Lebanese Armed Forces

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Lebanese Armed Forces
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	"Honor, Sacrifice, Loyalty"
Anniversaries	August 1
Commanders
Current commander	Michel Sulaiman
Notable commanders	Fuad Chehab, Emile Boustani, Michel Aoun, Emile Lahoud

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

The Lebanese Army
The Lebanese Navy
The Lebanese Air Force

1 General overview
2 Lebanese Ground Forces
3 Lebanese Navy
4 Lebanese Air Force
5 Lebanese Special Forces
6 Conscription
7 Future
8 External links
9 References

[edit] General overview

The Lebanese Armed Forces' primary missions include; defending Lebanon and its citizens against all 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 approximately 72,100 active personnel^[1] with the Ground Forces consisting of approximately 70,000 troops, the Air Force consisting of approximately 1,100 personnel and another 1,000 in the Navy.

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

The equipment inventory of the LAF is outdated due to a lack of funds, lack of foreign investement, political bickering and until recently the presence of foreign forces.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. Approximately 85% of the LAF's equipment is US-made with the remaining being British, French, and Soviet-made.

[edit] Lebanese Ground Forces

The Lebanese Army is made up of:

5 Regional Commands
11 Mechanized brigades
2 Artillery regiments
1 Commando regiment
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 Infantry Weapon	M16
Main Battle Tank	T-54/T-55, M-48A1/M-48A5	310
Armoured Personnel Carriers	M-113A1/M-113A2, Panhard M-3, VAB	1257
Armoured Fighting Vehicles	AMX-13, Alvis Saladin, Ferret, AML-90, Staghound, Humvee	760
Towed Artillery	M-101A1 (105 mm), D-30 (122 mm), M-30 M-1938 (122 mm), M-46 (130 mm), M114 155 mm howitzer A1 (155 mm), M-198(155mm), Model 50 (155 mm)	147
Anti-Aircraft Weaponry	M-42A1 (40 mm), ZU-23 (23 mm), SA-7A/SA-7B Grail	30+
Anti-Tank Missiles	ENTAC, MILAN, BGM-71 TOW	70
Atillery Rockect Systems	BM-21, BM-11	30
Vehicles	Land Rover, M35A3, GM Truck	3047+
Infantry Weapons	M-40A1, RPG-7, M-65, CAR-15, Various Mortars	419+

[edit] 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

[edit] Lebanese Air Force

Lebanese Air Force Aircraft
Fighter Aircraft	Hawker Hunter FGA.70/FGA.70A (not operational)	7+
Helicopters	SA-342, UH-1H, Bell 212, AB-205, Aérospatiale Alouette III, SA-330 Aérospatiale Alouette II, Robinson R44 Aérospatiale Gazelle	71+
Trainers	Bulldog, Fouga Magister CM-170	6
Transport	Turbo-Commander 690A, DOVE	2

The Lebanese Air Force currently lacks any operational fighter aircraft. These fighter are currently all in storage and will most likely not be overhauled due to their outdated technology, a lack of combat value and most significantly a lack of funds. Although the Air force has a fairly large number of helicopters for a small Air Force, only the UH-1H, Bell 212, Gazelle and R44 helicopters reamin operational while all others remain in storage along with the Hawker Hunter awaiting their overhaul into active duty. The 16 Mirage III that were purchased new from France in 1968 were sold to Pakistan in 2000 which in turn overhauled then into active duty for the Pakistani Air Force. Thus the Lebanese Air Force consists of five squadrons, being the 10th and the 11th at Beirut AB operating the UH-1, the 12th at Rayak AB, operating some UH-1Hs on loan from Beirut AB, the 14th at Kleyate AB, also operating the UH-1H on loan from Beirut AB, and the 15th at Rayak AB, operating the R44 Raven.

