Al-Sharaa’s army will reveal what his new Syria really is

The reconstruction of Syria's military under President Ahmed al-Sharaa is revealing the true nature of his new state, according to a JNS analysis. Recent events, including an Israeli strike on the Abu al-Duhur air base, the graduation of over 1,000 personnel from Syria’s air force academy, and incidents involving Syrian soldiers chanting antisemitic threats, highlight concerns about the military's ideology and control. The article questions whether al-Sharaa is genuinely transforming armed movements into a professional national military or merely institutionalizing existing extremist ideologies. Incidents like the massacre of Alawite civilians and killings of Druze civilians by government forces further raise doubts about al-Sharaa's control over forces operating in his name. The author states, "No institution will reveal more about the future of al-Sharaa’s Syria than the army he is building."