Ambassador David Hale

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U.S. donates missiles, launch pads to Lebanese Army

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — The U.S. government delivered a shipment of anti-tank missiles and launch pads to the Lebanese Army on Sunday, in the latest demonstration of support to fight what the U.S. calls a “common enemy.”

The Lebanese Army command announced they received the shipment on Sunday evening, which included an undisclosed number of BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missiles and their launch pads.

First produced in 1970, the TOW is one of the most widely used anti-tank guided missiles. The weapon was spotted as early as April 2014 in at least two videos that surfaced showing Syrian opposition forces in the Syrian Civil War using BGM-71 TOWs.

The Israel Defense Forces also used TOW missiles during the 1982 Lebanon War, when they ambushed Syrian armored forces and destroyed 11 Syrian Soviet-made T-72 tanks.

The Lebanese Army added in its statement that it received an improved version known as BGM-71C, or TOW II, created in 1983 with a range of up to 3.75 kilometers.

The U.S. has donated over $1 billion in aid to the Army over the last decade, but most previous donations had been non-lethal equipment, including armored personnel carriers, light aircraft and communication systems.

In February, a U.S. weapons shipment included over 70 M198 Howitzers as well as 26 million rounds of ammunition including small, medium and heavy artillery rounds.

In January, the U.S. delivered dozens of armored Humvees.

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U.S. announces plan to build $1B embassy in Awkar

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale announced on Wednesday a plan to build a new $1 billion embassy in Awkar, which will give more space to “deepen ties” between the two countries.

“The new facilities, which will be located next door to the current embassy in the town of Awkar, is just one more example of the enduring partnership that exists between the United States and Lebanon,” said Hale during a press conference at the Foreign Ministry.

“It will reflect a continued American commitment to and investment in Lebanon.”

Hale said the design of the facility is being built to be sustainable and eco-friendly, utilizing Lebanon’s “mild Mediterranean climate” to reduce energy consumption.

“Our priority on energy-savings and sustainability will mean that the new embassy will reduce its environmental impact while enhancing the space around it,” he said.

Hale added that the facilities will include water-saving native planting, natural vegetation, and sculpted pre-cast concrete and stone. American and Lebanese art projects will be installed in public green areas.

The new Awkar facility is located next door to the current U.S. operations. (Photo: U.S. Embassy Beirut)
The new Awkar facility is located next door to the current U.S. operations. (Photo: U.S. Embassy Beirut)

This is the second time the U.S. changes its embassy location since the deadly bombings of the U.S. Embassy and Marine barracks in Beirut 30 years ago. The U.S. Embassy, which was located in Ain al-Mreisseh at time time, was hit by a suicide bomb on April 18, 1983, which left 63 people dead.

After the attack, the U.S. relocated its operations to its current location in Awkar, which has multiple layers of security detail.

Hale said the new facility represents a long-lasting American-Lebanese partnership.

“America will be here for years to come to work with the Lebanese people for a secure, stable, prosperous, sovereign, and free Lebanon,” he said.

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President Obama nominates U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon as new envoy to Pakistan

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — President Barack Obama nominated U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale to become the new envoy to Pakistan, according to the Associated Press.

Hale is a career diplomat and longtime Middle East expert who has been based in Lebanon since 2013. He previously served as the Special Envoy for Middle East Peace from 2011 to 2013.

If confirmed by the Senate, Hale will replace outgoing ambassador Richard Olson, who represented U.S. interests and citizens in Islamabad since 2012.

Hale is a native of New Jersey and graduate of Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. He speaks fluent Arabic.

Sources say Hale left Lebanon on Sunday to travel to Washington D.C. to meet with U.S. officials about the Islamabad position.

He has held posts in Jordan, Tunisia, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, where he received several department Superior and Meritorious Honor awards.

Hale became U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon on August 1, 2013, succeeding former ambassador Maura Connelly, who served in Beirut from 2010 to 2013.

The U.S. Embassy in Beirut recently led a $25 million shipment of weapons from the United States to help Lebanon fight extremists along the border with Syria. Hale said the U.S. would continue to help Lebanon “until the job is done.”

It is unclear who would fill his position in Lebanon, if the senate confirms Obama’s nomination.

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U.S. donates $25M worth of military aid to Lebanon

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — The United States donated $25 million worth of weapons and ammunition to the Lebanese Army on Sunday, marking the latest American assistance to Lebanon as it fights extremists along the border with Syria.

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale said the shipment included 70 U.S. made towed field artillery M198 Howitzers and 26 million rounds of ammunition.

