Investigating the Role of Leadership and Command of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Countering COVID-19

Background and Aim: The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, simultaneously with the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Iran, have taken extensive and effective measures to control the disease and manage the consequences of this pandemic. This study aims to identify and categorize the dimensions of management and leadership of the armed forces to identify less introduced measures and efforts. The results of this study can be used as a practical and generalizable framework for crisis management efficiency in Iran and other armed forces worldwide.
Methods: The current qualitative study was performed by the document analysis method. First, all available documents and articles related to the management and management of COVID-19 were identified by reviewing electronic sources. All related multimedia files including audio, text, and video were also searched and collected by searching the Internet and referring to websites and databases with keywords based on the above criteria in the period March 2017 to October 1400. The selection of documents was purposeful and took into account the four criteria of JUPP. After the multi-stage screening, 75 documents were finally selected and analyzed after coding.
Results: The response and actions of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran and other major countries involved, as well as the dimensions of effective management and leadership to counter the coronavirus pandemic, were identified and recorded in 22 fields.
Conclusion: The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, considering the use of extensive capacities in the field of management and leadership, based on the experiences of the time of Iran - Iraq war, principles of organizational management and military leadership, and especially modeling and obeying the orders of the Supreme Command Such as strategy adoption, the flexibility of hierarchy, planning, and coordination, communication, freedom of action, trust, innovation in times of crisis, training and empowerment, the necessity of patience, religious and human motivations, teamwork, ... and also using medical and hospital facilities, it has been able to respond appropriately to the needs of patients caused by the corona epidemic and to contribute significantly to the health and treatment system of the country. These measures include: establishing a convalescent home, establishment of fixed and mobile hospitals, producing masks and disinfectants, screening plans, outpatient centers, traffic restrictions, designing a corona diagnostic test kit, establishing public vaccination centers, telephone counseling services, etc.