Beirut, August 31st, 2013 – The Army Command – Directorate of Orientation issued the following statement: Due to the repeated security incidents in the country and because of the dangers afflicting the citizens the Army Command declares that a decision has been taken to introduce a direct communication channel with the citizens by launching an application "LAF Shield" on smart phones using iOS and Android.

This application will provide the citizens with the following services:
1 - Reporting by videos, photographs, audio or by a written text about:
- Suspicious objects (explosives, mines, cluster mines…)
- Suspicious vehicles
- Security incidents (kidnappings, armed robberies, border breach, armed clashes, fires, etc…)
2 - Assisting the Army in locating the hideouts of outlaws, kidnapping victims, missing persons and any relevant information.
3 - Direct contact with the Lebanese Army Command in case of extreme danger (kidnapping attempt, forced confinement…)
4 - Receiving the official army news issued by the Directorate of Orientation through instant messages “Push Notifications”
5 - Direct access to the Army’s activities, news and generalizations issued by the Army Command and published on the Army Website.
6 - Acquiring photographs, videos and Lebanese Army songs
7 - Identifying dangerous sites through an interactive map embedded in the program (mines, landslides, security incidents)
8 - Information about necessary phone lines (Civil Defense, Red Cross, Fire Brigade, emergency line of the General Directorate of Internal Security Forces, Beirut Airport, emergency line of the Lebanese Electricity Company…)

The Army command aims through this application to involve the largest numbers of citizens in defending the country. The Army Command also aims at providing necessary assistance in emergency cases and therefore citizens are called to use this service in a way that services the mentioned objectives.

Stores Results:
* In less than one week, the app reached more than 20,000 downloads.
* The LAF app was ranked top one Free App on both iTunes & Google Play store.
* The app was rated as a 5 STARS app on Google Play & iTUnes Store.