“Recent attacks against Lebanon’s Army only strengthen America’s resolve to stand in solidarity with the people of Lebanon to confront these threats,” a statement by the U.S. Embassy said.

Lebanon is fifth largest recipient of U.S. foreign military funding for 2014, according to Hale. He added that $100 million were given to Lebanon last year and over a $1 billion worth since 2006.

The latest military donation to Lebanon comes just one month after the U.S. delivered dozens of armored Humvees to the Lebanese Army. (Photo © U.S. Embassy Beirut)
The latest military donation to Lebanon comes just one month after the U.S. delivered dozens of armored Humvees to the Lebanese Army. (Photo © U.S. Embassy Beirut)

“We are fighting the same enemy, so our support for you has been swift and continuous,” Hale said from Beirut’s port. “We are very proud of this and this is top-of-the-line equipment. This is the best that there is in the marketplace. It’s what our soldiers use.”

Lebanese and American officials attended a handover ceremony Sunday at Beirut’s port, including Lebanese Brigadier General Manuel Kerejian, who oversaw the delivery alongside Hale.

Hale says U.S. help to Lebanon will continue “until the job is done.”

“I know that in a matter of days it’s going to be what your brave soldiers are using in the battle to defeat terrorism and extremism that is pouring across the border from Syria.”

This is the latest aid promised to Lebanon. In November, France and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement for Paris to provide the Lebanese army with $3 billion worth of weapons, but those weapons are not expected to arrive until April.

VIDEO: Lebanon gets massive weapons shipment from the United States:

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United States donates $41.2M to Lebanese public schools

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — United States Ambassador David Hale announced a $41.2 million to Lebanese public schools on Nov.5, which will be used to launch the “Improved Basic Education Services Program (IBESP)” in the country.

Hale and Lebanese Minister of Education Elias Bou Saab announced the contribution at the Daroun Mixed Intermediate Public School in Keserwan, which has been renovated by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Hale says USAID will provide the funding for this new project, which will reportedly “(strengthen) classroom instruction, community engagement, and Screen Shot 2014-11-11 at 5.31.10 PMeducation management.”

According to the Lebanese National News Agency, nearly two-thirds of students in Lebanon attend private school, which creates a “quality gap” between citizens who can’t afford private school tuition.

The new U.S.-funded program seeks to “close the gap” by focusing on three specific tasks, including an emphasis on “reading skills,” providing “expanded” access for vulnerable children, and “managing education monitoring” systems in public classrooms.

“Over the past 10 years, America has invested more than $150 million in education to help this latest generation of Lebanese,” Hale said. “These initiatives are a testament to our joint belief in education, our cooperative and enduring relationship, and the resilience of your commitment to education in the face of political, economic, and security challenges.”

IBESP will reportedly be implemented by World Learning in partnership with Management Systems International, Ana Aqra’, and AMIDEAST. USAID will work closely with the Lebanese Ministry of Education and Higher Education and the Center for Educational Research and Development to ensure progress is “institutionalized” and “sustainable,” according to the National News Agency.

“We believe that Lebanese children will excel even more when they are better prepared with the basics, like reading, when they see their school as a sanctuary for learning, and when their communities actively participate in the process,” Hale said.

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United States donates vehicles to Lebanese police

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — United States Ambassador David Hale announced the delivery of 38 vehicles to Lebanon police on Friday, including 23 prison vans to the Internal Security Forces, in hopes to ease overcrowding in Lebanese prisons.

Hale held a ceremony at the police barracks in Dbayeh to mark the delivery of 38 new vehicles in total.349001_img650x420_img650x420_crop

“The vehicles delivered today, valued at $1.6 million, include 23 prisoner transport vehicles that will allow the ISF to increase the number of prisoners that can be escorted to courts for hearings,” Hale said. “This will alleviate prison overcrowding by addressing a key factor in the backlog of court cases and facilitating an important part of the judicial process.”

Hale said the other vehicles, which include five Dodge Ram pickup trucks, 23 Ford prisoner vans, and 10 Ford Explorers, is immediately available for police use.

An embassy statement said the U.S. government would provide the Internal Security Forces with over $20 million worth of equipment, specialized training and infrastructure support over the next 12 months.

Hale called the Internal Security Forces a “key pillar of public security in Lebanon.”

Since 2008, the United States has provided over $140 million to the ISF.

