More than 1,000 Liberian troops, along with members of the Liberian police force and cadet organizations, paraded past Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and other dignitaries and visitors during Liberia's 53rd Armed Forces Day event at the Barclay Training Center February 11, 2010.

Guests at the event included U.S. Ambassador to Liberia Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) director of operations and logistics Major General Kenneth Gleuk, and commander of U.S. Marine Forces Africa Brigadier General Paul Brier. All three dignitaries have key roles in assisting Liberia with its defense sector reform.
Five weeks earlier, nearly 60 American mentors and advisors arrived in Monrovia, Liberia, as part of ONWARD LIBERTY. The joint team of marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen are mentoring and advising Armed Forces of Liberia personnel as part of a U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Defense initiative designed to continue the United States' support to the government of Liberia and the ongoing reform of its defense sector through the Liberian Defense Sector Reform.

"The ONWARD LIBERTY team will be mentors to the men and women of the AFL," said Brier. "This team will help them build a professional military that is apolitical, subordinate to civilian leadership, and respectful of human rights. The new military will provide capabilities to support their government. Under this program, Liberians will conduct the training, and U.S. Africa Command will provide advisors and mentors to continue U.S. assistance and support to the AFL's development."

The U.S. government has been providing support to Liberia's Armed Forces Defense Sector Reform since 2006, through a program called the Liberia Security Sector Reform.

ONWARD LIBERTY is a consolidation of the previous mission, and marks the important milestone of AFL soldiers conducting the training themselves for the first time. Previously, under the LSSR, civilian contractors working for the U.S. Department of State provided recruiting, training and equipping efforts to assist the Government of Liberia in standing up a 2,000-strong force capable of deterring threats to their democratically elected government.

A 13-year civil conflict, which ended in 2003, necessitated the recent establishment of an entirely new military force. During the civil war, the military force of 15,000 troops served as a police force, and enforced the will of individual political or military leaders. The new force, which retained only six members of the former military, was built using young, literate, physically fit, well-funded troops.

"My motto here is one team, one mission, one goal," said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Ambassador to Liberia. "Liberia went through a tough period. Our goal as the U.S. government is to help this government, help this president, succeed in showing the Liberian people that peace is better than war, and that democracy is the route they should be following. It is a mission that is challenging for all of us, but it's more challenging for the people of Liberia. Mentors to the AFL have that task. The people of Liberia for 15 years had a military that did not respect human rights, and now we have a military that is respected, and one that respects human rights, and we want to continue to build that here in this country."

A checkered history is not the only challenge to overcome, said Briceno.
"The AFL must show that they are willing and capable of dealing with any future threats," said Lieutenant Colonel Alejandro P. Briceno, deputy operations officer with U.S. Marine Corps Forces Africa. "The true litmus test is completely internal to Liberia."

Success, according to Briceno, is an AFL force capable of professionally leading with a strong non-commissioned officer corps. Additionally, a successful AFL will be apolitical, capable, and accountable to civil authority.

Liberian forces welcome the opportunity to develop their skill sets, according to Lieutenant Colonel Gonny Solomon, AFL operations officer at Headquarters Battalion.
"We are ready, and we are hoping that with assistance - from the Marines especially - who are here to mentor our people, we will make the AFL second to none," Solomon said. "It's a challenge for us to take the armed forces from where the contractors have left it, but we are eager and hoping we can take the AFL from where it is, to where we want it to be."

Experienced mentors, according to Solomon, play an important role in the development of a new military.

"In the military, with a young group, the mentors can articulate the ideas they brought with them, helping the soldiers understand that this is what a soldier is supposed to do, and this is some of the training you have to undergo," Solomon said. "Without (perseverance), there is no way we can do these things. We want the young soldiers to know that the military is a place where you can find good people, better people, educated people, so these are some of the values that they put in our soldiers. A soldier is always a soldier."

The mentors are optimistic about their mission.

"The people of Liberia deserve a professional military and the security that comes with it," said Briceno. "Only under secure conditions will all the United Nations and non-government organization efforts taking place in Liberia have the opportunity to make long-lasting impacts."

The current program is coordinated with the assistance of the U.S. and the Economic Community of Western African States partner nations. The United Kingdom also provided a Ministry of Defense-level advisor.