The Republican Guard Brigade (), also known as the Presidential Guard Brigade, is a unit of the Land Component of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), attached to the Directorate-General of the Presidency of Lebanon.

Insignia

The insignia of the Presidential Guard Brigade consists of: # The Lebanese flag in the form of a

shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry like spears or long ranged projectiles suc ...

. #‌‌ A

wreath A wreath () is an assortment of flowers, leaves, fruits, twigs, or various materials that is constructed to form a ring shape. In English-speaking countries, wreaths are used typically as household ornaments, most commonly as an Advent and C ...

composed of two fronds of laurel and

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

leaves. #‌‌ Two crossed swords. # # The background of the insignia is a shield colored

navy blue Navy blue is a dark shade of the color blue. Navy blue got its name from the dark blue (contrasted with naval white) worn by officers in the Royal Navy since 1748 and subsequently adopted by other navies around the world. When this color name, ...

. ‌The

Coat of arms of Lebanon Lebanon never officially adopted a coat of arms or emblem. However, various unofficial coats of arms have been used since the proclamation of independence on 7 December 1943. The main variant consists of a red shield with a white bend (heraldry) ...

is in the middle of the insignia, the two swords in its background, the wreath surrounding it. above it are inscribed the words "Republican Guard".

Structure and organization

The brigade comprises a 1st

Battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...

, 2nd

, a Support

, and a Logistics

. The brigade was established on May 14, 1984, and was stationed in Baabda. Up until 1949, the Lebanese Republican Guard Brigade was called the Dragon brigade. The commander in 2005 was Brigadier General Mustafa Hamdan, who was accused of complicity in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister

Rafik Hariri Rafic Bahaa El Deen al-Hariri (; 1 November 1944 – 14 February 2005) was a Lebanese businessman and politician who served as prime minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 to 2004. Hariri headed five cabinets during his tenu ...

in February 2005 and later released from prison without being cleared as innocent along with three other generals in April 2009. When President Lahoud stepped down at the end of his office, the brigade was reattached to the Army General Command.

Role

The brigade's duties include providing escorts not only for the Lebanese President and its family, but also to the Prime-Minister and cabinet members or to foreign visiting heads-of-state, and guards-of-honour at official public acts. They are also entrusted with guarding important public buildings in

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

such as the

Parliament House Parliament House may refer to: Meeting places of parliament Australia * Parliament House, Canberra, Parliament of Australia * Parliament House, Adelaide, Parliament of South Australia * Parliament House, Brisbane, Parliament of Queensland * P ...

Nejmeh Square Nejmeh Square () or Place de l'Étoile is the central square in the Downtown area of Beirut, Lebanon. It is home to the Lebanese Parliament and its complementary buildings, two cathedrals, a museum, and several cafes and restaurants. Most notable ...

and the nearby Grand Serail, an Ottoman-era palatial complex which houses the Prime-Minister and the Council of Ministers' offices, and the

Presidential Palace A presidential palace is the official residence of the president in some countries. Some presidential palaces were once the official residences to monarchs in former monarchies that were preserved during those states' transition into republics. ...

itself.

References

External links

Lebanese Republican Guard official page
Guards regiments Military units and formations of Lebanon Protective security units 1984 establishments in Lebanon Guards of honour {{Lebanon-gov-stub

Insignia

Structure and organization

Role

See also

References

External links