Lebanese Armed Forces

Lebanese Armed Forces
Lebanese Armed Forces crest.gif Lebanese Armed Forces Emblem
Active	August 1, 1945 - Present
Country	Lebanon
Role	Foreign and Domestic Defense
Part of	The Commander-in-Chief, The Chief of Staff, 4 Deputy Chiefs of staff, Various Directorates
Garrison/HQ	LAF Command, Yarzeh
Motto(s)	"Honor, Sacrifice, Loyalty"
Anniversaries	August 1
Commanders
Current commander	Michel Sulaiman
Notable commanders	Fuad Chehab, Emille Boustani, Michel Aoun, Emile Lahoud

The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF)' (Arabic: القوات المسلحة اللبنانية al-Quwa'at al-Musalha al-Lubna'ani.ya) is the military of the Republic of Lebanon. It consists of three branches:

• The Lebanese Army
• The Lebanese Navy
• The Lebanese Air Force

General overview

The Lebanese Armed Forces' primary missions include; defending Lebanon and its citizens against aggression, confronting threats against the country's vital interests, maintaining internal stability and security, engaging in social development activities and undertaking relief operations in coordination with public and humanitarian institutions.

The LAF consists of about 72,100 active personnel with the Ground Forces consisting of about 70,000 troops, the Air Force consisting of about 1,100 personnel and another 1,000 in the Navy. Each part of the Lebanese Military Force is highly trained and could be quite effective but due to a lack of modern equipment Lebanese soldiers have been described as "High tech with old guns".

All three branches are operated and coordinated by LAF Command, which is located in Yarzeh, just east of the capital, Beirut. The country has six military colleges and schools. Some cadets are sent to other countries to receive additional training.

The equipment of the LAF is outdated due to a lack of funds, political bickering and until recently the presence of foreign forces. After the conclusion of the Lebanese Civil War, the LAF decided to repair as much of its equipment as it could, while being aided by modest donations from other nations. About 85% of the LAF's equipment is US-made with the remaining being British, French, and Soviet-made.

Branches

Lebanese Ground Forces

The Lebanese Army is made up of:

• 5 Regional Commands
• 11 Mechanized brigades
• 2 Artillery regiments
• 1 Commando regiment (Arguably the most elite in the middle east, other than Israel)
• 5 Special Forces regiments
• 1 Airborne regiment
• 1 Navy Commando regiment
• Republican Guard brigade
• Medical Services
• Support brigade
• Logistics brigade
• Military police
• Independent work regiment

Lebanese Ground Forces Equipment

Standard Issue Infantry Weapon	M16, CAR-15, M4 Carbine, AKMS, AK-74
Infantry Weapons	M40 (rifle), RPG-7, M65 Rocketlauncher, M2 Browning machine gun, M40 recoilless rifle, Various Mortars
Main Battle Tank	T-54/T-55, M-48A1/M-48A5, Leopard 1 (43 ex-Belgian with 2008 delivieries).	310
Armoured Personnel Carriers	M-113A1/M-113A2, M578 Recovery vehicle, Panhard M-3, VAB, Cadillac Gage Commando, Chaimite, AMX-VCI	1660+
Armoured Fighting Vehicles	AMX-13, Alvis Saladin, Ferret, AML-90, Staghound, YPR-765 (to be delivered).	760
Towed Artillery	M101 howitzer(105 mm), M102 howitzer (105 mm), D-30 (122 mm), 122 mm howitzer M1938 (M-30)(122 mm), M-46 (130 mm), M114 155 mm howitzerA1 (155 mm), M-198(155 mm), Model 50 (155 mm)	147
Anti-Aircraft Weaponry	M42 Duster, ZU-23 (23 mm), SA-7A/SA-7B Grail	30+
Anti-Tank Guided Missiles	ENTAC, MILAN, BGM-71 TOW	70
Artillery Rocket Systems	BM-21, BM-11	30
Vehicles	Land Rover Defender 90, M151 MUTT jeep, CUCV, HMMWV 'Humvee', AIL M-325 Commandcar, M35A3	3500+

Lebanon and Belgium finalized the transfer of 43 Leopard 1 tanks to the Lebanese Armed Forces with delivieries expected in 2008. The deal worth 3.5 million euros includes a number of APCs, mainly 16 YPR-765s armed with 25 mm cannons.

Lebanese Navy

The Lebanese Navy is responsible for protecting Lebanon's waters, protecting ports, and fighting illegal smuggling of goods.

