Ali Aslan
Encyclopedia
Ali Aslan (b. Latakia
, 1933) is a former chief of staff of the Syrian Army
, a member of the Central Command of the Baath Party
and a close confidant of the late Syria
n president Hafez al-Assad
.
in 1956. He was trained at the Military Academy of Homs, and continued his training in the Soviet Union
. He was appointed commander of the Syrian 8th Infantry Brigade in October 1966. His breakthrough came in November 1970 when he supported the military coup that brought Hafez al-Assad to power in Syria, and he was designated leader of the First and Fifth infantry divisions of the Syrian Army
. In 1972, he was appointed chief of the "operations" bureau of the Syrian Army General Staff. His troops were successful in the opening stages of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, as they broke through the Israel
i defensive line and drove Israeli forces out of southern and central Golan Heights.
He became in charge of the Syrian Army contingent involved in Lebanon between 1976 and 1979, supervising the “hundred days war” against the Christian militia
of Bachir Gemayel
. He was appointed commander of the Army Second Corps, and promoted to lieutenant general
in July 1984. In 1989 he was named assistant chief of staff of the Syrian Army, becoming the true "operational brain" of the Syrian Army. He was promoted to chief of staff in 1998, replacing Hikmat al-Shihabi
after his forced retirement. Aslan was a proponent of mandatory conscription for Syrian men, and was the main negotiator for arms deals with suppliers around the world, including Russia
, China
, Armenia
, North Korea
and Iran
, as well as military treaties with Japan
and several Eastern Europe
an countries. He was retired in January 2002 by Bashar al-Assad
, as part of the younger president's program of reform, and after reported clashes with Assef Shawqat
. Aslan was later appointed military advisor to the president.
Latakia
Latakia, or Latakiyah , is the principal port city of Syria, as well as the capital of the Latakia Governorate. In addition to serving as a port, the city is a manufacturing center for surrounding agricultural towns and villages...
, 1933) is a former chief of staff of the Syrian Army
Syrian Army
The Syrian Army, officially called the Syrian Arab Army, is the land force branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. It is the dominant military service of the four uniformed services, controlling the senior most posts in the armed forces, and has the greatest manpower, approximately 80 percent of the...
, a member of the Central Command of the Baath Party
Baath Party
The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party was a political party mixing Arab nationalist and Arab socialist interests, opposed to Western imperialism, and calling for the renaissance or resurrection and unification of the Arab world into a single state. Ba'ath is also spelled Ba'th or Baath and means...
and a close confidant of the late Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n president Hafez al-Assad
Hafez al-Assad
Hafez ibn 'Ali ibn Sulayman al-Assad or more commonly Hafez al-Assad was the President of Syria for three decades. Assad's rule consolidated the power of the central government after decades of coups and counter-coups, such as Operation Wappen in 1957 conducted by the Eisenhower administration and...
.
Career
Aslan joined the Syrian ArmySyrian Army
The Syrian Army, officially called the Syrian Arab Army, is the land force branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. It is the dominant military service of the four uniformed services, controlling the senior most posts in the armed forces, and has the greatest manpower, approximately 80 percent of the...
in 1956. He was trained at the Military Academy of Homs, and continued his training in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. He was appointed commander of the Syrian 8th Infantry Brigade in October 1966. His breakthrough came in November 1970 when he supported the military coup that brought Hafez al-Assad to power in Syria, and he was designated leader of the First and Fifth infantry divisions of the Syrian Army
Syrian Army
The Syrian Army, officially called the Syrian Arab Army, is the land force branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. It is the dominant military service of the four uniformed services, controlling the senior most posts in the armed forces, and has the greatest manpower, approximately 80 percent of the...
. In 1972, he was appointed chief of the "operations" bureau of the Syrian Army General Staff. His troops were successful in the opening stages of the 1973 Yom Kippur War, as they broke through the Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i defensive line and drove Israeli forces out of southern and central Golan Heights.
He became in charge of the Syrian Army contingent involved in Lebanon between 1976 and 1979, supervising the “hundred days war” against the Christian militia
Lebanese Forces
The Lebanese Forces is a Lebanese political party. Founded as a militia by Bachir Gemayel during the Lebanese Civil War, the movement fought as the main militia within the Christian-dominated Lebanese Front...
of Bachir Gemayel
Bachir Gemayel
Bachir Gemayel was a Lebanese politician, militia commander, and president-elect...
. He was appointed commander of the Army Second Corps, and promoted to lieutenant general
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
in July 1984. In 1989 he was named assistant chief of staff of the Syrian Army, becoming the true "operational brain" of the Syrian Army. He was promoted to chief of staff in 1998, replacing Hikmat al-Shihabi
Hikmat al-Shihabi
Hekmat AlShehabi is a former Syrian career military officer who served as the chief of staff of the Syrian Army between 1974–1998.-Career:...
after his forced retirement. Aslan was a proponent of mandatory conscription for Syrian men, and was the main negotiator for arms deals with suppliers around the world, including Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
, North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
and Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, as well as military treaties with Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and several Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
an countries. He was retired in January 2002 by Bashar al-Assad
Bashar al-Assad
Bashar al-Assad is the President of Syria and Regional Secretary of the Ba'ath Party. His father Hafez al-Assad ruled Syria for 29 years until his death in 2000. Al-Assad was elected in 2000, re-elected in 2007, unopposed each time.- Early Life :...
, as part of the younger president's program of reform, and after reported clashes with Assef Shawqat
Assef Shawqat
General Assef Shawkat is the deputy Minister of Defense of Syria since September 2011. He is married to Bashar Assad's sister Bushra and is from the Sunni sect. He previously served as the army's deputy chief of staff from July 2009 to September 2011. He then bypassed the position of chief of...
. Aslan was later appointed military advisor to the president.