Instructor Training Course Graduation (April 2008)

{The 18 graduates of the first Armed Forces of Liberia Instructor Training Course awaiting their graduation ceremony at Camp Ware (April 4th, 2008}


Camp Ware, Careysburg, April 4th, 2008:

The first Armed Forces of Liberia Instructor Training Course (ITC) with 18 students graduated from a five week program at Camp Ware, near Careysburg, Liberia on Friday April 4th, 2008. This class of AFL non-commissioned officers and soldiers will serve as part of a core group that may potentially be assigned to the future AFL Brigade Training Unit, or BTU. The BTU is intended to serve as the new army’s training organization that will run its basic training, infantry school, NCO leadership courses and the officer candidate school after the United States Government completes the Security Sector Reform program for the first 2,000 soldiers.

The five week course included classes on effective communication, teaching methods and how to plan for and conduct different types of training courses. Completion of the course is a first step in becoming qualified to be an instructor in the BTU. However, the skills the soldiers learned in this class can be applied to any training. In other words those who are not later assigned to the BTU can still apply their new skills in other AFL units.

Africa Partnership Station in Liberia

President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and U.S. Ambassador Donald Booth look at medical supply donations after cutting the ribbon during the opening ceremony for APS at Redemption Hospital in New Kru Town (March 26th, 2008)

The United States Navy Europe and Marine Forces Europe paid a two week visit to Liberia as part of the new “Africa Partnership Station.” The two week visit including off-shore training and equipment loading, delivery of U.S. donated postal equipment for Liberia’s postal service, Marines delivering humanitarian assistance, training for Liberian soldiers on the Fort McHenry and construction and repair work by the Navy Seabees. The events received wide press coverage and the presence of President Johnson-Sirleaf, who attended the “kick-off ceremony at Redemption Hospital in New Kru Town , toured the HSV Swift and the Fort McHenry and also hosted several senior U.S. officers including the Commander of Marine Forces Europe.

The event was the culmination of several months of planning by hundreds of people and just one of several stops the Navy made around the Gulf of Guinea basin in West Africa. Lieutenant Commander Esly Peters and Sergeant Major Martin Doxey of the U.S. Office of Defense Cooperation were both instrumental in coordinating and planning the ship visits. For our office the APS visit was the end of a very long three stretch in which we completed a basic training course, an infantry course, Liberian Armed Forces Day celebrations, President Bush’s visit to Monrovia and finally the APS events. Needless to say that while we were excited by the visit we finally managed to get a little sleep after APS left town.

The navy ships may have departed but they left behind a contingent of Seabees who will remain in Liberia for a few more months to complete humanitarian assistance construction projects.

President Bush Visits Monrovia

{LTC Chris Wyatt at Spriggs-Payne Airfield in Monrovia, minutes before President Bush arrived in Marine 1, February 21st, 2008.}


Up until recently, nearly the entire focus of my effort in Liberia was to build the new Armed Forces of Liberia. However, the announcement that President George W. Bush would visit Liberia changed all that. Until now I had never been abroad in a country where the sitting president visited. I had heard how much effort it takes to make the trip successful. I will confess that although I knew this visit would entail a lot of work, I still found myself constantly surprised by people and events. The president’s visit kept everyone at the embassy very busy for many weeks. But for me personally the visit was just one more “huge” event at the end of seven long weeks filled with other huge events (graduations, Armed Forces Day).

That said it was nonetheless a very interesting and challenging experience; from driving up and down UN Drive with no traffic and tens of thousands of spectators waving to me, to the arrival ceremony at Spriggs-Payne airfield, to the handshake and brief conversation the president and I shared to the pass in review the AFL soldiers did --- it was all very interesting.
President Bush and President Johnson-Sirleaf both gave good speeches. President Bush promised to deliver 1 million school textbooks and 10,000 student desks before the next school year begins. He told a couple of jokes -- including one about his home state of Texas and Liberia both being “lone star” states. Afterwards some commentators seemed a little disappointed that President Bush did not offer Liberia any new money because of the promises he made in other Africa countries earlier in the trip. I suppose that they lost site of the $1.4 billion the United States has already given to Liberia since 2004. He talked about education, fighting malaria and debt relief. It was a little strange, as the troops were gathered but neither president really spent much of their time actually “addressing” the Armed Forces of Liberia. But the truth of the matter is that one would be hard pressed to call the visit anything other than a huge success, both for Liberia and for the Bush Administration. For me personally, this is the first time I have ever shaken my own president’s hand.

Armed Forces Day in Liberia (2008)

{AFL military police complete an unarmed combat demonstration during Armed Forces Day events at the Barclay Training Center in Monrovia, February 11th, 2008}

There are “big” days and then there are “BIG” days. Armed Forces Day in Liberia is one of the latter. 2008 marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Liberian military. In 1908, the Frontier Force, Liberia’s first military arm, came into existence. The current Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) can trace it roots to the Frontier Force. Needless to say, the Liberian government and the Ministry of National Defense in particular was intent on the day (February 11th) being filled with exciting and successful events.

