but remains uneven across services and commands.

MPR scores Iraq strongly for combat experience, manpower, armored forces, artillery, oil resources, geographic position, and counterterrorism experience. It scores lower for command cohesion, naval power, independent air-defense depth, strategic weapons, domestic defense production, long-range ISR, and reliance on external partners for advanced systems and sustainment.

Strategic Geography Schematic

Core MPR Strengths

MPR Strengths and Constraints

Iraq ranks 35th in the 2026 Military Power Rankings (MPR). Following decades of war, foreign occupation, and insurgency, Iraq’s military is in a sustained process of rebuilding, modernization, and doctrinal reform. The country has emerged from the shadow of the ISIS conflict with a renewed focus on conventional force development, particularly in armored warfare, artillery, and the reconstitution of its air force. While Iraq continues to face internal security threats and political instability, it is gradually reestablishing its armed forces as a credible regional actor with growing capability.

Iraq’s military strength rests on hard-earned experience, large-scale force structure, and targeted modernization:

Battle-Tested Ground Forces: The Iraqi Army has been engaged in near-continuous combat since 2003, with extensive experience in urban warfare, counterterrorism, and combined arms operations, particularly during the campaigns to retake Mosul, Fallujah, and Tikrit from ISIS.

Armored Warfare Focus: Iraq is rebuilding its armored units with T-90S tanks, upgraded M1A1 Abrams, and mechanized infantry, prioritizing offensive and defensive operations across urban and desert terrain.

Expanding Artillery and Missile Capabilities: Iraq has invested in multiple rocket launcher systems and tactical artillery to strengthen fire support. Iranian-linked militia missile capabilities are a separate part of the security landscape and do not establish an indigenous Iraqi regular-force ballistic missile programme.

Air Force Revitalization: The Iraqi Air Force has grown from near-collapse in 2003 to now operating a mixed fleet of F-16IQs, Su-25s, and Chinese CH-4 drones, focused on CAS, surveillance, and precision strikes.

Despite growing conventional strength, Iraq’s military is limited by external dependency, internal fragmentation, and strategic vulnerabilities.

Iraq’s armed forces remain entangled in a fractured internal security environment:

The regular army competes with Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), which are partially outside of central command

Security forces are frequently diverted for domestic patrols, riot control, and anti-militia activity

Cohesion and centralized control remain inconsistent across units and provinces

This reduces Iraq’s ability to function as a unified national force in high-intensity or cross-border scenarios.

Iraq:

Heavily relies on U.S. technical support, logistics, and aircrew training for many of its advanced systems

Maintains politically sensitive ties with Iran, affecting strategic independence

Operates without indigenous production of major platforms or a fully independent supply chain

Its foreign alignment remains delicate and prevents full operational sovereignty.

While Iraq has rebuilt part of its air force, it still:

Has a limited F-16IQ multirole fleet, but lacks strategic bombers and airborne early warning

Has no functioning navy beyond small patrol vessels, limiting maritime defense and trade security

Relies on coalition coordination for regional airspace security and long-range ISR

These gaps severely constrain Iraq’s ability to conduct operations beyond its borders or defend its maritime domain.

Iraq’s military is undergoing a slow but determined transformation from a fractured, counterinsurgency-focused force into a conventional army capable of regional operations. With heavy battlefield experience and improving capabilities in armor, artillery, and air power, Iraq is regaining momentum as a national defense force.

However, in the MPR framework—where strategic autonomy, force integration, and technological depth are key—Iraq ranks 35th due to continued internal fragmentation, reliance on foreign support, and critical shortfalls in naval and aerial reach. Its strength lies in resilient ground operations and asymmetric adaptation, not in comprehensive, high-end warfare.

MPR Doctrine and Strategy

Iraq's doctrine is shaped by internal security, counterinsurgency, border control, protection of oil infrastructure, urban combat, desert operations, and gradual rebuilding of conventional forces. It is still transitioning from crisis-driven counterterrorism toward a more coherent national defense structure.

