The U.S. Congress is nearing final approval of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal years 2025–2026, an $886-billion defense package that will shape American military and security policy over the coming year. House Speaker Mike Johnson said the bill advances President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers’ “peace through strength” agenda, ends what he called “woke ideology” in the Pentagon, secures the southern border, and boosts the U.S. defense industrial base. He noted that the legislation was finalized after weeks of internal Republican debate and will be brought to a House vote in the coming days.

While public debate in Washington has focused heavily on the bill’s record cost, partisan battles, and implications for Ukraine and Israel assistance, its provisions concerning Lebanon quietly map out the trajectory of a country caught between regional conflicts and deep internal crisis.

For Beirut, the NDAA represents both an opportunity and a profound challenge; one that will test the Lebanese state’s resilience, its ability to reform, and its capacity to navigate intensifying geopolitical polarization. At the heart of the Lebanon-related measures is the continuation of U.S. security assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), long viewed in Washington as a critical counterweight to extremism and Iranian influence. The LAF relies heavily on American funding, equipment, and training to sustain operations, and this year’s NDAA expands that support, reflecting a rare bipartisan consensus that a capable Lebanese military is essential to regional stability.

“Without U.S. military assistance, the LAF’s ability to operate would be in serious jeopardy,” a former U.S. military official told Nidaa Al-Watan. “Lebanon’s economic crisis means it cannot even cover the institution’s basic needs.”

Yet the bill also reflects growing anxiety in Congress over the LAF’s posture toward Hezbollah.

“Support for the LAF is no longer a blank check,” said a congressional aide involved in drafting the legislation. “The message is clear: U.S. assistance is not unconditional. If evidence emerges of LAF cooperation with Hezbollah, or of aid being diverted, funding could be paused or cut.”

The NDAA therefore tightens oversight and conditions on aid, requiring the State and Defense Departments to certify that the LAF is not coordinating with Hezbollah and is making measurable progress on border security, weapons control, and human-rights compliance.

These conditions underscore Washington’s frustration with Lebanon’s slow pace of sovereignty-building and the continued entrenchment of Hezbollah’s parallel military structure.

“Congress’s message is clear: U.S. support hinges on real action, not promises,” an American diplomatic source said. “There is a sense that the status quo, where U.S. aid props up the LAF while Hezbollah operates freely, is no longer tenable.”

According to one American expert, Congress is “leveraging its influence to push for more than just military improvement. There is a clear expectation that security assistance be tied to broader governance reforms.”

Beyond funding specifics, the NDAA sends an unmistakable strategic signal: Washington is intent on countering Hezbollah’s influence and, by extension, limiting Iran’s regional footprint. The message comes amid escalating tensions along Lebanon’s southern border, where daily exchanges of fire have heightened fears of a broader conflict.

By explicitly linking aid to non-cooperation with Hezbollah, Congress aims to reshape Lebanon’s security environment, though U.S. military officials admit the LAF’s ability to confront the group is limited. Even so, one American diplomatic source said the provisions serve as a statement of intent, reassuring Israel and warning Tehran that any further erosion of Lebanese sovereignty “will not go unchallenged.”

The NDAA also reiterates U.S. support for Lebanon’s political and economic reforms, acknowledging that no level of military assistance can compensate for collapsing governance, rampant corruption, and economic freefall. A U.S. diplomat noted that while the bill “encourages the United States to work with international partners to provide humanitarian relief,” it also carries an implicit warning: aid could be suspended, and sanctions expanded, if Lebanese officials obstruct reform or allow corruption to persist.

For Lebanon, this conditionality cuts both ways. Continued American commitment offers a measure of stability and international legitimacy that could unlock broader global support. But the possibility of aid suspensions or new sanctions adds another layer of uncertainty to a paralysed and fragmented political system.

 

 

Key Lebanon-Related Provisions of the 2025–2026 NDAA

Funding and Authorization

• Allocates $15 million to the “Train and Equip Fund” for Lebanon to counter ISIS, alongside larger allocations for Iraq and Syria, thus signaling continued, though modest, investment in the LAF’s counter-ISIS role.

• Extends U.S. authorities to support the LAF through December 31, 2026, specifying that assistance must be used to strengthen the LAF’s capacity to counter Hezbollah and other terrorist threats.

Strengthening the Security Partnership

• Directs the U.S. Defense Secretary to use existing authorities to provide training, equipment, logistics, supplies, and services to Jordan and Lebanon.

• Makes Hezbollah’s disarmament an explicit strategic objective, stating that LAF assistance aims to enhance the military’s ability “to disarm the Iranian-backed terrorist organization Hezbollah.”

• Requires the Pentagon to submit a detailed implementation plan by June 30, 2026, outlining capability gaps to be addressed and specifying which LAF units will receive support.

Conditions and Benchmarks

• Requires a “metric to assess the LAF’s progress in disarming Hezbollah,” setting measurable benchmarks rather than open-ended support.

• Calls for options to suspend assistance if the LAF is deemed “unwilling” to take steps toward Hezbollah’s disarmament, directly tying future aid to political and operational behavior.

Strategic Framework

• Categorizes Lebanon under the “security partnership” framework, placing it among key states in the U.S. regional strategy targeting Iran and ISIS.

• Integrates Lebanon into a Middle East subsection covering Iranian proxies, counter-ISIS operations, and training of Syrian forces, positioning LAF support within a larger regional confrontation rather than a purely domestic stabilization effort.