Establishing passive defense principles in critical infrastructure is not only a strategic necessity but also a legal and national obligation, Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi said in a message on Thursday, commemorating the Passive Defense Day.

He said the commemoration with the slogan “Passive Defense; Infrastructure Resilience, Social Sustainability” provides a valuable platform for reviewing the position of the most strategic, scientific, and peaceful type of national defense; a defense that, relying on preventive, intelligent, and unarmed measures, strengthens the foundation of the country’s sustainable security against new and combined threats.

“Passive defense is a symbol of defensive rationality and strategic foresight in protecting national authority. The historical experiences of the Islamic Republic of Iran, especially during the Holy Defense era (Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s), have proven the necessity of this type of defense as a complementary pillar of national security. Today, the experience of the 12-day imposed war (in June) once again showed that threats can emerge in complex and combined forms, with speed and intensity; and only nations that have resilient infrastructure, general preparedness, and national cohesion will have the ability to withstand and maintain stability,” the top commander said.

He described passive defense as the backbone of the country’s infrastructural resilience and social sustainability, as it is based on the three principles of “forecasting, prevention, and preemption” against man-made threats, and is known as the most strategic way to confront cyber, biological, chemical, radiological, combined, and technological wars with the aim of reducing vulnerability and continuing vital services.

“The achievements of more than two decades of struggle by passive defense experts, which was founded by the Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces (Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei), have today become a scientific and systematic discourse based on the experiences of the Sacred Defense, a discourse that has played an effective role in promoting the sustainability of critical infrastructure, institutionalizing the culture of passive defense in executive bodies, and increasing public awareness,” he added.

“Now, with the lessons of the 12-day war and in light of the law establishing the Passive Defense Organization, the effective entry of this field into national planning and the establishment of its principles in vital infrastructures is not only a strategic necessity but also a legal and national obligation. The realization of this important matter will pave the way for enhancing national resilience and ensuring sustainability against future threats,” Major General Mousavi went on to say.

MNA/TSN