Brig. Gen. Ahmad Reza Pourdastan who was speaking during a ceremony to unveil new achievements of Ground Forces on Wednesday morning in Ground Forces Logistics and Training Center, criticized some circles and individuals for underestimating the role of army after the Islamic Revolution of 1979; “now the same individuals would balk at the idea of developing ballistic missiles, claiming that Iran would not require advanced weapons to secure a hegemonic role in the region; it was a plot to weaken the army which was discovered by the shrewd sagacious leadership of Imam Khomeini (RA) who announced a national day for the Army (February 17),” he told the ceremony. “In securing the victory of Revolution, the first contributing factor was the pioneering clerical order and the person of Imam Khomeini who acted as an inciter of public participation in the Revolution.”
“The Army was second contributing factor to the victory; the pious and loyal core of the Army joined the ranks and files of Revolutionaries who were inculcated by a deep-seated Shia belief, and acted as the armed wing of the Revolution and then Islamic Republic rising from it,” he told the unveiling ceremony. “The anti-Revolutionaries spread the ill-conceived idea that Iran now would not need the Army and it should be resolved. This was a ruse in reality to deprive the young sidling of the Revolution from its defender; the campaign succeeded in winning some minds and hearts of the public as well as the state; now the same parties would advance the idea that missile program would not benefit the country,” Pourdastan emphasized.
Commander of the Army believed that the dominant mode of today however was proxy wars where the enemies manage the battlegrounds form a safe distance, while their mercenaries fight for them; “a popular mode as well has been fueling sectarian internecine strife, for both of which the Army Ground Forces has an inherent mission to be prepared; we have established Quick Reaction Force (QRF), and have achieved thousands of men/hour surveillance of terrorist activities beyond the borders,” he concluded.
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