ISSUE BRIEF
The United States– Lebanese Armed Forces Partnership Challenges, Risks, and Rewards MAY 2018
NICHOLAS BLANFORD
Executive Summary
T The Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security works to develop sustainable, nonpartisan strategies to address the most important security challenges facing the United States and the world. The center honors General Brent Scowcroft’s legacy of service and embodies his ethos of nonpartisan commitment to the cause of security, support for US leadership in cooperation with allies and partners, and dedication to the mentorship of the next generation of leaders. Established in 2012 as a core practice area of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council, the Middle East Security Initiative brings together thought leaders and experts from the policy, business, and civil society communities to design innovative strategies to tackle present and future challenges in the region.
he US military-assistance program to Lebanon has not been without its missteps and complications, but, overall, it has yielded results and been a program that the US Department of Defense and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) continue to regard highly. The LAF have proven a reliable partner force to the US military—one informed observer noted that “the Americans appreciate the fact that unlike many armies the U.S. assists, the Lebanese army has shown a will to fight.” 1 Lebanon was perhaps the only Middle Eastern country threatened by the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) where US forces were not required in a combat role, because the LAF had the capability and will to defend its border and defeat the militants. Furthermore, despite the concerns of the program’s critics, the weaponry and equipment supplied by the United States to the LAF have been accounted for, with no evidence to date that any material has been diverted to Hezbollah. 2 Nevertheless, several challenges lie ahead that could threaten the military partnership. They include the LAF’s complicated relationship with Hezbollah, which has drawn criticism in some quarters in Washington and raised questions about whether the military assistance program
1
Author interview with informed observer.
2
In January 2017, Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) personnel responsible for end-use monitoring (EUM) compliance conducted a Compliance Assessment Visit in Lebanon. The LAF received the highest possible rating of EUM satisfaction, validating Lebanon’s security and accountability measures for safeguarding sensitive US provided technology.