Brig. Gen. Davidson F. Forleh currently serves as the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL), having been nominated by President Joseph N. Boakai, Sr., on February 1, 2024. Following his nomination, he was confirmed by the Liberian Senate and subsequently appointed and commissioned.

Military Career

Prior to ascending to this role, Brig. Gen. Forleh has dedicated 17 years of service to the AFL following the security reform process that ushered in a new Armed Forces of Liberia. As a member of the first batch of recruits in 2006, completed Initial Entry Training (IET) and Officer Candidate School. By 2008, he had joined the first batch of officers to undergo Basic Officer Training with the United States Marine Corps in Quantico, Virginia, where he was a member of Echo Company.

Advanced Military Education and Training

He has completed several advanced military education and training as an officer, including:

• Passed Staff Course (PFC) at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College in Jaji, Kaduna, Nigeria.

• Passed Junior Staff Course (JPFC) at the Horton Academy, Sierra Leone.

• Company Commander Course – Shijiazhuang Mechanized Infantry Academy, People’s Republic of China.

Academic Qualifications

Brig Gen. Forleh obtained a Masters of International Affairs and Strategic Studies (MIASS) from the Nigerian Defense Academy, Kaduna States, Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2012 and Bachelor in Business Administration at the College of Business and Public Administration, University of Liberia in 2003. He also holds the following professional certificates: Certificate – Professional Manager from the Nigerian Institute of Management (CHARTERED) Republic of Nigeria; Certificate – Public Sector Management, Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM) University of Sierra Leone. He is a graduate of Monrovia Central High School, 1989.

Certifications

Brig. Gen. Forleh holds several certificates from a wide range of security studies, seminars and trainings, including:

• Civil Military Coordination (CIMIC).
• Executive Seminar on Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law at the United States Defense Institute of International Legal Studies.
• Security Management in a Wider Security Context at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center, Ghana.
• The Next Generation of African Security Sector Leaders Course at the African Center for Strategic Studies, Washington, DC, United States of America.
• Workshop on the Integration of the Law of Armed Conflict, Nigerian Army Peacekeeping Training Center, Jaji-Kaduna.

Military Appointments

Throughout his military career, Brig. Gen Forleh has served in several senior military positions including:

• Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Liberia (his current position.
• Commander of the 23^rdInfantry Brigade (Commanding General).
• Commandant, Armed Forces Training Command (AFTC).
• Chief of Personnel (Chief U-1) of the combined United Nations Multidimensional Integration Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) where he received FORCE COMMANDER COMMENDATION AWARD at MINUSMA HQ as a Military Staff Officer (MSO).
• As a military diplomat, Brig Gen. Forleh also had the distinguished honor of serving as Defense Attache (DA) at African Union Commission & the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In this military diplomacy role, he served as Chairperson/Military Staff Committee of the Peace and Security Council.

He has also served in other military roles as Platoon Commander, Company Commander, Armed Forces Inspector General, Assistant Chief of Staff for Communications and Doctrine (ACOS J6); Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations (ACOS J3); Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations (ACOS J3).

Personal Life

Brig Gen. Forleh is a devout Christian who has been married for over 23 years to Mrs. Annie S. Forleh. The union is blessed with 3 children and a grandson with a host of other children and relatives he is rearing.

As one of seven siblings, his poor upbringing in the home of his late parents, Mr.  & Mrs. Joe Fallah Forleh has built him into a compassionate, humble and disciplined leader who is passionate about service above Personal Life self.