2005 press releases

U.S. Coast Guard Mobile Training Team Completes IMET Courses at Jounieh and Beirut Naval Bases

May 24, 2005

The United States Coast Guard concluded two weeks of Engineering Management and Logistics training and Maritime Motor Maintenance training with members of the Lebanese Armed Forces. The U.S. team trained with fifty officers, sailors, and soldiers from Lebanon. The Engineering Management and Logistics training took place at the Lebanese Naval Base in Jounieh while the Maritime Motor Maintenance course was conducted at the Beirut Naval Base. These courses focused on expanding the Lebanese Armed Forces maritime operational readiness in order to maximize the United States and Lebanon’s joined efforts against terrorism and trafficking of narcotics and other contraband.

These two training courses are just a small part of the Office of Defense Cooperation’s International Military Education and Training (IMET) Program, which is a no-cost program that provides military and security training of over 700,000 USD annually to the government of Lebanon both here and in the United States. These courses are just two of the many international courses offered by the United States Coast Guard’s International Training Division. In addition to managing IMET, the Office of Defense Cooperation also assists the Lebanese Armed Forces with programs in Foreign Military Sales, Counter-Terrorism, Humanitarian Mine Action, and Humanitarian Assistance.