Beirut: Legislatures & the Armed Forces - Defense Security Cooperation University

Between 25-28 April 2016, a Center for Civil Military Relations (CCMR) team delivered a seminar on the topic of “Legislatures & the Armed Forces” for 23 participants (4 civilians, and 19 military officers) from Lebanon, at the Lebanon Armed Forces (LAF) Staff College located in Beirut. The CCMR team was composed of the CCMR Lecturer and Program Manager for “Intelligence and Democracy,” Ms. Cristiana Matei, and Dr. Carolyn Halladay, Senior Lecturer, Department of National Security Affairs. The seminar was conducted with the able and consistently excellent support of the Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC), U.S. Embassy, Beirut. Country Team Beirut requested CCMR to address this subject matter in light of the need for the Lebanese Armed Forces to develop a more constructive relationship with the Parliament in Lebanon. This seminar brought together military officers from the LAF and the Staff College, as well as several members of the Lebanese Parliament (Defense and Security Committee). It was the first time the representatives of the LAF and the legislature participated in this type of seminar, partly because by law, LAF officers are forbidden to engage with politicians in an official capacity (except for PR representatives, or high-level MOD officials).

The seminar was organized to address the following issues using formal briefings followed by open discussions:

• Civil-Military Relations in a Global Context
• Military and Politics as Profession
• Roles of Legislatures in Defense and Security
• Challenges and Opportunities for Executive-Legislative Relations
• Strategic Communications
• Intelligence and Legislatures