General Michel Sleiman took command of the Lebanese Armed Forces on December 21st 1998. He was born on November 21st 1948 in the town of Amchit - Caza of Jbeil.
He graduated from the Military Academy as 2nd Lieutenant 1970. General Sleiman holds a Bachelor of Arts in Politic and Administrative Sciences from the Lebanese University.
During his military service, he progressed from an infantry Platoon Leader to a Battalion Commander, and then assumed the position of a trainer in the Military Academy and in the Non Commissioned Officers’ School. From December 4th 1990 until August 24th 1991 he was appointed as the Chief of the Intelligence Branch of Mount Lebanon. On August 25th 1991 he was reassigned to the post of the Army Staff Secretary-General until June 10th 1993. Then, he became the Commander of the 11th infantry brigade from June 6th 1993 until January 15th 1996, a period that witnessed violent confrontations with Israeli enemy on the front side of the regions of West Bekaa and South Lebanon. On January 15th 1996 he was appointed as Commander of the 6th infantry brigade and remained in this post until December 21st 1998 when he was nominated as the Armed Forces Commander.
Accomplishments — Protected mass anti-Syria demonstrations and counter-protests; squashed sectarian violence; deployed army in Hezbollah strongholds of southern Lebanon for first time in decades; crushed rebellion by Islamic extremists in northern Lebanon.
He is the 12th and current commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). He succeeded Emile Lahoud after he was elected as the President of Lebanon.
While serving in the Lebanese army, President Michel Suleiman has won the following medals.
* National Order of the Cedar, knight grade and grand cordon grade - Lebanese Order of Merit, 3rd, 2nd and 1st grades - Decoration of Military Pride, silver grade - Medal of War - Decoration of Military Valor, silver grade - Decoration of the National Unity - Decoration of the Dawn of the South - Syrian Order of Merit, Grade of Excellence - Certificate of Honor of the Arab Union - Decoration of Arab Union for Military Sports, 2nd degree (commander) - President of Ukrainian Republic. The Defense ministry of the Republic of Russian Federation in 2007
* Military Medal - Internal Security forces’ Medal - General Security Medal - State security Medal - Commemorative Medal of Conferences for the year 2002.
* Citations of the Armed Forces Commander, 4 times - Felicitations of the Armed Forces Commander, 18 times - Felicitations of the Brigade Commander, once.
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