By: Emmanuel wise Jipoh
The Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia, President George Manneh Weah, wants operational capacity of the AFL strengthened and enhanced, to defend the country, including recruiting more men and women for service.
The Commander-In-Chief gave the order here Thursday, December 22, 2022, at the graduation of the first batch of 176 recruits consisting of 56 females and 120 males into the AFL held at the Barclay Training Center in Monrovia.
President Weah stresses a need for more capacity-building programs to strengthen the gallant Men and Women in arms.
He recounts a horde of strides made by the Armed Forces of Liberia as well as the Government’s support in transforming the army and enhancing its effectiveness at home and abroad.
“Liberia is proud of the cardinal contribution of the Liberian military to the peace and development of the country and the world at large,” Commander-In-Chief Weah adds.
He says though it is glaring that the AFL faces challenges, the force can boast of tremendous successes emanating from support of the Government of Liberia and training assistance provided by foreign partners.
He laments that changing times and circumstances afflicting the world continue to pose challenges to the Liberian military, including welfare, housing and logistics for troops.
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However, he notes that in spite of these challenges, the country remains proud of significant accomplishments made in the last five years of his administration.
“In my Armed Forces Day message that I gave in February of this year, as Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia, I ordered that One Thousand (1,000) additional soldiers be recruited into the Liberian Armed Forces to augment the strength of the Force.
Today, we see the manifestation of the recruitment process as we graduate the first batch of 176 recruits, consisting of 56 females and 120 males, while 24 Officers Candidates are still undergoing training. The recruitment will continue subsequently in 2023 as our fiscal space will permit”, President Weah says.
He notes that since his inauguration as President and Commander-In-Chief in January 2018, this is the first recruit’s graduation program held under his administration.
The last recruit training exercise of the Armed Forces of Liberia was conducted in 2013, over eight (8) years ago, when Class 08th Recruits graduated at the Tubman Military Training Academy, Camp Todee, Montserrado County, the President reveals, noting that since then, the AFL has been unable to hold subsequent recruits training, due to budgetary constraints.
The recruitment process was executed geographically, covering Montserrado, Bomi, Bong, Grand Gedeh, and Maryland counties respectively.
It marks the completion of over 12 weeks of intense Initial Entry Training conducted at the Tubman Military Academy, Camp Todee, Montserrado County to transform the recruited civilians into military personnel.
“Let me also extend my gratitude to the 24 Officer Candidates present here with us today, who are still undergoing training at the Officer Candidate School at Tubman Military Academy in CampTodee. I encourage you to remain focused and persevere through your military career as you learn to lead by example”, President Weah tells the graduates.
Earlier, the Minister of Defense, Daniel D. Ziankahn, describes the graduation of the first batch of 176 recruits as another milestone, pledging to recruit and retain a strong and ready force that will defend the territorial borders of Liberia, while executing civil duties. Editing by Jonathan Browne
Happy Holidays.
In as much as we would like to thank the foot soldiers and the AFL, with a minute academic advance, for keeping the peace thus far, we should not forget what our fore founders installed in the LFF: “Assignment is greater than rank.” We would like to ask the Liberian people to make more logistical provisions for the Liberian soldiers. It is suggestive that we focus on the recovery of post-civil war. Reduce spending on international peace keeping until we have readjusted our stability internally and externally especially around our borders. The military equipment in this nation is inadequate in addition to more human resources to protect our natural resources under and above ground levels. With the Atlantic Ocean, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Ivory Coast at our connections, we will be prepared for unavoidable spill overs also at sea heights.