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.

Armed Forces of Liberia IET Class 08-01 Graduation

January 11th marked the first significant event of 2008 for the Armed Forces of Liberia. On that day 485 additional soldiers were added to the Liberian military’s end strength when they graduated from their initial entry training (IET, or “basic training”) at the Barclay Training Center in Monrovia. This class of 468 men and 17 women hail from 12 of Liberia’s 15 counties and with an average age of 29 bring a wealth of life experience to their new careers as soldiers.

These 485 soldiers completed eight weeks of intensive training at Camp Ware, near Careysburg that transformed them from civilians into soldiers. This class was the third in the Security Sector Reform program. The graduation raised the effective number of soldiers in the AFL from 639 to 1,124 --- in just one day. The Monday after graduation the troops started their infantry advanced individual training, also conducted at Camp Ware. After they complete that training in early February the graduates will transfer to EBK Military Barracks where they join the regular army.

This graduation was especially enjoyable for me as I got the opportunity to hand out awards to the honor graduates and conduct the pass in review with the guest speaker Counselor Augustine Toe because Major General Abdurrahman was unavailable for the ceremony.

[Photo: Lieutenant Colonel Wyatt (Office of Defense Cooperation Chief) speaking with Ambassador Booth (left) and Minister Samukai (r) after the graduation ceremony]

Infantry Company Activation

The Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) reached a significant milestone on December 19th, 2007 when the first three infantry companies were formally activated. This activation demonstrated additional progress for the Security Sector Reform for National Defense program in Liberia. The company activation will remain a historical moment for the new AFL, as it was the date when formal units, led by Liberian soldiers once again exist. The ceremony took place on beautiful day at the Barclay Training Center in Monrovia. Among the guest speakers was Vice Admiral Moeller from U.S. Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany.

The activation ceremony was the culmination of months of hard work and preparation by all involved including the soldiers, the Ministry of National Defense, PAE and DynCorp, the American Embassy and the U.S. Military. After nearly two years of Security Sector Reform in post-conflict Liberia, this event helped demonstrate tangible progress in the effort to ensure security and stability in Liberia. For me it was a great personal moment and very satisfying, as the efforts of several months all culminated on one day and my plan came to fruition in spite of a host of challenges. When asked my thoughts on the activation I told the press that “today is proud day for Liberians. Soldiers can now say they are assigned to A, B, or C companies and report to duty in a unit that will eventually be operational.”

With the activation of three infantry companies the AFL troops now begin a long process to develop cohesion, teamwork, unity and esprit de corps. Each of the companies received a new company commander from an ECOWAS country in early January 2008. The officers, captains from Ghana, Benin and Nigeria, are all very experienced former commanders who will help mold the new units into effective companies and prepare them for an operational test in the future.

As time passes more AFL units will be activated. Eventually both infantry battalions and the 23rd Infantry Brigade will also take their place in the new AFL. But the ceremony on December 19th, 2007 will remain the event that started it all.