the new unit grew from an understrength battalion comprising three rifle companies to a fully equipped mechanized infantry brigade, capable of aligning a headquarters' (hq) battalion, an armoured battalion equipped with panhard aml-90 armoured cars, amx-13 light tanks (replaced in the 1990s by t-55a tanks donated by syria) and m48a5 main battle tanks (mbts), three mechanized infantry battalions (21st, 22nd and 23rd) issued with m113 armored personnel carriers (apc), plus an artillery battalion fielding us m114 155 mm howitzers. the brigade also fielded a logistics battalion, equipped with us m151a2 jeeps, land-rover long wheelbase series iii, chevrolet c20 and dodge ram (1st generation) pickups, and us m35a2 2½-ton (6x6) military trucks. initially headquartered at the nohra shalouhi barracks near batroun in 1983, the brigade's hq was later moved to the bahjat ghanem barracks at tripoli, and placed under the command of colonel issam abu jamra.