Lebanon News

Aug. 12, 2017 | 12:17 AM

Analysts confident of U.S. aid for Army, but perhaps at lower levels

US ambassador Elizabeth Richard arrives at the port as workers unload military weapons part of a donation to the Lebanese Army in Beirut, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2016. (The Daily Star/Mohammad Azakir)

Victoria Yan| The Daily Star

This article was amended on Sunday, August 13 2017

A version of this article appeared in The Daily Star on August 12 in which The Daily Star mistakenly attributed Jonathan Schanzer as the vice president of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. It also erroneously credited Henri Barkey to be a professor at Lehigh College.

The article now accurately attributes Schanzer as the senior vice president of research at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and Barkey as a professor at Lehigh University.

The Daily Star regrets these errors

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Daily Star on August 12, 2017, on page 3.

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Summary

Despite a U.S. State Department draft proposal to cut military aid to Lebanon, analysts expect key U.S. support will likely persist – though to what degree remains unclear.

America's assistance can help ensure that the Lebanese Army is the only defender Lebanon needs," Trump said during a joint news conference with Prime Minister Saad Hariri at the White House on July 25 .

Upon their return to Beirut, sources from Hariri's delegation expressed certainty that support would continue, despite a total cutback of military aid to Lebanon in the initial draft of the State Department's 2018 budget proposal.

Over the past decade, the total amount of U.S. assistance for the Lebanese military is in the region of $1.5 billion in equipment and training – the vast majority of which was provided through FMF.

If the new draft budget were to be ratified as is, Lebanon would receive absolutely nothing through FMF in fiscal year 2018, which begins Oct. 1, 2017 .

The budget of the U.S. Department of Defense is separate and assistance programs are separate from the State Department.

Analysts said that the Lebanese Army operation in Arsal in 2014 marked one of the first significant instances of a national military defeating Daesh on the battlefield.

Nerguizian, however, set himself in the camp vehemently against cuts in military assistance to the Army.

Lebanon News

Analysts confident of U.S. aid for Army, but perhaps at lower levels

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