| Brigades for the Defense of the Revolution (Defense Companies / Defense Brigades) سرايا الدفاع | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Defense_Companies_SSI.svg) Defense Companies shoulder sleeve insignia | |
| Active | 1971–1984 |
| Country |  Syria |
| Allegiance | Syrian Armed Forces |
| Branch | Airborne forces Armoured Corps |
| Type | Praetorian Guard Shock Troops Special operations force |
| Role | Airborne forces Armoured warfare Counter-insurgency Direct action Raiding Special operations Urban warfare |
| Size | 55,000 (peak in 1982) |
| Part of | Division Command HQ 5 Brigades 26 Battalions |
| Garrison/HQ | Damascus Mezzeh Military Airport |
| Equipment | T-72 tanks BM-21 Grad Mil Mi-24D Attack helicopters 122 mm howitzer 2A18 (D-30) 2S4 Tyulpan heavy mortars Ilyushin Il-76 Transport aircraft |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Ceremonial chief | Maj. Gen. Rifaat al-Assad |
| Notable commanders |
|
The Brigades for the Defense of the Revolution,[1] commonly referred to as Defense Companies, Defense Corps or Defense Brigades (Arabic: سرايا الدفاع; Sarāyā ad-Difāʿ), were a Syrian all-Alawite paramilitary force commanded by Rifaat al-Assad. Their task was to safeguard and defend the government of Hafez al-Assad, and the capital Damascus, from internal and external attack.[2]
In 1984, the 55,000 strong Defense Companies was dismantled and merged into the Syrian Armed Forces expanding the Republican Guard, and the 14th Special Forces Division comprising 5 Special Forces regiments. The rump force then became the 569th Armored Division which later became the 4th Armoured Division.[3][4]
- ^ [1]
- ^ Bou Nassif, Hicham (2020). Endgames: Military Response to Protest in Arab Autocracies. New York, NY 10006, USA: Cambridge University Press. pp. 131, 194. ISBN 978-1-108-84124-5.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link) - ^ The Syrian Army: Doctrinal Order of Battle, Joseph Holliday, February 2013
- ^ Campell, Kirk (2009). Civil-Military Relations And Political Liberalization: A Comparative Study Of The Military's Corporateness And Political Values In Egypt, Syria, Turkey, and Pakistan (PDF). UMI Microform. p. 228.