The Syrian Ministry of Defense refrains from distributing military ranks to its members
A Syrian military source revealed that the Ministry of Defense hasn’t yet granted any new military ranks to its members, except for the promotions issued by interim President Ahmed al Sharaa about a year ago, which were limited to senior ranks only.
The Syrian military source said that the ministry refrained from distributing ranks to the lower levels pending the graduation of the new batches of military colleges, which had opened the door for registration to students last summer.
The Ministry of Defense adopts the applicable military laws, which require that no rank be granted to an officer or officer before joining the military academy and officially graduating from it, he said, but the source pointed out that this principle hasn’t been applied to the senior commanders who were previously appointed from the commanders of the factions who have become in the first rank within the structure of the new Syrian army.
Meanwhile, a number of commanders from the second and third grades don’t hold preparatory or secondary school diplomas, which hinders their attainment of regular military ranks.
The Syrian sources pointed out that many of them have started seeking these certificates in preparation for joining military colleges and graduating from them as officers, given that the current laws don’t allow granting any rank until after completing official military studies.
The source pointed out that the Syrian Ministry of Defense is moving to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the educational level of all army personnel, stressing that leadership positions will be withdrawn from any figure who isn’t good at reading and writing or doesn’t hold a basic education certificate (ninth grade).
He also stressed that members of opposition factions won’t receive military ranks before graduating from the military college, like new members, while those who hold a civilian university degree will be subjected to an extraordinary course within the college, in preparation for granting them an official rank upon completion.
On September 8, the Syrian Ministry of Defense announced the opening of applications for admission to the military, naval, air and military colleges, provided that the applicant must be single, fit and medically fit, and pass the required medical examinations, in addition to achieving an average of at least 70% in high school for non-employees of the ministry, and 60% for employees in it.
In July 2025, the ministry announced the graduation of 3,000 fighters from the Syrian army’s 76th Division from the military academy in Aleppo.
Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qusra said at the time that this batch represents the beginning of a comprehensive development process in the army’s structure, organization and discipline, with the aim of establishing a highly qualified professional military institution capable of facing challenges and ensuring the country’s security and stability.
The promotions issued by President al Sharaa earlier sparked widespread controversy, after they didn’t require the appointed commanders to obtain specialized military certificates.
Murhaf Abu Qasra was appointed defense minister with a degree in agricultural engineering, Anas Khattab was appointed interior minister and an architect, and Hussein al Salameh took over as head of the General Intelligence Service with a diploma in economics and management.
These decisions were also accompanied by criticism of the assignment of leadership positions to foreign fighters who don’t hold Syrian citizenship, which sparked a wide debate within political and media circles at the time.
