On September 20, 1920, the French High Commissioner issued a decision stipulating the organization of Greater Lebanon’s gendarmerie, which included the Lebanese gendarmerie and parts of the Syrian gendarmerie. The latter consisted of 1200 members, including 37 officers, who were in charge of some of the territories adjoined to Greater Lebanon. As for the establishment of the ISF Directorate General, it occurred during President Fouad Chehab’s term of office, pursuant to Legislative Decree no. 13 issued on June 12, 1954, which increased the number of ISF personnel to 4600 members and officers

 

According to Law No. 17/90, the Internal Security Forces are public armed forces with jurisdictions covering the entire Lebanese territory as well as its territorial waters and air space. The law established its functions as an administrative and judicial police as follows:

   - Ensuring public order

   - Protecting individuals and property

   - Protecting freedoms within the framework of law

   - Executing legal rules and regulations 

   - Fulfilling the functions of the judicial police

   - Executing letters rogatory

   - Carrying out judicial warrants and verdicts

   - Assisting public authorities in their duties

   - Guarding public administrations and institutions, as decided by the relevant authorities

   - Guarding prisons and running them when necessary (prison management has been entrusted to the Ministry of Justice but this is not being applied)

   - Guarding diplomatic missions in Lebanon

Director General
The ISF Directorate General is run by a Director General who is directly linked to the Minister of the Interior and Municipalities. Typically, this post is assigned to an ISF officer carrying the rank of Colonel or above or to a Grade 1 civil servant. In exceptional cases, the position may be awarded to a Lebanese Army colonel or any higher-ranking army officer. The ISF Director General is Sunni by convention. All ISF commanding officers fall under the Director General’s authority and are responsible before him for all the duties assigned to them, with the exception of the Inspector General who is associated with the Minister of the Interior and Municipalities.

ISF Organization
The Internal Security Forces consists of the following units:
1.    The Directorate General includes the Director General, the General Staff and the Central Administration:
    The General Staff consists of the units responsible for preparing studies and offering advice to the Director General.
    The Central Administration consists of all the administrative and technical departments responsible for managing the ISF funds and gear and equipment as well as the premises belonging to them or put at their disposal.
2.    The Social Service Administration: this encompasses the ISF newsletter and the funds of a special nature established by decrees in favor of the ISF as well as all the institutions associated with these funds, the clubs and other cultural, intellectual and social services.
3.    The Territorial Gendarmerie consists of all the units operating outside Beirut except for those units which remain wholly or partly attached to any other unit.
4.    The Mobile Battalion is the ISF general reserve force that is organized, equipped and trained to ensure security and maintain order across all of Lebanon. It includes all the mobile units within and outside Beirut. 
5.    The Police of Beirut: Its prerogatives cover the region of Beirut. It consists of the units operating under its authority except for those units which remain wholly or partly connected to another unit
6.    The Judicial Police:  its prerogatives cover the whole of Lebanon. It comprises the Forensic Police, the Tourist Police, the Anti-Crime Unit and the Investigation and Inquiries Unit.
7.    The Embassy and Public Administration Security Regiment: its prerogatives cover all of Lebanon. It consists of all the units responsible for guarding the dwellings of diplomatic missions in Lebanon as well as those of the public administrations.
8.     The Internal Security Forces Institute: it consists of all colleges, schools and training centers of the ISF.


The Command Council
In addition to the Director General, there is a Command Council operating directly under the Ministry of the Interior and Municipalities. It consists of:
    - The Director General as Head of Council
    - The Inspector General
    - All the chiefs of the above-mentioned units

The Council convenes upon the invitation of the Director General or upon the call of half of its members. It may decide to summon whomever it deems fit to attend the sessions and its deliberations are characterized by utter secrecy. The Head of the Private Affairs Division assumes the responsibilities of the Council’s secretariat and decisions are made unanimously or by a majority of at least eight votes.

The Command Council is in charge of:
    - Proposing the establishment of units and the names thereof
    - Drafting general schedules of military personnel and equipment
    - Drafting detailed schedules of the distribution of military personnel and equipment
    - Appointing trained gendarmes and non-commissioned members
    - Proposing the appointment of officers and specialist officers
    - Terminating the contracts of trained gendarmes and non-commissioned officers
    - Rejecting the renewal of voluntary enrolment contracts of enlisted men and non-commissioned officers  with poor rates
    - Approving the renewal of the voluntary enrolment contracts of enlisted men and non-commissioned officers as a general rule for a minimum of two years 
    - Approving the discharge of enlisted men and non-commissioned officers should there be compelling reasons
    - Reducing the periods of seniority for promotions among enlisted men and non-commissioned officers 
    - Proposing the granting of exceptional promotion seniority for officers carrying the rank of Major and below
    - Posthumously promoting the martyrs among ISF’s enlisted men and non-commissioned officers. 
    - Posthumously proposing the promotion of ISF’s officers. 
    - Selecting those qualified non-commissioned officers for the rank of lieutenant 
    - Preparing the officers’ schedules of promotion to the rank of Colonel and below.  
    - Determining the centers to which officers will be transferred, save inspectors general and unit leaders. 
    - Subjecting enlisted men and non-commissioned officers to the punishment of dismissal from promotion schedules and demotions. 
    - Proposing the punishment of officers ranking from Colonel or below through dismissal from promotion schedules and demotions.
    - Assigning centers to officers save those unit leaders who are subject to punitive disciplinary transfers. 
    - Setting the promotion schedules of enlisted men and non-commissioned officers. 
    - Establishing voluntary enrolment regulations. 
    - Establishing the regulations for qualification exams. 
    - Setting the rules for separating ISF members 
    - Drafting the instructions concerning the rules and regulations for promotion, the renewal of enrolment contracts and the setting of transferring centers. 
    - Returning ISF members whose contracts were terminated to normal service.

Evolution of ISF personnel
ISF personnel grew from 4,600 members and officers in 1960 to more than 23,000 in 2013. Since the ISF directorate has been assigned 29,495 vacancies, efforts are now under way to recruit more personnel to fill the vacant posts and strike a sectarian balance within this security body, especially that Muslims account for 66% of the total ISF workforce while Christians make up only 36%.