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Syria Conditions of Service, Morale, and Military Justice
The general atmosphere and the amenities associated with
military life have steadily and considerably improved since 1946.
With rare exceptions, Syrian government and political leaders
have recognized the need for favorable conditions of service so
as to maintain the loyalty of their primary source of power.
Officers, for example, were reported to be able to buy
automobiles without the usual 200-percent duty and to obtain
interest-free government loans for down payments on living
quarters.
The life of the ordinary soldier, however, was not an easy
one. His daily routine was concentrated and arduous, and
discipline was strict and often severe. However, a long-range
program of construction and rehabilitation, initiated during the
early 1960s, improved the living conditions on many bases. In
1987, quarters, food, and pay compared favorably with what a
worker could obtain in the civilian economy. Accrual of leave,
retirement, medical care, and other benefits also made military
service attractive. There were no reliable figures on military
pay available in 1987, but the indications were that rates were
relatively high by the standards of many other Arab armies. There
were also supplementary allowances for both officers and enlisted
men, which in many cases totaled more than the basic rate. For
example, various specialists, both officers and enlisted,
received substantial amounts of technical pay. Additional
compensation for flight personnel, paratroops, and men engaged in
other kinds of hazardous duty had been established.
Improved conditions of service have improved morale in the
ranks. The relative political stability of the 1970s and 1980s
has also raised morale. The previous three decades had witnessed
frequent changes of government by military coups d'état, leading
to purges, imprisonments, or the execution of officers associated
with the deposed regime. Under Assad, the top army ranks have
felt more secure. The ambitious rebuilding of the armed forces
also increased the prestige and morale of the military.
Nevertheless, by early 1987, the eleven-year-old occupation and
frequent fighting in Lebanon were reportedly affecting the army's
morale. Frequent rotation of troops limited exposure to an
unsatisfactory military situation and the corrupting influences
of the war-torn Lebanese environment and reduced periods that
soldiers were away from their families.
As in the past, in 1987 the typical enlisted man, whether a
conscript or a volunteer, came from a traditional authoritarian
Muslim family and accepted discipline as a regular requirement of
military life. A system of military courts existed to try cases
involving disciplinary and criminal offenses in the armed forces.
Although the information available in 1987 was incomplete and
somewhat dated, observers noted the existence of two kinds of
military courts. In one, a single judge heard cases involving
routine disciplinary matters and minor criminal offenses. The
other, which was composed of three judges, tried felonies and
other major crimes. Judges in both courts were officers who had
earned a law degree. Two additional military courts--the State
Security Court and the Supreme State Security Court--were
established in the early 1970s to hear cases involving breaches
of security, i.e., political crimes
(see Crime and Punishment
, this ch.). Both civilian and military personnel were subject to
trial by these special courts.
Data as of April 1987
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