Counternarcotics and Law Enforcement Country Program: Lebanon

• Build Lebanon’s operational capacity to combat crime, prevent and respond to terror attacks, monitor Lebanon’s borders, and improve its ability to combat the infiltration of weapons and terrorists into Lebanon.

• Assist Lebanon in developing a competent, professional, democratic police force, the Internal Security Forces (ISF), with the necessary training, equipment and institutional capacity to enforce the rule of law in Lebanon, key to implementing UNSCRs 1559 and 1701.

Program Components/Accomplishments

The INL program is a critical part of the U.S. strategy to strengthen the Government of Lebanon and one of INL’s most effective assistance efforts. There are four central components of INL support to the ISF: 1) training; 2) equipment and vehicles; 3) community policing assistance; and 4) communications.

• Training: INL has trained almost 3,900 ISF police in its 10 week basic training and other advanced courses including over 215 ISF trainers and over 150 Supervisors. The INL program is refurbishing ISF training facilities to ensure a sustainable transition of a state of the art training program to the ISF by 2011. Additional specialized training has been provided on narcotics investigation, IPR protection, and executive leadership. Public confidence in the ISF as a non-sectarian institution committed to a united, stable Lebanon increased by 17% from 2008 to 2009. In addition, the ISF has been able to expand its traditional area of operation in Lebanon.
  
  
• Equipment: INL has provided non lethal equipment including 4000 sets of basic duty gear, 3000 sets of riot control gear, 480 police cars, 60 police SUVs, 35 handheld radios, 20 computers, 20 new and 24 repaired Harley Davidson motorcycles, and refurbished 21 Armored Personnel Vehicles. These procurements increased ISF capacity to patrol and respond in an expanding area of Lebanon. End use monitoring of INL provided equipment shows that the equipment is being properly used and maintained by the ISF.
  
  
• Community Policing: To prepare the ISF for a new security role in the Nahr al Barid Palestinian refugee camp, INL began an extensive community policing training and assistance program in FY 2010. Assistance includes training of ISF officers who will serve in the camp and assistance to support the adoption of community policing as a policing strategy throughout Lebanon. INL has also begun construction of an ISF police station in the area of the camp.
  
  
• Communications: INL has begun the development of a major program to provide a secure, nationwide command, control and communications system for the ISF.

Funding FY 2006-2010

• FY 2006 – $5,000,000 (1207)
• FY 2007 – $60,000,000 (INCLE)
• FY 2008 – $9,850,000 (1207)
• FY 2009 – $6,000,000 (INCLE)
• FY 2009 – $9,850,000 (1207)
• FY 2010 – $20,000,000 (INCLE)

INCLE: International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement Funds
1207: Section 1207 of the National Defense Authorization Act