The Lebanese Army Commander in Chief General Joseph Aoun, visited this morning the NCO School in Muhammad Makki Barracks – Baalbek, where he met the third-year cadets, in the presence of their trainers and a number of officers. He visited its departments and training facilities, and attended a maneuver aimed at promoting teamwork within the team and the spirit of cooperation. He was briefed on the training process and the teaching methods, including suggestions for developing programs, curricula, and approved evaluation criteria.
General Aoun addressed the cadets with a speech in which he said: “This year witnesses the graduation of male and female officers from various combat military specializations for the first time in the history of the army, and this is the best evidence of the high competence that characterizes women, who have proven their worth and have won great confidence and respect.” He added: “A few days separate you from your graduation to join your service posts in the military units spread all over the Lebanese territory after two years of work, perseverance and training. We know the magnitude of the challenges you faced under the harsh conditions and the economic crisis we are going through, but despite that, you proved your worth and excellence facing all these circumstances.”
He resumed: “The military institution will benefit from all the knowledge you acquired during the education stage and from the strong spirit of leadership and responsibility that was instilled in you, especially after the curricula were developed to suit the requirements of modern military action. I have great confidence in you. All you have to do is be up to the responsibility that falls on your shoulders and the trust that you have been given. You have the duty to preserve the institution and its continuity, and the homeland and its immunity.”
After that, the Army Commander visited the 4th Land Border Regiment and toured a number of its outposts spread on the eastern borders, starting from the regiment’s logistic base outpost in Jourat Al-Qala’a – Jurd Arsal, all the way to the Eagle’s Nest Outpost (Aauch Al Nisr), which is the highest military outpost in the Middle East, in the presence of the regiment commander and a number of officers.
General Aoun congratulated the officers and soldiers on the occasion of the blessed Eid Al-Adha, praising the great sacrifices offered by the regiment deployed along 86 kilometers of the border with Syria. He said: “Your presence in this region is a component of Lebanon’s security and stability, and your duties are to protect your homeland, no matter how severe the circumstances and the increased challenges. Our motto is honor, sacrifice and loyalty, and we work according to it and apply it because we believe in our country, which is currently going through a difficult crisis and delicate circumstances. However, we are confident in our ability to overcome it”.
General Aoun saluted the steadfastness of the regiment’s soldiers on the borders, praising their ability to withstand and bear responsibility, and said: “Without you, there would be no officials, no citizen going to work, no institutions, no hospitals, no tourism, but rather the law of the jungle will prevail. Thanks to your efforts and sacrifices, the Baalbek and Beiteddine festivals are back”. Emphasizing the belief of the Lebanese people in their army, he said: “You are the main pillar of this country, and today it needs you. Be up to the responsibility despite the difficulty of what you are going through, and the danger of your deployment in arid and mountainous terrain. With your presence here you promote life and strong spirit and spread peace among the people, and you work to protect the borders. You prevent smuggling of all kinds, and pursue contraband and human smugglers.”
The Army Commander informed the military that Army Command realizes the depth of the suffering they are going through, following up on their conditions and functions with every effort to alleviate hardship, especially in the winter when temperatures drop to the lowest level and snow surrounds the outposts, noting that the Command, despite its modest capabilities, will work to improve their conditions through aid donations provided by countries friends of Lebanon, which we announce, declaring its spending mechanism in all transparency through our official channels. He pointed to an improvement in the transfer of military personnel to and from their work posts, after putting buses into service through the transportation plan recently established by the Command.
He concluded by emphasizing that difficult conditions are taking their toll on all Lebanese and in all sectors, but despite the suffering of the army, the soldiers are still making sacrifices to carry out the tasks entrusted to them with honesty and sincerity, stressing that the military institution will not fail in upholding its responsibilities, whatever the circumstances and challenges.
A part from his word.
Source: Lebanese Army Command