Back Streitkräfte Liberias German Fuerzas Armadas de Liberia Spanish Forces armées du Liberia French Armed Forces of Liberia Hausa הכוחות המזוינים של ליבריה HE Angkatan Bersenjata Liberia ID リベリア軍 Japanese Republic of Liberia national defence forces SIMPLE Forcat e Armatosura të Liberisë Albanian Збройні сили Ліберії Ukrainian
| Armed Forces of Liberia | |
|---|---|
 A Liberian color guard marches on Armed Forces Day in 2010. | |
| Motto | "Building a Force For Good" (unofficial)[1] |
| Founded | 1847 (Liberian militia) 1908 (Liberian Frontier Force) |
| Current form | 2006 |
| Service branches | 23rd Infantry Brigade Air Wing National Coast Guard |
| Headquarters | Monrovia |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-Chief | President Joseph Boakai |
| Minister of National Defense | Geraldine J. George (13 February 2024-)[2] |
| Chief of Staff | Major General Prince C. Johnson III[3] |
| Personnel | |
| Active personnel | 2,100 (establishment) 1,800 or less (actual after desertions) |
| Expenditure | |
| Budget | US$12.9 million (FY 2013–14) |
| Percent of GDP | 0.74% |
| Industry | |
| Foreign suppliers | United States |
| Related articles | |
| Ranks | Military ranks of Liberia |
The Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) are the armed forces of the Republic of Liberia. Tracing its origins to a militia that was formed by the first black colonists in what is now Liberia, it was founded as the Liberian Frontier Force in 1908, and retitled in 1956. For almost all of its history, the AFL has received considerable materiel and training assistance from the United States. For most of the 1941–89 period, training was largely provided by U.S. advisers, though this assistance has not prevented the same generally low levels of effectiveness common to most of the armed forces in the developing world.
For most of the Cold War, the AFL saw little action, apart from a reinforced company group which was sent to ONUC in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the 1960s. This changed with the advent of the First Liberian Civil War in 1989. The AFL became entangled in the conflict, which lasted from 1989 to 1996–97, and then the Second Liberian Civil War, which lasted from 1999 to 2003.
As of 2014, the AFL consists of an infantry brigade, an air wing, and the coast guard.[4] For several years after the war, a Nigerian Army officer served as head of the armed forces.[5]
11 February is Armed Forces Day, having been proclaimed in 2011.[6]
- ^ Addison, Abraham N. (January 18, 2022). "Liberia: A Story of Success - the New Armed Forces of Liberia". Frontpageafrica. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- ^ News Central Africa (February 14, 2024). "Liberia Appoints Brig. Gen. Geraldine George First Female Defence Minister". News Central Africa. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ "Liberia: Weah Appoints Army Chief of Staff As Minister". January 23, 2018. Archived from the original on February 9, 2019. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
- ^ "Embassy of Liberia – News". www.liberianembassyus.org. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
- ^ Brooks, Cholo (August 20, 2016). "Nigeria Agrees To Resume Training Liberian Army (DDeazi Lakpor)-". Archived from the original on February 7, 2017. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
- ^ "Friday is Armed Forces Day; to be observed as a National Holiday". www.mofa.gov.lr. Archived from the original on July 9, 2022. Retrieved December 27, 2022.