Pentagon may send aid to Lebanon
By GORDON LUBOLD
The Pentagon may send more than $10 million in spare parts to Lebanon to help pay for the country’s armed forces to put things back together sometime after the current crisis begins to settle down.
The shipment of spare parts for things such as armored personnel carriers, helicopters and other machinery comes under a new funding authority called “1206” in which the Defense Department can send money to countries to help them fight the war on terrorism, said Bryan Whitman, chief spokesman for the Pentagon. The funding for spare parts for Lebanon was part of a package of $200 million for a variety of countries, of which Lebanon was just one.
The funding authority went to Congress within the last week but was already envisioned for Lebanon. The current crisis between Israel and Hezbollah, the radical Islamic group that holds much of the power in southern Lebanon, however, makes the funding all the more relevant.
“It’s a fairly modest amount of assistance if you look at it monetarily, to help the Lebanese armed forces improve their capability,” Whitman said.
The shipments are dependant upon the situation on the ground in Lebanon, Whitman said. “The conditions in Lebanon obviously have to change.”
He was not clear as to when that determination would be made.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is nearly a month old. It began after the Islamic group kidnapped two Israeli soldiers and Israel responded with rocket attacks into southern Lebanon.
But the new funding authority is not limited to Lebanon. It permits the Pentagon to spend a portion of its budget helping other countries to fight terrorism within their borders. A country might spend the money to tighten their borders, or to hunt down known terrorists.
“1206 funding is allowing the department to work with countries other than Iraq and Afghanistan, and to build partnership capability and internal capability within these countries to assist them to fight the global war on terror,” Whitman said.
Some of the other countries that may receive the special funding include Pakistan, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. Pakistan, for example, could get as much as $27 million under the funding authority.
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=2002084&C=america
By GORDON LUBOLD
The Pentagon may send more than $10 million in spare parts to Lebanon to help pay for the country’s armed forces to put things back together sometime after the current crisis begins to settle down.
The shipment of spare parts for things such as armored personnel carriers, helicopters and other machinery comes under a new funding authority called “1206” in which the Defense Department can send money to countries to help them fight the war on terrorism, said Bryan Whitman, chief spokesman for the Pentagon. The funding for spare parts for Lebanon was part of a package of $200 million for a variety of countries, of which Lebanon was just one.
The funding authority went to Congress within the last week but was already envisioned for Lebanon. The current crisis between Israel and Hezbollah, the radical Islamic group that holds much of the power in southern Lebanon, however, makes the funding all the more relevant.
“It’s a fairly modest amount of assistance if you look at it monetarily, to help the Lebanese armed forces improve their capability,” Whitman said.
The shipments are dependant upon the situation on the ground in Lebanon, Whitman said. “The conditions in Lebanon obviously have to change.”
He was not clear as to when that determination would be made.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is nearly a month old. It began after the Islamic group kidnapped two Israeli soldiers and Israel responded with rocket attacks into southern Lebanon.
But the new funding authority is not limited to Lebanon. It permits the Pentagon to spend a portion of its budget helping other countries to fight terrorism within their borders. A country might spend the money to tighten their borders, or to hunt down known terrorists.
“1206 funding is allowing the department to work with countries other than Iraq and Afghanistan, and to build partnership capability and internal capability within these countries to assist them to fight the global war on terror,” Whitman said.
Some of the other countries that may receive the special funding include Pakistan, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. Pakistan, for example, could get as much as $27 million under the funding authority.
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=2002084&C=america
