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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
US says will speed up military help to Lebanon
2008-05-15
WASHINGTON - The United States plans to speed up assistance to Lebanon's army but has no plans as yet to increase current military aid to deal with the latest crisis, the U.S. State Department said on Wednesday.
Why? Is Lebanon planning on using its army?
"I know there are a number of things in the pipeline for them and my understanding is that we will be trying to move some of those things through the pipeline in an expedited fashion," said State Department spokesman Tom Casey, who provided no details about which items would be delivered more quickly or their value.

Casey said there were no current plans for new assistance for Lebanon's military. "There is no new aid, or no new aid program for the Lebanese military. What we have is an ongoing program," Casey told reporters.

Since mid-2006, the United States has given Lebanon about $1.3 billion in assistance, of which State Department officials said about $400 million was for military aid.

"We have an ongoing military assistance program for Lebanon and that is something that has been active over the past couple of years and has been designed to help the Lebanese military to provide security for the entirety of the country," said Casey. "We intend to give them the kind of help they need to carry out their mission in support of the Lebanese people," he added.
Posted by:Steve White

#5  Is that the same army that made such a determined showing in the recent crisis?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2008-05-15 18:22  

#4  Something's wrong here: this shit started before the Burma debacle, yet we had airplanes full of relief supplies either already on the ground nearby, or sitting on the ramp ready to go, but it takes a week to 'speed up help'to Lebanon???

Exercise Cobra Gold is happening in Thailand. An adjunct to that is humanitarian work in the host and surrounding countries. Meaning some supplies were already positioned.

Additionally, pallets of disaster-relief supplies, etc, are already paid for, pre-positioned and easier to arrange and transport.

It's a bit different, and more complicated, for military aid. You don't need End User certificates for, and have Congressional oversight on, mosquito netting for example.
Posted by: Pappy   2008-05-15 15:29  

#3  Something's wrong here: this shit started before the Burma debacle, yet we had airplanes full of relief supplies either already on the ground nearby, or sitting on the ramp ready to go, but it takes a week to 'speed up help'to Lebanon???
especially in an area that we have a much more vested interest?
Posted by: USN, Ret.   2008-05-15 14:06  

#2  There's still a debt that needs to be paid by Hezbollah (Jihad Organization) for the 1983 Marine barracks bombing. The piper has not been paid.
Posted by: JohnQC   2008-05-15 13:13  

#1  Of course, no one has thought [cough] of military assistance from the best of the Iraqi Army [battle tested and competent] helping their brethren in Lebanon. That would send a message from Baghdad to Tehran and Damascus.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2008-05-15 10:21  

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