Michigan Guard Partner Liberia Starts NCO Academy Course

CAREYSBURG, Liberia - The Armed Forces of Liberia achieved a historic milestone by initiating a Noncommissioned Officer Academy at the AFL's Armed Forces Training Center.

Liberian NCO instructors are leading a nine-week pilot curriculum for 40 students, roughly equivalent to the U.S. Army's Basic Leader Course, Oct. 13 to Dec. 12. The course accomplishes the AFL's long-term goal to plan, lead and execute a professional military education program to develop its own enlisted leaders.

U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Ravindra Wagh, assistant adjutant general for the Michigan National Guard, visited the AFL's Basic Leader Course Dec. 3 to observe, engage with students and decorate six instructors identified by AFL leadership as key enablers of the NCO Academy.

"Other than the Liberian flag on their shoulders, if you put these soldiers in a classroom next to their U.S. counterparts, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference," Wagh said. "What I see here is the same professionalism I would expect to see in a U.S. Army enlisted development course; it makes me feel like I'm back at Fort Moore."

The trip was a homecoming of sorts for Wagh, who served in Liberia from 2014 to 2015 as a mentor attached to the AFL's 23rd Infantry Brigade during Operation Onward Liberty, a U.S. AFRICOM-sponsored contribution to Liberia's security sector reform supported by the Michigan National Guard. Michigan and Liberia have partnered for 15 years under the Department of Defense National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program.

The U.S. government helped the AFL rebuild after Liberia's devastating civil war era ended in 2003. The new AFL earned a reputation for adhering to human rights and the law of war supporting the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali from 2013 to 2023. Liberians also recognize the AFL as a provider of hope and healing through the 14 Military Hospital, one of the nation's most advanced medical facilities.

While AFL instructors have received support from several entities to develop curriculum based on U.S. doctrine, including the Michigan National Guard's 177th Regional Training Institute and the U.S. Army NCO Leadership Center of Excellence, Wagh was quick to point out that credit for Liberia's NCO Academy goes to the AFL alone.

"This academy is the latest chapter in the AFL's remarkable story," he said. "In less than 20 years, the AFL has matured from a newly rebuilt military to developing its own NCO corps through a self-sufficient professional military education program."

Wagh presented the State of Michigan Legion of Merit award to six AFL soldiers, identified as key enablers of the Basic Leader Course, whose work reflects "great credit upon Liberia, and by association through the SPP, the Michigan National Guard." They are Master Sgt. Zubah K. Zayzay, Master Sgt. Hannah Kanneh, Staff Sgt. John W. Tokpa, Sgt. Ezekiel S. Debbah, Sgt. Leon B. Nimely and Sgt. Oscar J. Pabai.

Wagh's three-day visit to Liberia included time at the Liberia Coast Guard Base, Barclay Training Center, Edward Binyah Kesselly Barracks, and the 14 Military Hospital. He discussed regional security issues with retired Minister of Defense Brig. Gen Geraldine George; AFL Chief of Staff Brig. Gen. Davidson Forleh, and Liberia's military adviser to the president, retired Maj. Gen. Daniel D. Ziankahn.

Wagh presented the State of Michigan Distinguished Service Medal to George, recognizing her work as a champion for the SPP and enduring advocacy for the role of women in the security sector.

"The AFL remains a force for good, and it continues to rise to greater heights," said Forleh, reflecting on the transformative partnership between the AFL and the Michigan National Guard.

In all engagements, Wagh agreed that the startup of a Liberian NCO Academy is clear evidence of the AFL's upward trajectory as a credible security partner in West Africa.

"By developing the next generation of Liberia's enlisted leaders, the AFL is making one of the best possible investments," said Wagh. "For the U.S. military, I believe this is what gives us two distinct advantages over any adversary on the planet: our network of allies and partners, a strong and empowered NCO corps."

Based on the motivation, professionalism, and competency he observed in AFL instructors, Wagh sees great potential for Liberia's NCO Academy.

"I can see this institution becoming a center of excellence for enlisted development across the region and the continent," he said. "There is potential for other countries to someday say, 'Liberia is where professional enlisted development happens in West Africa.'"

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