-    The Lebanese Army

-    The Directorate General of Administration

-    The Inspectorate General

-    The Military Council

 

Lebanon officially gained independence on November 22, 1943. Prior to that, Lebanon’s different military units had merged themselves into one brigade, the Fifth Brigade, headed by Fouad Shehab under the command of the French forces. The Snipers’ Regiment, established in 1926, was placed at the disposal of the Lebanese government to maintain order. Following negotiations with the French command, it was eventually agreed to transfer control over the Lebanese armed forces to the Lebanese State from August 1, 1945, which has since been celebrated as Lebanese Army Day.

 

According to effective laws and decrees, the personnel assigned to the Lebanese Army consists of 49,534 people distributed by rank as follows:

 

 

In operational cases determined by a Decree issued in the Cabinet, the Chief of Staff has the right to turn to the Higher Defense Council through the Minister of National Defense, should he and the Army Commander differ in opinion.

 

The Director General of Management is appointed from among the officers with the rank of ‘Colonel’ or above, who have never been placed in the reserves, pursuant to a Decree issued in Cabinet following a proposal by the Minister of National Defense. The Director General is linked directly to the Minister of National Defense; it has been agreed he should come from the Shia’a community.

 

Functions of the Director General of Management

-    Meeting the different needs of the Army and providing the required services

-    Drafting the budget and monitoring its implementation

-    Monitoring the use of the funds of the entities associated with the Lebanese Army

-    Managing secondary entities

 

The basic division of work between the Army Command and the Directorate General are established pursuant to instructions issued by the Minister of National Defense following a proposal by the military council. 

 

The Directorate General of Management consists of the following units:

-    Secretariat

-    Department of Materials

-    Personnel Department

-    Engineering Department

-    Department of Geography

-    Department of Health

-    Financial Department

 

The secondary institutes are:

-    An Economic Institute 

-    A Collaborative Institute for Officers

-    A Collaborative Institute for Non-Commissioned Officers and Enlisted Men

-    A Collaborative Institute for Civil Employees

 

The Inspector General is appointed from among the officers with the rank of ‘Colonel’ or above, who have never placed in the reserves, pursuant to a Decree issued in Cabinet following a proposal by the Minister of National Defense. The Inspector General is linked directly to the Minister of National Defense and by convention is a Greek Orthodox.

 

Functions of the Inspector General 

The Inspector General is in charge of inspecting all the institutions and administrative aspects of the Ministry of National Defense. Hence, he:

-    Verifies that the rules and regulations are being implemented and the orders and instructions met

-    Puts forward propositions to ensure proper functioning in the different sectors of the Army and the Directorate General of Management

 

The basic divisions of work between the Army Command and the Inspectorate General are established pursuant to instructions issued by the Minister of National Defense following a proposal by the military council. 

 

The Inspectorate General consists of the following units:

-    Secretariat 

-    Inspectorate of Education, Training and Sports

-    Inspectorate of Weapons of various types

-    Inspectorate of Health

-    Inspectorate of Management of Members, Equipment and Funds

 

The Military Council consists of a chairman and four members representing the six major sects.

-    Army Commander: Chairman

-    Chief of Staff: Deputy Chairman

-    Member: Director General of Management

-    Member: Inspector General

-    Member: Higher Defense Council Secretary General: ( a Sunni by convention)

-    Member: A General Officer appointed for two years pursuant to a Decree issued following a proposal by the Minister of National Defense after canvassing the opinion of the Army Commander ( a Greek Catholic by convention)

 

The Chairman may summon whoever he deems fit to the Council’s meetings. A Military Council Secretariat is established for the Council with its staff being determined pursuant to a Decree issued in the Cabinet following a proposal by the Minister of National Defense.

 

Capacities of the Military Council

The Military Council approves:

-    The organization of the key institutions associated with the Ministry of National Defense mentioned in this Legislative Decree

-    The line-up of the regional commanders, the regiments and brigades, the commanders of aerial and marine forces and the heads of military institutes and their equivalent in the rest of the key institutions following the proposals of the heads of such entities. 

-    The line-up of the directors, the heads of units and the battalion commanders within the army following the proposals of the Army Commander. Once the Military Council approves the proposal of the Army Commander, the line-ups are issued by a decision released by the Minister of National Defense. However, should the Military Council disapprove of the said proposition, the matter is then referred to the Higher Defense Council, which either endorses the Army Commander’s proposal or sends it back to him for the submission of another one. 

-    The dismissal of officers ranking ‘major’ and above for a period exceeding one month

-    The promotion of officers in the different key institutions to the rank of ‘captain’ or above on the recommendations of the heads of the said entities. These promotions are issued pursuant to Decrees released on the recommendation of the Minister of National Defense.

-    The issuance of seniority years for officers pursuant to decrees released on the recommendations of the heads of key institutions.

-    The awarding of orders and medals.

 

The Military Council also agrees to the following matters issued pursuant to a decision by the Minister of National Defense.

-    The requirements for the enrollment of civilians in military institutes and the appointment criteria following the proposal of the Army Commander

-    The establishment and organizing of the military institutes following the proposal of the Army Commander

-    The referral of officers to the Disciplinary Council following the recommendations by the heads of key institutions

-    The assignment of officers for academic or training courses as well as for special missions overseas following the recommendations by the heads of key institutions

-    The specifications of the supplies, weapons, equipment, ammunitions, material and the military installations and vehicles and samples of the above following the recommendations of the Army Commander

-    The list of the candidates nominated for the entrance examination to the Military College 

-    The list of candidates who passed the entrance examination and who, as a result, gained admission to the Military College

-    Putting officers on promotion lists for the rank of ‘captain’ or above on the recommendations of the heads of key institutions

 

For the Military Council’s meetings to be considered legal a quorum of five members is necessary. Decisions are taken by majority vote and in case of a tiebreak, the Chairman’s vote decides the outcome. The Chief of Staff presides over the Council in the absence of the Chairman and their deliberations and decisions are strictly confidential.