Lebanon: transfer of authority from the Reserve Force Commander

The ceremony of transfer of authority from the Force Commander Reserve (FCR) was held on Dayr Kifa camp in Lebanon September 24, 2012.

Colonel Eric Peltier, commanding officer of the 1st Hussars paratroopers succeeded Colonel Philip Francis, commanding officer of the regiment of Chad.

Chaired by the Italian General Paolo Serra, head of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the ceremony was marked by the presence of numerous civil and military authorities, including several representatives of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).

During six months the mandate of DAMAN XVII participated in the preservation of stability in southern Lebanon and the strengthening of cooperation with the LAF achieving nearly 600 patrols a total of 368 000 kilometers. In addition, 16 joint training exercises with the FAL reflect the intensity of bilateral cooperation.

RCF has also helped launch twenty projects of civil-military cooperation and achieved nearly thirty civil-military activities in favor of several villages in southern Lebanon.Directly under the orders of the commanding general of UNIFIL, the FCR is the element of emergency response force. Based in Dayr Kifa, it is able to respond on short notice (less than three hours) throughout southern Lebanon, through 1701.