MPR gives Iraq credit for battlefield adaptation and hard combat experience, but limits its score because the force remains divided across regular military, federal police, PMF-linked structures, counterterrorism units, and provincial commands. In high-intensity or cross-border scenarios, unity of command remains a major question.

Force Profile

Data dates: Population and economic measures carry their stated source years. Other undated inventory, infrastructure, and reserve estimates retain the MPR baseline published in 2025; they should not be read as a measured September 2026 order of battle or as mission-ready strength. Ordered systems are distinguished from confirmed deliveries.

Ground Forces

Iraq's strongest conventional component is its ground force. The army has experience in urban warfare, combined arms operations, mechanized assaults, desert security, and counterterrorism. Its armored units are being rebuilt around T-90 and M1A1 Abrams tanks, supported by artillery and mechanized infantry.

Air Power

Iraq's air force has recovered from near-collapse after 2003, but it remains dependent on foreign support for advanced aircraft, logistics, training, and sustainment. Its role is focused on close air support, ISR, tactical strikes, transport, and counterterrorism rather than regional air dominance.

Naval Forces

Iraq's navy is small and focused on the northern Persian Gulf, ports, oil terminals, river approaches, and coastal patrol. With a short coastline and limited naval infrastructure, MPR does not treat Iraq as a meaningful blue-water naval power.

Missile Systems

Iraq does not possess advanced strategic missile systems in the 2026 MPR profile. Its missile and rocket profile is concentrated in short-range systems, artillery rockets, anti-tank weapons, man-portable air defense, and militia-linked missile assets influenced by regional suppliers.

MPR treats Iraq's missile capability cautiously because some assets may be distributed across regular forces, PMF-linked formations, or politically sensitive networks. Iraq receives some credit for rockets and tactical missiles, but not for a unified national strategic missile deterrent.

Detailed Missile Inventory

Nuclear and Strategic Deterrence

Iraq has no nuclear warhead inventory and is treated by MPR as a non-nuclear state. Its former weapons programs do not translate into current strategic deterrence scoring.

Iraq's deterrence profile is conventional and fragmented: ground forces, artillery, short-range rockets, oil infrastructure, geography, foreign partnerships, and internal armed formations. It does not receive nuclear, strategic bomber, or independent strategic missile weighting.

Cyber, Space, ISR, and Electronic Warfare

Iraq's cyber and electronic warfare capability is nascent, developing through military intelligence, security forces, and foreign support. ISR remains heavily dependent on allies, commercial services, and partner-provided intelligence.

Iraq has no active national military satellite fleet and minimal domestic satellite capacity. The country's intelligence infrastructure includes the Iraqi National Intelligence Service, Military Intelligence Directorate, and PMF-linked agencies, with cooperation involving the United States, Iran, Russia, and regional actors depending on political context.

Partnerships and Alliances

Iraq has no formal alliance structure comparable to NATO membership, but it maintains security cooperation with the United States, NATO partners, Iran, Russia, and regional governments. This gives Iraq access to training, equipment, intelligence, and sustainment, while also complicating strategic independence.

Combat History and Operational Record

Iraq’s military history is among the most extensive and combat-intensive in the Middle East, shaped by decades of conventional warfare, foreign invasion, internal insurgency, and large-scale counterterrorism operations. From its wars with Iran to its defeat of ISIS, the Iraqi military has accumulated more than four decades of multi-domain combat experience under extreme conditions.

Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988): Iraq fought one of the longest conventional wars of the 20th century against Iran, involving massive tank battles, artillery duels, chemical weapons use, and air strikes. The war inflicted heavy casualties on both sides and gave Iraqi forces experience in sustained conventional combat and defensive operations across desert and urban terrain.

Gulf War (1990–1991): Following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, the U.S.-led coalition launched Operation Desert Storm, devastating Iraq’s military infrastructure in a short, high-intensity air and ground campaign. The war exposed Iraq’s vulnerability to advanced air power and its limited command-and-control capability.

