This is a study of the Nahr Al-Bared Palestinian Camp battle, which occurred in 2007 in North Lebanon between the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and Fath Al-Islam (FAI) terrorist organization. It begins with a summary of the Palestinians' history in Lebanon, the Palestinian refugee camps, Nahr Al-Bared camp (NBC) characteristics, and FAI terrorist organization. Then, the study analyses the use of the Diplomatic, Informational, Military, and Economic instruments of national power (DIME) by the LAF in engagements during the NBC battle. During this extended operation, the LAF fought a fierce battle which formed a real test of its unity, military professionalism, and its ability to fight in one of the most difficult types of combat in unconventional warfare. The battle also puts the LAF as an institution, its leadership, combat units, and combat ability under the microscope of all audio-visual media that monitored the fighting minute by minute. This study describes the instruments of national power of the United States' doctrine and then analyzes their use by the LAF to manage the NBC battle. The study concludes that the application of the instruments of national power could improve the future defense of Lebanese sovereignty regarding Palestinian camps, counter-terrorism missions, and other operations.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student-authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to these studies should include the foregoing statement.)