The structure of the navy is centralised around the Navy Command, then it branches off into the quarter-general of the Navy, the Department of Naval Equipment Stores, the Naval School, Beirut Naval Base and the Jounieh Naval Base.

Lebanese Navy Ships

Combat Support Boats	British Made	27
Landing Crafts	EDIC-class (French Made)	2
Patrol Boats	TRACKER-Class, ATTACKER-Class	7
Craft Boats	36-meter patrol craft with blue-water capability	2

Lebanese Air Force

Main article: Lebanese Air Force

The Lebanese Air Force is the air force branch of the Lebanese Armed Forces. It currently has a large number of helicopters including the UH-1H Bell Huey, Gazelle, and various others. The air force is currently in the process of restoring its jet capabilities and considering the purchase of a small number of fighters or jet trainers.

Lebanese Special Forces

The Lebanese Special Forces are the elite of the Lebanese army, those who enroll are subjected to rigorous training regimes and must be in peak physical and mental condition prior to their ascension to such a highly desired position. Each branch of the Armed Forces consist of their own form of Special Forces or Commandos. These include:

• 1 Navy Commando regiment
• 1 Commando regiment (Also known as the Maghaweer)
• 1 Airborne regiment
• 5 Special Forces regiments

To ensure the effectiveness of such an elite force, many Commandos are sent overseas to nations such as the US, UK and France to receive extra training in specialised areas that the Lebanese Armed Forces are unable to provide, due to a lack of resources. While training in Lebanon, each Commando is instructed in the art of urban and guerrilla warfare. So rigorous is their domestic training regime that each commando is subjected to a training timetable consisting of 20 hours per day for 3 months, which is divided into different stages. Each stage consists of a specialised form of warfare and its associated tactics. Such tactics include: sabotage, sniping, extraction and covert operations. Lebanese Commando snipers are also considered some of the deadliest in the world.

Conscription

Lebanon previously had mandatory military service of one year for men. On May 4, 2005, a new conscription system was adopted, making for a six-month service, and pledging to end conscription within two years. As of February 10, 2007 mandatory military service no longer exists in Lebanon thus making it a conscription-free all-volunteer force. [1]

History

Lebanese Civil War

Main article: Lebanese Civil War

2006 Lebanon War

Main article: 2006 Lebanon War

In this conflict the Lebanon army did not engage the Israeli Army despite Israel bombing several Lebanese military bases; though it had threatened it would retaliate if Israeli forces pushed too far northward into Lebanon. While providing aid to civilians, Lebanese troops helped to uphold order in city streets, directed refugees to safer areas, and assisted with overlooking damage done by Israeli attacks. On several occasions, Lebanese troops fired anti-air weapons at Israeli aircraft, but no damage was documented. Overall, 46 Lebanese soldiers were killed.

After the July war the LAF deployed south of the Litani River for the first time since 1968 to enforce Security Council Resolution 1701. The LAF says it will not disarm Hezbollah by force. On February 7 2007, the Lebanese army fired at an Israeli Bulldozer that moved close to the border while not crossing it, Israel fired back, there was no casualty reports, the UNIFIL stationed in the south described the shootout as a "serious incident".

2007 North Lebanon conflict

Main article: 2007 Lebanon conflict

The 2007 Lebanon conflict began when fighting broke out between Fatah al-Islam, a Islamist militant organization, and the Lebanese Armed Forces on May 20, 2007 in Nahr al-Bared, a Palestinian refugee camp near Tripoli. It has been the most severe internal fighting since Lebanon's 1975–90 civil war. The conflict evolved mostly around the Siege of Nahr el-Bared. There was heavy use of the Lebanese artillery in that area to eliminate snipers posted around the cities. The conflict finally ended on September 2, 2007 with the Lebanese Army taking control of the camp after more than three months of heavy fights and a death toll of 155 Commandos and Infantrymen. If there was an award for creativity and ingenuity in combat then Lebanon would surely have it, they truly are genious, They strapped 50 year old bombs to the bottom of 30 year old helicopters and dropped the bombs over the Palestinian camp to clear out snipers, They are truly effective when needed to be. [2]

See also

• Internal Security Forces
• Sûreté générale(General Security Directorate)
• United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon

External links

• Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF)
• Lebanon Military Guide from GlobalSecurity.org
• [3]
• [4]
• Lebanese Army Pictures in Nahr al Bared
• [5]