From engineer of mechanics to Chief of Staff of Armed Forces of Iran; Who is Major General Baqeri?

Pars Today- Major General Mohammad Baqeri is a calm and composed commander with a systematic and consensus-building style of management who enjoys a special status among people and military elite and is called the new architect of Iran's military might.

Major General Mohammad Hossein (simply called Mohammad) Baqeri represents a generation of the Iranian commanders who not only affect the current fate of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, but also, play a pivotal role in determination of the future of the country's defensive doctrine. Pars Today has cast a brief look at his life.

Birth

Major General "Mohammad Hossein Afshordi", who came to be known as "Mohammad Baqeri", was born in 1960 in Tehran. His brother, General Martyr Hassan Baqeri, was himself a genius and a brilliant star during the 8-year war that was imposed by the Iraqi Ba'athist regime at the behest of its masters in the US and then Soviet Union. Major General Baqeri is now the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He is not only among the most effective military figures of Iran, but also, is considered a clever and prudent architect for Iran's defensive structure.

Education and academic activity

Mohammad Baqeri was at the final grade of high school when the Islamic Revolution triumphed. After the victory of the revolution, he entered Polytechnics University (Amir Kabir University) as he was interested in technical courses and was admitted in engineering of mechanics. He studied there till the cultural revolution. But, as universities were closed in the spring of 1980 and the Western-orchestrated conspiracy began in Kurdistan of Iran, he joined the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in the summer of the same year. Mohammad Baqeri continued his studies after the war and got his PhD of political geography and geopolitics from Tarbiat-e Modarres (Teacher Training) University and now he is one of the members of the scientific board of the Supreme National Defense University. In addition to executive duties, he teaches at the SNDU and Tarbiat-e Modarres University.

Changing name

Mohammad Baqeri, alongside his brother Hassan, who had changed his name to Hassan Baqeri to conceal his identity in the fronts, due to resemblance and blood tie, changed his family name to Baqeri. He says in this regard, "As a respect to my brother, this name became everlasting for me." This decision was not only a sign of his love of his martyr brother, but also a new identity for him in the path of jihad and service."

From fronts to commandership

Mohammad Baqeri became the head of the intelligence of IRGC divisions at the age of 23 and was the mastermind of intelligence and combat operations of Karbala and Khatam-ol-Anbia bases till the end of the war. After the war, he joined the General Staff of the Armed Forces and gained precious experiences as head of the intelligence office, deputy head of the intelligence and operation, and head of pillars and common affair.

Battle deep in enemy soil

Baqeri played a key role in 1996 in designing a brave operation against terrorist groups like Komoleh and Democratic party in the west of Iran. This operation was commanded by Martyr Ahmad Kazemi and, attacking 10km deep into the Iraqi soil and shelling the enemy positions, dealt lethal blows to the enemy. Baqeri proved his strategic prowess once again in this field.

Major General

Mohammad Baqeri became the deputy coordinator of Khatam-ol-Anbia Central Base at the age of 47. In 2008, he received his rank of major general from the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Imam Khamenei, as an approval of his unique qualifications.

Chief of Staff of Armed Forces of Iran

Major General Mohammad Baqeri became the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran on 28 June, 2016 at the age of 56 upon the decree of Imam Khamenei and replaced Major General Seyyed Hassan Firouzabadi. Combining field experience, academic knowledge and strategic prudence, he has turned the General Staff of the Armed Forces into a dynamic center for coordination, future studies and bolstering compound war games.

Badges of honor

Major General Baqeri has got two insignias of Fat'h (grade three), one insignia of Fat'h (grade two) and Nasr, as the highest military insignia from Imam Khamenei. These badges of honor testify his unflinching and sincere services to the Islamic system and the country.

Sanctions and steadfastness

On 4 November, 2019, his name was put in the list of the sanctions of the US Treasury Department, due to his alleged presence in the regional developments. But, these sanctions not only didn't weaken his resolve, but also made him more determined in defense of national interests.

Thought and writing

Baqeri is a bright personality in the scientific domain, too. His writings in the fields of geopolitics of Caucasus, West Asia, International Maritime Rights of the Persian Gulf, and the Strait of Hormuz, and his membership at the Scientific Hub of Political Geography and Iranian Association of Geopolitics indicate his profound knowledge and devotion to scientific progress.

Architect of preemptive defense

Major General Baqeri, as one of the devisers of the concept of "Preemptive Defense" in Iran's military doctrine, turned the missile, naval, air defense and electronic war capabilities into the pillars of deterrence for the country. Through constructive interaction between the IRGC and the Army, he strengthened the command and control network and caused an effective presence in the resistance front in West Asia.

Calm face, prudent strategist

In addition to military aspects, Major General Baqeri is an active and smart figure in the field of defensive diplomacy, too. In the regional and international meetings and negotiations, he has always emphasized the Islamic Republic's right to defend through expansion of indigenous military capability and has tried to demonstrate a balanced, realistic and logic image of the Iranian defensive policies. He is a calm and composed commander with a systematic and consensus-building style of management who enjoys a special status among people and military elite. With good mastery of the modern military knowledge, analysis of compound threats and cognitive war, Baqeri is building a mighty future for Iran's defensive future. On the verge of the 10^th year of his commandership, Major General Mohammad Baqeri is the new architect of Iran's military might; a man who has blended experience with knowledge and strategic prudence to turn Islamic Iran into an impenetrable fortress against complicated threats.

RM/ME