Roughly 40 Armed Forces of Liberia senior non-commissioned officers received official graduation certificates after completion of 40 hours of senior enlisted-specific training at Edward Binyah Kesselly Army Base, Liberia, Jan. 6.
Curriculum for the course was developed and taught by members of Operation Observant Liberty, a United States Department of State-led training initiative that pairs U.S. service members with AFL personnel to build capacity and strength in the fledgling Liberian armed services.
"This course seemed like a no-brainer, really,” said U.S. Marine Corps Master Sgt. William Kartune, OOL’s senior enlisted adviser who is deployed to Liberia from Marine Corps Base Okinawa, Japan. “We realized the need to target training to these specific individuals and this is a big step forward for the senior NCOs of the AFL. This course showed them the potential they have to develop their own leaders in an area that is desperately needed within the AFL.”
Topics of study included military disciplinary procedures, risk management, senior NCO leadership difficulties and developing proper decision making processes within their units, among other items.
Blocks of instruction were taught by both OOL mentors and senior enlisted AFL leaders.
“The key, really, was getting the AFL on board with the course,” said Kartune, a native of Cleveland. “That’s really when things started happening. As mentors, we get the greatest results from training and education, because it helps the AFL develop leaders within their own military.”
Course participants were equally positive regarding the course’s results.
“This was a good course for me and the other soldiers to take because it taught us better leadership and how we can relate to the soldiers working for us,” said Cpl. Rogers Harris, the course’s distinguished graduate. “It also helped us learn our jobs at a higher level, especially when it comes to preparing for eventual combat if necessary.”
Due to the course’s initial successes, future classes are planned, said Kartune.
“We would like to see the courses continue, as long as the AFL continues to support the courses,” said Kartune. “The course may need to be lengthened to teach more topics, but it’s one step at a time, and I am pleased with the results thus far.”
The fledgling AFL, like many things in Liberia, continues to see improvements in many areas, and that will continue to be a positive, said Harris.
“I like the Army, so courses like this help me to do my job even better,” said Harris, a 4-year Army veteran. “The AFL is designed and trained to help keep peace together throughout Liberia and to protect it from any inside or outside aggression that may come. We exist to help support this great country of Liberia and we will continue to get better at it going forward.”