The Lebanese army and the United States armed forces concluded an annual bilateral military exercise Wednesday, the US Embassy in Beirut said.
The nine-day combined exercise, dubbed “Resolute Response 2016,” began on Aug. 8, at the Jounieh Naval Base and included land and sea drills, the US Embassy statement said.
The US Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, US Army and the Lebanese Army completed activities that included explosives disposal, diving exercises, and maritime board, search, and seizure procedures, it added.
Resolute Response is one of more than 60 military exercises US Central Command conducts with its partner nations each year.
This particular exercise was part of a routine theater security cooperation engagement plan, with the primary focus of reassuring regional nations of the United States’ commitment to security and stability, the embassy said.
It also provided an opportunity for the US Military to train their Lebanese counterparts.
Lt. Andrew Heckel, adaptive force commander for the exercise, was quoted by the Navy’s website as saying: “My unit is here to support the Lebanese armed forces with maintaining stability within the region through sharing our knowledge and experiences.
“My hope is that our efforts here will continue to demonstrate the United States commitment to the Lebanese and will further aid them in countering the militant threat within Lebanon,” Heckel added.
Last week, the Lebanese Army received $50 million worth of military equipment from the US to help security forces in their ongoing fight against terrorism.
During the handover ceremony at the Beirut Port, US Ambassador Elizabeth Richard said America has provided over $221 million in equipment and training to Lebanon this year alone. Richard further noted that Lebanon was the fifth-largest recipient of military financing from the United States.
The ambassador lauded the conduct of Army command, in particular their leadership, adding that the US tries to fulfill the needs of the Lebanese Army in the best way possible.
