BEIRUT: When the Choctaw County, a fast transport ship, pulled into Beirut on Sept. 21 for the first-ever US Navy port visit to Lebanon, the messaging from the Navy was all about improving the military-to-military relations between the two countries. But for analysts watching the situation in Lebanon closely, the timing signals more than just military friendliness. Coming in the middle of unprecedented economic and political pressures facing Beirut, analysts say the arrival of the ship is also a signal of support for the flailing Lebanese government and particularly its military. Officially, the visit is about “ushering in a new era of strengthening and expanding capacity building across the region,” as Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of NAVCENT, US 5th Fleet, and combined Maritime Forces, said in a statement. A statement from the American embassy added that the port visit comes alongside “subject matter expert exchanges between the LAF Navy and NAVCENT personnel c
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