UK Chief of the Defense Staff Concludes Farewell Visit to Lebanon

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British Chief of the Defense Staff General Sir Nicholas Houghton ended a two-day official visit to Lebanon on Thursday, the British Embassy said in a statement.

Houghton met with Lebanese Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji and senior army officers and later departed Lebanon on a Royal Air Force C130 Hercules Aircraft. This was Houghton’s third visit to Lebanon.

In his meeting with Qahwaji, Houghton discussed the challenges facing Lebanon and how the UK is helping to support the Lebanese Armed Forces in “their efforts to maintain stability and security across Lebanon,” the Embassy said.

They discussed and reiterated “a shared intention to increase the current high level of engagement between their two Armed Forces.”

“The UK and Lebanon share a longstanding Defense relationship. In my meetings with General Qahwaji, I reaffirmed the UK’s continued support for a secure, stable and prosperous Lebanon,” Houghton said.

“Lebanon is a partner in the Global Coalition to defeat Daesh (Islamic State group) and is on the frontline of the crisis in Syria. Our support to the Lebanese army enables them to build their capabilities, strengthen the country’s borders and protect the Lebanese people,” he added.

The British general also noted that the UK “aims to have trained over 11,000 Lebanese soldiers in the specialist techniques of urban counterterrorism by 2019.”

The Chief of Defense Staff is the UK’s most senior serving officer in the Armed Forces. Houghton took up his position on 18 July 2013.

Since 2012, the UK has been delivering a £34 million program to “train and equip” three Land Border Regiments of the Lebanese Army, according to the Embassy.

Comments 1
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