This paper published by the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Lebanon Office authored by Dr. Imad Salemey and Dr. Maria Noujaim delves into the concept of human security, advocating for it as the essence of societal defense from fear and want. In post-war Lebanon, the traditional doctrine of security has prevailed, allocating responsibilities to armed and police forces. An exception has been made for the ”duality of arms” doctrine that justified Hezbollah's military role in confronting Israeli threats. But this, in turn, has been a topic of political disputes and polarization among Lebanon’s divided society. This paper examines various defense strategy options and suggests a growing inclination in favor of a comprehensive human security paradigm that brings multiple partners and interlocutors across different sectors to strengthen society’s resilience, readiness, and defense capabilities. Civil-Military Cooperation (CMC) is proposed as an entry point toward a comprehensive defense strategy and a as means to mitigate the ”duality of arms” thesis.