Among the many AFL activities for the public that day were: an officer commissioning ceremony, cross country combat run, rucksack march, unarmed combat demonstration (by the military police), marching music demonstration by the AFL Band, presidential troop inspection, a parade through the streets of Monrovia and a military ball in the evening. The 500 plus soldiers who participated are likely for a long time to remember the events and the extremely warm reception they received from the public.

Armed Forces Day provided an opportunity for ordinary Liberians to see their army and form their own opinions regarding the progress of the reconstituted AFL. Judging by the warm reception and the countless tear-filled eyes on display, many likely see the value of the new AFL. Or at least they are content with the current product. For most Liberians this was their first glimpse at the product of a now two year plus process to rebuild the army under the aegis of the U.S. Government. I’ll have to confess that we put a great deal of effort into preparing the army and venues for this day. The troops rehearsed endlessly. In the end it all paid off, as Armed Forces Day proved to be a great success and a source of pride for all Liberians involved. As it turns out the events also served to help us prepare for the subsequent visit by President Bush to Liberia. From that standpoint, Armed Forces Day success lasted beyond the events of the day.

AIT Class 08-02 Graduation

The third Advanced Individual Training (AIT) for Infantry class of the new Armed Forces of Liberia graduated on February 8th, 2008 at Camp Ware, near Careysburg, Liberia. This particular class had the highest attrition of any of the class cohorts to date; with a total of 37 recruits not completing the training and consequently getting discharged from the service. However, the 484 AIT graduates are among the finest to go through the program thus far. Their attitude, behavior and test scores exceeded the last class across the board. The graduation is also significant because with the transfer of 464 of these troops to EBK Military Barracks, the Security Sector Reform for National Defense program has now passed the mid-point with 1,124 of 2,000 soldiers having completed their initial entry training.

A surprising and violent rain storm early in the morning threatened to put a damper on the ceremony. But the rain quickly passed and the ceremony went off without a hitch. With just two more classes of 500 to go, this graduation puts us on the downward slope. The guest speaker for the graduation was Lieutenant Colonel Wyatt who focused the history and roles of the infantry during his remarks.

Officer Candidate Recruiting Day (31 JAN 08)

[Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) 2LT George, who returned from officer training in the United States just days ago, tells potential officer candidates about her experience as an officer in the new AFL]

The Liberian Ministry of National Defense (MOD), with assistance from the U.S. Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) and DynCorp International, hosted a recruiting day at the African Episcopal Methodist University in Monrovia on January 31st, 2008. The purpose of the event was to encourage university students to consider future service a commissioned officer in the new Armed Forces of Liberia. Featured speakers included LTC Chris Wyatt (ODC Chief), Major General Suraj Abdurrahman (Command Officer-in-Charge, AFL) and Brownie J. Samukai Jr. (Minister of National Defense).

The MOD’s officer candidate recruiting day is part of a larger effort to find much needed qualified candidates to join the AFL as officers. After the guest speakers finished and the audience watched a 10 minute AFL recruiting video prepared by the DynCorp public affairs office, four AFL officers and one officer candidate took the floor and told the gathered audience of their experiences thus far in the new AFL. Without a doubt, this part of the event was clearly the highlight. The passion and conviction of articulate professional soldiers won many in the audience over.

The next step for those interested in a career in the AFL is to apply to the vetting process at the Barclay Training Center in Monrovia. We can only speculate how many, if any, of the students gathered will one day enter the army. But given the 149 applications submitted that afternoon, there at least is some interest.

AIT Field Training Exercise

[LTC Wyatt answers soldiers’ questions after a mission and “sand table” briefing at the B Company bivouac site]

Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) Infantry Advanced Individual Training (AIT) Class 08-01 conducted its capstone event with a field training exercise (FTX) from 31 January to 03 February 2008 at Camp Ware, near Careysburg. The FTX is the culminating event for 484 new AFL soldiers who will soon complete 12 weeks of initial entry training. The focus of the FTX is to allow the new soldiers to put their recently learned skills to the test in a field environment. The intense heat of the dry season adds a challenging dimension for troops unaccustomed to wearing full field gear and moving through the bush as a team.

After the FTX troops will begin to prepare for their graduation ceremony which will take place on Friday February 8th, 2008 at Camp Ware. On that day 464 of these troops board trucks and then be transported to Edward Binyah Kesselly Military Barracks on the Roberts Highway east of Monrovia. The remaining 20 soldiers are officer candidates who will move to the Barclay Training Center (BTC) in Monrovia for their next phase of training. Many of these new soldiers will profit from a unique training opportunity when they depart for Nigeria at the end of February. They will attend the Nigerian Jungle Warfare School.