| Syria appears to be gearing up for the modernization of its military. President Bashar Assad has ordered the General Staff to upgrade the armed forces. The directive was said to include upgrades as well as the procurement of new military platforms and equipment. The official Syrian news agency, Sana, quoted Assad as saying on Tuesday that the military must undergo modernization in an effort to improve its capabilities. Assad issued the call during a meeting with senior officers. "President Bashar Assad asserted the necessity for modernizing the armed forces and boosting their defense abilities, pointing out to the importance of the ideological army which fights for the issues it believes in," Sana reported. |