The Air Force has not flown any combat sorties since September 17, 1983. This was during the period where the French and Americans were rebuilding the Lebanese army, and 3 Hawker Hunter F.Mk.70s were made airworthy, and started combat operations on September 15. Because the main airfield, Rayak Air Base had been shelled by Syrian forces, the Hunters had to operate from an airfield in Byblos. The last sortie was an attempt with French Super Etendards from the Clemenceau to attack Druze positions. One was shot down and the pilot barely managed to eject himself into the sea. The second Hunter was heavily damaged and made a forced landing at Byblos. The third did not return to the base but flew straight to Akrotiri, Cyprus, with the pilot eventually requesting political asylum.

There is no known current plan to purchase any fighter aircraft for the Air Force mainly due the lack of funds and to a lesser extent the lack of a stable political climate in Lebanon. However, after the devastating war with Israel, there have been pleas from Lebanon's Defence Minister, asking the international community to provide Lebanon with attack helicopters to defend its airspace.

[edit] 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 dersired position. Each branch of the Armed Forces consist of their own form of Special Forces or Commandos. These inlcude:

1 Navy Commando regiment
1 Commando regiment
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 USA, England, France to receive extra training in specialised areas that the Lebanese Armed Forces are unable to provide, due to a lack of resources. Although 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. To finalise the process of becoming a Commando each new recruit must undertake the highly regarded Snake meal. This meal occurs at the conclusion of the training and involves the Commando biting off the head of a live poisionous snake with his teeth and eating it.

[edit] Conscription

Lebanon previously had mandatory military service of one years 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]

[edit] Future

The government of Lebanon has contracted the governments of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Jordan, and Egypt to assess Lebanon's military and security infrastructure to develop reform programs in the near future. With the departure of Syrian troops in April 2005, the government has made it a priority to modernize and upgrade the military and security forces.

During mid-July and mid-August of 2006 Lebanon was under heavy air, sea, and land attacks by Israeli forces. The LAF took no action to defend against the Israelis. Media reports indicate that Lebanese military facilities as well as LAF personnel had been struck by Israeli bombardment. The LAF website also listed personnel killed by the Israelis. The Air Force has no aircraft to counter the Israeli Air Force with. The Army does have anti-aircraft guns which they have claimed have fired on the Israelis. No Israeli aircraft were damaged by the LAF. 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 crossed the border, Israel fired back, there was no casualty reports, the UNIFIL stationed in the south described the shootout as a "serious incident".

The United States has pledged to arm and train the LAF. On January 13, 2007 a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane landed in Rafic Hariri International Airport carrying 20 of 285 armored Humvee vehicles that will be given to the LAF.^[2] Foreign donors will give substantial aid to the LAF in 2007 to help the government keep order and fend off the influence of Iran and Syria. Deployments and internal turmoil, however, will slow the military ’s ability to employ the new equipment. The United States, which gave up to $39 million for training and gear in 2006, is the biggest donor. A good chunk of the U.S. cash helped buy two dozen 5-ton trucks, repair the LAF’s 23 UH-1H and four Bell 212 helicopters. U.S. Embassy sources said Washington would likely give more military aid in 2007, including some lethal weapons. The LAF commander Michel Sulaiman has stated that "other countries have actually stepped in and started fulfilling pledges of assistance.” Sulaiman said Belgium has agreed to provide 45 German-built Leopard 1 tanks, at least 20 M109 howitzer guns and an unspecified number of fighting vehicles. The tanks and guns, which would come from surplus stocks, would be the first lethal weapons donated to the LAF by a Western country in nearly two decades. The transfer of the Howitzers has been approved by the U.S. Government.

Other Transfers include:

• Holland: 100 home made army trucks.

• Britain: 50 new Land Rover utility vehicles. (Delivered)

• Germany: likely, two 36-meter patrol craft with blue-water capability.

• United Arab Emirates (UAE): nine surplus Gazelle helicopter gunships. The UAE is already the biggest Arab donor to the LAF, having given five 10-meter and five 14-meter patrol craft. (Gazelle helicopter gunships were delivered).