The historical economic collapse affects various Lebanese sectors, including the military institutions, which were pushed by emergency conditions to the depths of the crisis, in a country that is on the brink of collapse by threatening the social, food and health safety net.

However, the dangers that await the army and other security institutions are exceptional, according to many, especially as they constitute one of the last pillars of the state’s existence, and enjoy the support of most Lebanese who have been divided by political divisions.

Perhaps the holding of a virtual international conference to support the army, at the invitation of France and the participation of the International Support Group for Lebanon, which includes the most prominent countries of the European Union, America, China, Russia and a number of Arab countries, on Thursday, June 17, 2021, was evidence of the depth of the security crisis.

This prompted the commander of the Lebanese army, Joseph Aoun, to warn that the continued deterioration of the economic and financial situation, and the failure to take measures to address it, will inevitably lead to the collapse of institutions, including the military, and thus Lebanon will be exposed to security.

The nature of the crisis

The number of security and military forces is 120,000, and is divided as follows: 80,000 in the army, 28,000 in internal security, 8,000 in public security, and 4,000 in state security, according to international information figures.

The information also showed the value of salaries for the military, including soldiers, lieutenants, assistants, officers and brigadiers, which range - according to their rank - between one million pounds (800 dollars according to the official exchange rate, equivalent to about 70 dollars after the collapse of the lira) and 7 million pounds (4,000 dollars according to the exchange rate). official, and is currently equivalent to about 450 dollars).

While the number of military personnel is large in relation to the small size of Lebanon and its population (about 4 million people), the repercussions of the economic crisis have been reflected on the military and security forces, who make up the largest proportion of the public sector employees in the state, and their purchasing power has deteriorated in parallel with the loss of the lira more than 90% of Its value, after the dollar on the black market crossed the threshold of 15,000.

Therefore, retired Brigadier General George Nader describes the situation of the military very badly, after their ability to focus intensely on the security tasks entrusted to them was shaken, because their minds are preoccupied with how to support their families - tens of thousands - who are suffering under the weight of a suffocating economic crisis and a scarcity of basic materials. .

Nader considers that the international conference called by France expressed a willingness to support the army, after submitting a list of the military's needs, including ammunition, maintenance of equipment, medicine and food, in order to complement the training aid that the army receives from America and some Western countries.

The brigadier general warns of the downfall of the military institution, if it does not have the necessary support against the cliff of collapse.

The army during a military parade (networking sites)

Military and buy time وشراء

Politically, observers put forward hypotheses about the intense international interest in the military establishment, including: the reluctance to deal with the political class that is drowning in its differences, after more than 8 months did not lead to an agreement to form a government headed by Saad Hariri, who was assigned in October 2020 to support of the French initiative.

General Joseph Aoun visited France to meet President Emmanuel Macron last month, in a remarkable step, in addition to the clear American support for the military establishment, as the commander of the US Central Command Frank McKenzie previously said that his country is committed to supporting the Lebanese army, as "it should remain the only expression On the military power of the state in Lebanon.

Here, writer and political analyst Rosanna Boumansef explains Western interest in the military, based on several considerations:

  • First, the Americans and some European countries, such as Italy and France, have forces operating in the south, and they are interested in fortifying the strength of the military establishment to support them.

  • Second, because Lebanon constitutes an important center for Europe, specifically France, after the events of the Arab Spring and the change of the map of alliances and settlements in the region.

  • Third, the interest in the army comes because it was - along with the banks and the judiciary - one of the pillars of the state, but the manifestations of the collapse affect all of them in turn.

  • Fourth, because the shake-up of the institution will affect the stability that threatens not only Lebanon, but also affects the entire region, especially with the presence of hundreds of thousands of displaced Syrians and Palestinians on Lebanese soil, which prompts the international community to place its weight on the army as an officer of security inside and outside the camps.

Therefore, the political analyst believes that the international interest in the army, specifically by France, whose initiative has been lost and is seeking to influence Lebanon with European and American support, is part of the process of "buying time", waiting for the horizon to crystallize politically, whether by forming a government or another formula.

Military and civilians

The interest in security - according to the researcher and academic at the American University of Beirut Nasser Yassin - parallels the international interest in humanitarian aid to civilians, through international non-governmental organizations.

The researcher considers - in a statement to Al Jazeera Net - that this aid, despite its importance, will not be enough to launch a real wheel to rescue, and does not negate the need for a serious long-term reform plan, to put Lebanon on the path of negotiation with the IMF, and other bodies capable of providing serious and deep support after The crisis has reached its climax.

Yassin said that the in-kind and urgent aid may slow the collapse and postpone the big crash, while the challenge is time, because the collapse continues at light speed in various public and private sectors.

Yassin finds that the current crisis has revealed the negative repercussions of not restructuring the public sector, both civil and military, which needs serious reform, as Lebanon incurs millions of dollars annually to spend the state on the benefits granted to its employees and huge compensation at the end of service, and it is mentioned that Lebanon has the highest percentage of mayors (at 800 Deans) compared to the countries of the world, and links it to the lack of modern management of state institutions "which were dominated by the logic of utilitarian investments."