Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Senior Pentagon Official Visits Lebanon

May 2, 2013
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Combating Terrorism William F. Wechsler visited Lebanon today and met with Lebanese Armed Forces Commander General Jean Kahwagi and other senior Lebanese military officials.    
Mr. Wechsler congratulated General Kahwagi on the Lebanese Special Forces' Marine Commandos' and Mukafaha's successful participation in the cooperative defense exercise Eagle Resolve 2013 in Qatar April 21 – May 6.  The exercise included members of the armed forces of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, the United Kingdom, France, and the United States.  Mr. Wechsler highlighted the professional and highly skilled contribution of Lebanese forces in vessel boarding, search, and seizure exercises and a mock air assault raid.
In his meetings, Mr. Wechsler discussed the political and security situation in Lebanon and other regional issues.  He further emphasized the strong and sustained military cooperation between the two countries as well as U.S. support for Lebanon's initiatives to implement its obligations under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.
Mr. Wechsler renewed the United States' commitment to a stable, sovereign and independent Lebanon.  He underscored the Department of Defense's continuing joint effort to strengthen the capacity of the Lebanese Armed Forces, recognizing its importance, as Lebanon's sole legitimate defense force, in securing Lebanon's borders and defending the sovereignty and independence of the state.