In the aftermath of the June–September 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, President Amin Gemayel, convinced that a strong and unified national defense force was a prerequisite to rebuilding the nation, announced plans to raise a 60,000-man army organized into twelve brigades (created from existing infantry regiments), trained and equipped by France and the United States. In March 1, 1983 the 9th Infantry Regiment was amalgamated with the Anti-tank Regiment, the Engineering Regiment and the 801st battalion into a brigade group numbering 2,000 men, mostly Maronite Christians from the northern Akkar and Koura Districts, though it also contained Sunni and Shia Muslims. Initially designated the General Support Brigade (GSB), the new unit changed its name on September 10 of that year to "9th Brigade", which officially became on January 1, 1984, the 9th Infantry Brigade.[1]