National Council for the Revolutionary Command

The National Council for the Revolutionary Command (NCRC) was the twenty-man military junta and council set up to rule Ba'athist Syria between March 1963 and February 1966. Established by the 1963 coup d'état, which was undertaken by Ba'athists and Nasserists officers in the Syrian Army, it exercised both executive and legislative authority in Syria.

Army officers after the coup.

Speech of the Amin al-Hafiz, president of the NCRC.

Syrian Arab Republic اَلْجُمْهُورِيَّةُ ٱلْعَرَبِيَّةُ ٱلْسُوْرِيَّة (Arabic) al-Jumhūriyya al-ʿArabiyyah as-Sūriyyah
1963–1966
Flag (1963-1972) Coat of arms (1963-1972)
Motto: وَحْدَةٌ، حُرِّيَّةٌ، اِشْتِرَاكِيَّةٌ Waḥda, Ḥurriyya, Ishtirākiyya "Unity, Freedom, Socialism"
Anthem: حُمَاةَ الدَّيَّارِ Ḥumāt ad-Diyār "Guardians of the Homeland"
Territory of Syria in 1963, prior to Six-Day war. Included Golan Heights.
Status	Syrian Arab Republic under a military junta
Capital	Damascus
Demonym(s)	Syrian
Government	Unitary Neo-Ba'athist one-party Presidential republic under a totalitarian military junta
President
• 1963	Lu'ay al-Atassi
• 1963-1966	Amin al-Hafiz
History
• Coup d'état (Junta came to power)	8 March 1963
• 2nd coup d'état (Junta was overthrown by Salah Jadid)	23 February 1966
Area
• Total	189,880 km2 (73,310 sq mi)
Population
• 1966 estimate	5 542 000
Currency	Syrian pound
ISO 3166 code	SY
Today part of	Syrian Arab Republic (Syrian transitional government)

The NCRC was composed of 12 Ba'athists and eight Nasserists and independents. Its exact membership was kept secret for the first few months. Though some civilians were admitted, it was dominated by military officers.^[1] Within the NCRC, the military officers created already before the NCRC was established, the military Committee to hold the real power described as a "Junta within a Junta."^[1] The military committee had five members: Muhammad Umran (Chairman until 8 March 1963), Salah Jadid, Hafez al-Assad, Abdul-Karim al-Jundi and Ahmad al-Miration. Also within the NCRC there was also a military organisation, which consisted of 12 branches resembling their civilian counterparts. The military organisation was led by a central committee, which represented the military committee. The new government's priority was to establish an Arab union with Iraq, where Ba'athists seized control in February 1963, and the United Arab Republic (Egypt). Although the Syrian Baathists initially (under pressure from civilian pro-Nasserist demonstrators) declared their desire to return former union with Egypt, no serious steps toward unification were taken. Moreover, between 28 April -2 May, the junta purged dozens of Nasserist officers in the Syrian army. And months later, Ba'athist regime in Iraq was overthrown. In May 1964, the NCRC implemented a provisional constitution providing for a cabinet, a Presidential Council, and an appointed legislature composed of "people's organizations." The NCRC was dissolved following the 1966 coup d'état by dissident army officers.^[2]