1-Joseph’s Childhood and Domestic Life
Joseph Aoun was born on January 10, 1964 in the Sin el-Fil suburb east of Beirut in the Matn district. Joseph was into a Maronite family, his mother lived to see her son become the Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, but his father passed away before his rise to glory. Joseph now has a family of his own, as he is married to Nehmat Nehmeh and together they have two children named Khalil and Nour.
2-Early Ambitions
Since childhood Joseph wanted to work in the military so he joined the military at the young age of 19. However, his skills go beyond military training since he is fluent in English, French as well as his native language Arabic. Moreover, Joseph earned a degree in Political Science with a concentration in International Affairs and a degree in Military Science.
3-Military Training Timeline
Throughout his career, Joseph underwent a lot of military training and his hard work led him to hold many military posts.In 1983, Joseph volunteered for the Lebanese army participating in many military courses. In 1986, he started he started training to become an officer and a year later he started to train in military diving courses. In 1996, he started a course to become a military commander. He also did many courses abroad, for instance he did two infantry courses in the US in the year 1988 and 1995, respectively. He then underwent commando training in Syria in 1996. Between October 1, 2002 and April 3, 2003 he went to Syria to train to become a battalion commander. In 2008, he went to the US to undergo counterterrorism training. Finally, he did intelligence and counterterrorism training in Lebanon in 2013.
4-Hard Work Rather Than Connections
Joseph’s hard work and determination allowed him to rise up Lebanon’s military ladder.
In 1985, he became a Second Lieutenant; he was then promoted to First Lieutenant in 1988.
In 1993, he became a Captain and then a major in 1998. In 2003, he was a Lieutenant Colonel and by 2007 he became a Colonel, he was then promoted to Brigadier General in 2013.On March 8, 2017 Lebanon’s Council of Ministers appointed Joseph as the new military commander.
5-Jroud Dawn Operation
Under the command of Joseph Aoun, the Lebanese military carried out an operation in the Jroud area near the Syrian border to expel IS forces from Eastern Lebanon.
6-Responsibility for Lebanon’s Security
The rising tensions in the region and the spread of extremist groups has been negatively impacted the national security of many Arab states. However, Aoun’s extensive training in military operations and counterterrorism will hopefully enable him to ensure his citizens’ safety and security
