Another intense five-day training has taken place between the Force Commander’s Reserve (FCR) and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) 5th Brigade, from 1 to 5 August in South Lebanon.

This isn’t the first time FCR’s French peacekeepers and LAF soldiers join forces to conduct highly coordinated and mutually beneficial tactical training exercises. In 2021 alone FCR and LAF carried out 50 such joint trainings.

The key reason for these joint exercises is to strengthen interoperability and mutual understanding of one another. At the same time, going through these rigorous “real world” scenarios keeps both FCR and LAF agile, focused and prepared.

The five-day training focused on tactical, technical and physical aspects urban combat readiness, as well as medical evacuation scenarios. One LAF soldier and one FCR peacekeeper team up as a “binome”, the French term for a two-man team. There are also trionomes (three-man team) and larger groups that train side by side in real world scenarios to hone their techniques, tactical maneuvers and, most importantly, their seamless cooperation. This time the Lebanese Armed Forces provided one of their bases and its infrastructure as the training site.

“Our cooperation with the LAF is very productive. We are strengthening our mutual respect and understanding of one another. This is also an opportunity for us to train in a new environment”, said FCR Commander Colonel Henri Leinekugel Le Cocq after the 5-day training concluded.

FCR is UNIFIL’s quick reaction force and the only peacekeeping component of the mission authorized access to UNIFIL’s entire area of operations. One of FCR’s main operational activities has been, and continues to be, the close coordination and work with the Lebanese Armed Forces. Joint trainings such as this one are meant to enhance the cooperation and synergy between the two forces.