U.S. Invasion and Occupation (2003–2011): The 2003 U.S. invasion dismantled the Iraqi military. A new force was built from scratch under U.S. guidance but struggled with insurgency, sectarianism, and low morale. From 2004 onward, Iraqi troops fought alongside U.S. forces in counterinsurgency campaigns across Baghdad, Fallujah, and Anbar Province.

Rise of ISIS and Territorial Defeat in Iraq (2014–2017): ISIS’s seizure of Mosul in 2014 marked a turning point. After early collapses, the Iraqi Army, Counter Terrorism Service (CTS), Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), and Kurdish Peshmerga launched multi-year operations to retake territory. Urban combat in Mosul, Ramadi, Fallujah, and Tal Afar gave Iraq extensive modern experience in joint operations, mechanized assault, and close-quarters fighting.

Post-ISIS Stability Operations: Since 2018, Iraq has continued to conduct anti-terror raids, border patrols, and military policing in areas with ongoing insurgent activity, including remnants of ISIS cells.

Iraq’s military experience spans the full spectrum of warfare: from conventional tank battles and chemical warfare in the 1980s, to counterinsurgency, hybrid warfare, and urban siege operations in the 21st century. Few militaries in the MPR ranking have undergone more battlefield transitions or fought on as many fronts in recent history.

Iraq has one of the most combat-intensive modern military histories in the Middle East. Its experience includes the Iran-Iraq War from 1980 to 1988, the Gulf War in 1990 to 1991, the 2003 U.S. invasion and occupation period, insurgency warfare, the rise of ISIS and defeat of its territorial control in Iraq from 2014 to 2017, and ongoing post-ISIS counterterrorism operations.

MPR gives Iraq major credit for real battlefield experience across conventional war, air attack, insurgency, urban sieges, mechanized assaults, and counterterrorism. It also penalizes Iraq for the institutional damage, command fragmentation, and external dependency produced by those same decades of conflict.

Geography, Economy, and Infrastructure

Iraq's geography creates both military value and vulnerability. It has major borders, a short Gulf coastline, flat alluvial plains, desert terrain, mountains in the north and northeast, major oil infrastructure, and strategic proximity to multiple regional flashpoints.

Infrastructure includes roughly 100 airports, major military airfields at Balad, Al Asad, Taji, and Baghdad International's military section, about 2,000 km of partially operational railway, and about 45,000 km of roads. Oil production, export terminals, refineries, and energy imports remain central to national resilience.

National Metrics

National Capacity and Sustainment

Force Organization and Supporting Capabilities

Aircraft Breakdown:

Iraq does not possess advanced missile systems but has focused on acquiring modern anti-tank, anti-air, and artillery systems to bolster its defensive capabilities against internal and regional threats.

Iraq maintains defense partnerships with the United States and several European countries, focusing on military training and equipment modernization. Additionally, Iraq is part of various regional security frameworks aimed at countering terrorism and enhancing stability in the Middle East.

Demographics and Geography

Climate: Mostly desert; mild to cool winters, dry and hot summers; temperate in mountains

Terrain: Mostly flat alluvial plains, deserts, and mountains in the north and northeast

Natural Resources: Petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur, fertile land

Proven Oil Reserves: ~145 billion barrels (5th largest globally)

Proven Natural Gas Reserves: ~3.6 trillion cubic meters

Economic Indicators

Military Expenditure Trend (last 5 years): Increasing; focus on counterterrorism, rebuilding conventional forces, and Iranian/U.S. balancing

Military Infrastructure and Readiness

Cyber/Electronic Warfare Capability: Nascent; developing under military intelligence and security forces

Nuclear Warhead Inventory: None (non-nuclear state)

Major Military Districts / Commands: Divided into multiple regional operations commands; includes Army, Federal Police, Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF)

Missile Inventory Highlights: ATGMs, MANPADS and artillery rockets; missile capabilities of Iranian-linked militias are distinguished from the Iraqi regular armed forces

Space, Intelligence, and Strategic Infrastructure

Space or Satellite Programs: None active; minimal satellite capacity; reliant on foreign commercial and military assets

