Mr. Allen Charleson is the Assistant Minister for Plans, Policy, and Operations. In this role, he serves as the primary assistant to the Deputy Minister of Defense for Operations in formulating, coordinating, and integrating national security policy and plans within the Ministry of National Defense. He was appointed as the Assistant Minister of Defense for Plans, Policy, and Operations on June 13, 2024.
Mr. Charleson is a career member of Liberia’s security sector, trained by DynCorp during Liberia’s 2006/2007 post-conflict Security Sector Reform process, sponsored by the United States Government. His first appointment with the Ministry of National Defense as a product of the Security Sector Reform program was “Chief of Transportation”, where he collaborated with the AFL and partners to ensure the opening of motor pools in all of our military installations, initiated movement plans, and secure logistics for MoD/ AFL movement readiness.
While rendering over a decade of service to the Deputy Defense Minister for Operations as the Administrative Assistant, Mr. Charleson being very instrumental contributed diverse perspectives in supporting the smooth coordination of offices of the Assistant Minister for Coast Guard and Assistant Minister for Plans, Policy and Operations, respectively.
Prior to his preferment as Assistant Minister for Plans, Policy, and Operations, he served as Policy Analyst, assigned to the Office of the Minister of Defense obligations from 2022-2024, helping to stair the affairs of the Minister’s internal and external obligations.
Honorable Charleson received his Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Sociology and Master of Arts (MA) degree in Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution from the University of Liberia in 2011 and 2021, respectively. He is a 2022 recipient of a Postgraduate Certificate in Emerging Security Sector Leadership from the African Center for Strategic Studies, National Defense University, Washington, DC, USA. He is one of the sixty Liberians trained in Disaster Management at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Center (KAIPTC), Accra, Republic of Ghana in 2015 under the US Government’s sponsorship.
As a selfless public servant, Hon. Charleson comes to his new portfolio with the vigor to strongly support the Minister, Rtd. Brig Gen. Geraldine George, in providing administrative/ policy directions that will maintain a robust and well-trained MoD/ AFL personnel equipped to provide national and regional defense in line with the Liberian Constitution.
