Iran's ballistic missiles and drones are controlled not by the regular Iranian military (Artesh), but by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force (IRGC-ASF) — an elite military branch reporting directly to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Understanding this organization is essential to understanding how Iran would conduct a missile war.
Organization
The IRGC-ASF was established in 2009 by merging the IRGC's air force with its missile command. It is currently commanded by Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, who has overseen the force's expansion and the True Promise operations against Israel.
The force is organized into several major commands:
- Missile Command — Operates ballistic and cruise missile units, including underground launch facilities
- Air Defense Command — Operates Iran's air defense network (S-300, Bavar-373, Khordad-15)
- UAV Command — Controls drone operations including Shahed-series production and deployment
- Space Division — Manages satellite and space launch programs
Personnel and Training
The IRGC-ASF has an estimated 15,000-20,000 personnel dedicated to missile operations. Crews undergo extensive training in missile handling, launch procedures, navigation, and NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) defense. The force conducts regular exercises — publicly televised for deterrence value — demonstrating mass launch capabilities from dispersed locations.
The organization maintains a cadre of civilian engineers and technicians in affiliated companies who handle missile production, maintenance, and upgrades. This dual military-industrial structure ensures continuity of production even during conflict.
Command Authority
IRGC-ASF launch authority flows directly from the Supreme Leader, bypassing the civilian government and the Artesh military chain of command. In practice, the force commander (Hajizadeh) has pre-delegated authority for retaliatory launches under specific scenarios — presumably including decapitation of the Iranian leadership.
This command structure means that a successful strike against Iran's political leadership would not necessarily prevent missile retaliation. Pre-positioned launch orders and survivable underground communications would allow the missile force to execute retaliatory strikes even if Tehran were destroyed.
Operational Doctrine
The IRGC-ASF operates under a doctrine of assured retaliation. The core concept: Iran may not be able to prevent a first strike against its territory, but it guarantees the ability to retaliate with devastating missile attacks against the aggressor and its regional allies.
Key principles:
- Survivability first: Underground bases, mobile launchers, dispersal, and camouflage ensure the force survives initial attacks
- Mass launch: Saturation attacks overwhelm defenses through sheer volume
- Multi-axis: Attacks from multiple directions and using multiple weapon types (ballistic, cruise, drone) to strain defenders
- Proxy coordination: Simultaneous attacks by Hezbollah, Houthis, and Iraqi militias multiply the threat
Recent Evolution
Under Hajizadeh's leadership since 2009, the IRGC-ASF has transformed from a force reliant on inaccurate, liquid-fueled missiles to one fielding precision-guided solid-fuel systems, cruise missiles, and sophisticated drones. The True Promise operations marked the force's operational debut in direct interstate warfare — a major escalation from its previous role as a deterrent-in-being.
The force continues to modernize, with reported development of maneuvering reentry vehicles, hypersonic boost-glide systems, and satellite-guided terminal seekers that would make interception increasingly difficult.