Military Satellite Inventory: None; ISR sourced from allies (U.S., Iran) or commercial services

Intelligence Infrastructure: Iraqi National Intelligence Service (INIS), Military Intelligence Directorate, and PMF-linked agencies

Intelligence Sharing Partnerships: Cooperates with U.S., Iran, Russia, and regional allies depending on political context

Airports (Total): ~100 (civilian and military)

Major Military Airports: Balad, Al Asad, Taji, Baghdad International (military section)

Naval Power and Maritime Logistics

Merchant Marine Fleet: ~60 vessels

Naval Infrastructure: Small coastal fleet under the Iraqi Navy and Marines; focused on oil platform defense and Gulf patrol

Naval Replenishment Capability: Minimal; confined to port-based support operations

Domestic Mobility and Infrastructure

Railway Network: ~2,000 km (partially operational)

Roadways: ~45,000 km

Energy and Fuel Logistics

Oil Production: ~4.5 million barrels per day

Energy Imports: Net exporter of crude oil; imports refined fuels and electricity from Iran

Strategic Petroleum Reserves: Limited; most production exported; storage focused on operational refineries

Defense Production and Strategic Forces

Domestic Defense Production: Capable of small arms, IED-resistant vehicles, and light equipment; lacks advanced systems

Military Installations (Domestic): Dozens of major bases, depots, and joint facilities across provinces

Military Installations (Overseas): None officially; minor presence in multinational missions (e.g., UN, Arab League)

Foreign Military Personnel Presence: U.S.-led coalition advisers; Iranian military presence via PMF-affiliated groups

Defense Alliances: No formal alliances; security cooperation with U.S., Iran, Russia, and NATO on various fronts

Wartime Industrial Surge Capacity: Low; reliant on imports and emergency aid from aligned partners

Research and Industry Support

Defense R&D Investment: Minimal; nascent efforts focused on UAVs, munitions, and urban warfare systems

Key Wartime Industries Beyond Defense: SOMO (oil exports), South Oil Company, Iraqi Railways, SCOP (petrochemicals), Basra Oil Terminal

Why Iraq Ranks 35th

Iraq ranks 35th because it combines substantial combat experience, a rebuilding army, significant armored forces, artillery depth, oil wealth, manpower, and regional importance. Its ground forces have fought across some of the most difficult urban and counterterrorism environments of the modern era.

Its MPR ceiling is limited by internal fragmentation, PMF command complexity, foreign dependency, uneven logistics, weak naval reach, limited strategic airpower, no nuclear weapons, no independent strategic missile deterrent, minimal space capacity, and limited domestic production of advanced platforms.

MPR Tools and Comparisons

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War Simulations

Use the MPR War Simulator to compare Iraq against regional or global opponents. Iraq performs best in scenarios where ground combat experience, armored forces, artillery, counterterrorism, oil infrastructure defense, and difficult terrain matter more than blue-water naval power, strategic missiles, or independent high-end air dominance.

Source Basis for Iraq Profile

Military expenditure and its GDP share use the SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, 2025 observation. National defence appropriations, where separately shown, use their stated fiscal-year definition.

This Iraq military power profile uses MPR's standard country-page source structure: official Iraqi defense information, government and security-sector references, public military balance sources, and MPR methodology pages.

Data Sources and Observation Dates

• World Bank population (2025)
• GDP at purchasing-power parity (2026 estimate)
• SIPRI military expenditure (2025), compiled source
• Iraqi Armed Forces strength
• Iraqi Air Force inventory
• UNAMI: territorial defeat of ISIS in Iraq (2017)
• IISS personnel categories and edition dates, compiled by Wikipedia
• CSIS: Iraqi service strength (2023 comparison)

Additional dated evidence: Country debt definitions and equipment categories differ; the linked sources identify the scope used here.

• IMF: Iraq 2025 Article IV, 2024 external government debt
• Lead Inspector General: Iraq Bell 412 requests, 2022 quarter
• CSIS: Iranian missiles and Iraqi militias