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 Lifestyle

Ambassador David Hale: Bridging cultures brings stability

ambassador-david-hale-speaking(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — On September 4, American Ambassador David Hale inaugurated the Art in Embassies exhibit in his residence at the U.S. Embassy. Speaking to a diverse audience that included cultural, political, educational and economic leaders, Ambassador Hale underscored the power of art in strengthening cultural understanding, and highlighted the Embassy’s cultural exchange work.

“In this exhibit we see common themes and revelations in the works of the Lebanese and the Americans. But we also see how the artists themselves can be the bridge of mutual understanding. By having a foot – or paint brush – in both worlds, they become the bridge that we use to understand and accept each other,” Hale said. “Generations of Lebanese immigrants and their children have influenced America. In the art world, two of the most well-known are Nabil Kanso and Sam Maloof.”

The Art in Embassies program encourages cross-cultural dialogue through the visual arts and artist exchanges. The residence currently hosts eleven pieces of art from Lebanese, American, and Lebanese-American artists, and emphasizes bridging culture as its theme.

“(The exhibit) is a metaphor for the bridging of cultures that promote mutual understanding,” Hale said. “And from that understanding comes acceptance, and from acceptance, tolerance. And from tolerance, stability.”

Art in Embassies is a public-private partnership provided by the U.S. Department of State engaging more than 20,000 participants globally, including artists, museums, galleries, universities, and private collectors, and encompasses more than 200 venues in 189 countries. Professional curators and registrars create and ship about 60 exhibitions per year, and since 2000, more than 58 permanent collections have been installed in the Department’s diplomatic facilities throughout the world.

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U.S. program honors Lebanese students

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(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — The Lebanese State Alumni Community, an association for U.S. State Department program participants, honored new alumni during an annual reception Monday, at Padova Hotel in Sin al-Fil.

U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon, David Hale, recognized and thanked Lebanese alumni of U.S. government-funded educational and cultural programs at the event.

“All of you in this room were selected for these programs because of the leadership you show in your field,” Hale said. “We knew you would carry the experience back home, to share with others, upon completion of your program.”

Ambassador Hale also addressed the 150 attendees as “individuals who have made a difference in Lebanon and who continue to prove me correct whenever I talk about the long standing and strong partnership that exists between the United States and Lebanon,” he said.

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Lebanese-American congressman pledges support for Lebanese Army

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — United States Republican Congressman Darrell Issa held meetings with top Lebanese officials Monday and Tuesday, in a brief visit to discuss U.S. support for the Lebanese state and Army, a U.S. embassy statement said.

Along with the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon David Hale, Issa met with former President Michel Sleiman, Prime Minister Tammam Salam, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

Following his meeting with Prime Minister Salam, Congressman Issa highlighted that the United States was “dedicated to ensuring that the Lebanese Armed Forces has all the tools it needs in order to preserve the sovereignty and independence of Lebanon.”

He affirmed continued U.S. support for Lebanon’s security institutions, and coordination with regional allies to meet the training and equipment needs of Lebanon’s security services.

The National News Agency had reported Tuesday that Issa also met with March 14 officials at the group’s headquarters in Beirut’s Ashrafieh neighborhood.

NNA said the talks focused on political and security developments in Lebanon and the region. In addition to Issa and Ambassador Hale, the agency stated that March 14’s General Secretariat Fares Soueid, MP Marwan Hamade and MP Nadim Gemayel attended the meetings.

Issa chairs the powerful U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government. The congressman, who is of Lebanese descent, has been active in Middle Eastern affairs and arrived in Lebanon after a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo Sunday.

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United States to deliver aid to Lebanese army

(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — The United States will deliver aid to the Lebanese Army, said Ambassador David Hale on Thursday.

ambassador-david-hale“The United States has always stood in support of Lebanon’s security and stability. We agree with Lebanon’s leaders that the state, through the LAF, must be capable of safeguarding Lebanon from the potential acts of terror and violence these groups bring,” Hale said.

Hale said the coming deliveries would include weapons and ammunition.

“U.S. military assistance will begin arriving in the next few weeks and will continue in the months to follow. This assistance will enhance the Lebanese Army’s ability to secure Lebanon’s borders, protect Lebanon’s people and fight extremist groups.”

Hale said the U.S. had donated $1 billion to the Lebanese Army since 2006.

“We continue to stand with Lebanon and the Lebanese Army and Internal Security Forces as they protect Lebanon from the spillover of violence from Syria,” he said.

Hale’s pledge comes two days after United Kingdom Ambassador Tom Fletcher met with Salam and Army General Jean Kahwaji to make a similar commitment.

Lebanon has faced the worst spillover from the Syrian civil war yet, which killed at least 19 soldiers, 60 militants, and more than 15 civilians.

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