Iraqi Army

The Iraqi Navy is one of the components of the military of Iraq currently being reconstructed by UK-US Coalition forces in Iraq. Its primary responsibilities are the protection of Iraq’s coastline and offshore assets. Initially called the Iraqi Coastal Defense Force, its official name was changed on 12 January 2005. Headed by Rear Admiral Muhammad Jawad, the navy had plans to build six Al Uboor-class patrol boats in Baghdad, with the first of the boats to enter service in September 2005. This project however, was ultimately canceled. Additionally, two Assad-class corvettes built for Iraq in the 1980s by Italy were originally planned to be delivered sometime around 2006–2007.

The Iraqi Navy was almost completely destroyed during the Gulf War of 1991. The Iraqi Navy had 19 ships sunk and 6 vessels damaged. In total, more than 100 Iraqi ships were destroyed. The Navy was not rebuilt and played no role in the Iraq War (2003). Of the units that remained by late 2002, most were in a poor state of repair and the crews were in a poor state of readiness.