![Members of the Lebanese army deploy as families await news of their relatives at the entrance of the port in Tripoli on January 1, following a rescue operation by the navy of a sinking migrant boat in Mediterranean waters, off Lebanon's northern coast. [Fathi al-Masri/AFP]](/cnmi_am/images/2023/01/26/40471-Leb-army-Tripoli-700_496.webp)
The United States on Wednesday (January 25) announced $72 million in aid to crisis-hit Lebanon to supplement security personnel salaries for six months, in a joint programme with the United Nations (UN).
Lebanon's economy has been in free fall for three years, resulting in a slashed military budget and an erosion of the value of soldiers' salaries.
Since 2019, the local currency has lost 95% of its market value, forcing hundreds of security forces personnel to seek side jobs or leave altogether.
At one point in 2020, Lebanon's army said it had scrapped meat from the meals offered to on-duty soldiers because of rising food prices.
![Lebanese Internal Security Forces demonstrate their skills at the forces' simulation training village during their inauguration ceremony in the town of Aramoun, south of Beirut, on October 8, 2015. [Joseph Eid/AFP]](/cnmi_am/images/2023/01/26/40470-lebanon-armed-forces-700_496.webp)
Lebanese Internal Security Forces demonstrate their skills at the forces' simulation training village during their inauguration ceremony in the town of Aramoun, south of Beirut, on October 8, 2015. [Joseph Eid/AFP]
The United States, which is and has been for some time the biggest donor to Lebanon's army, has partnered with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) to enable the delivery of the first US aid of its kind.
The programme "will provide $72 million in temporary financial support for Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and Internal Security Forces (ISF) personnel", the UN agency and US embassy in Beirut said in a joint statement.
The UNDP will disburse the funds through a local service provider.
"These payments will provide every soldier and police officer eligible to receive assistance under US law with $100 per month for a period of six months," the statement said.
An average monthly salary for a low-ranking Lebanese soldier is now worth roughly $50, down from about $800 before the 2019 economic crisis.
"The families of the ISF, similar to other Lebanese families are struggling from the bitter and difficult economic crisis affecting all of Lebanon," ISF director general Imad Osman said in the statement.
"On the one hand, they must secure the food, livelihood, medical care and education for their families," he said. "On the other hand, they must remain faithful to their oath and to the institution."
Putting food on the table
"The fact that the international community is keen on preserving the military institutions proves that it will not allow Lebanon's collapse on the security front," Lebanese army commander Joseph Aoun said.
He said Lebanon is vulnerable because of its geographical location and the multiple crises it has faced, noting that the impact and consequences of a collapse would have a spillover effect into the regional security environment.
"We have promised our people that the armed forces, despite all the challenges it faces, will remain true to its oath to defend the Lebanese and the dignity of the nation, no matter how heavy and painful the sacrifices are," Aoun added.
Providing this temporary assistance "will bring relief to brave and hardworking soldiers and service members" by putting food on the table for themselves and their families, said US ambassador Dorothy Shea.
This is "the first time the United States has ever provided such financial support to security forces in Lebanon", she said, urging Lebanon's political leaders to "elect a president, form a government and enact urgent economic reforms".
UNDP resident representative in Lebanon Melanie Hauenstein also noted the need for reform, stressing that "security, stability and the swift implementation of reform are the basic prerequisites for development in Lebanon".
US-Lebanon security co-operation
US security assistance for the Lebanese armed forces is a key component of US Lebanon policy, according to a fact sheet issued by the US State Department's Bureau of Political/Military Affairs.
It is intended "to strengthen Lebanon's sovereignty, secure its borders, counter internal threats, and disrupt terrorist facilitation", the bureau said.
Key areas of co-operation include border security, maritime security, defence institution building, arms transfers and counter-terrorism.
Lebanon's armed forces have "historically served as a pillar of stability in a country facing extraordinary challenges, including the presence of the terrorist group Hizbullah".
The US partnership with the Lebanese armed forces builds the capacity of the Lebanese armed forces as the sole legitimate defender of Lebanon's sovereignty.
Since 2006, US investments of more than $3 billion in the Lebanese armed forces have enabled them to be a stabilising force against regional threats, including the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) and al-Qaeda.
Other nations also have stepped in to help Lebanese forces amid the ongoing political and economic crisis.
Qatar announced last year $60 million in aid for Lebanon's armed forces, with a security source saying it would cover soldiers' wages.
