BY   BRIG/GEN. GERALDINE JANET GEORGE (RTD)

I give glory to God Almighty who has favoured me with all the blessings, guidance and skills that made me who I am today. To my parents Mr. Jeffery T. George and Miss. Janet Y. Tucker of blessed memory, I thank you for the support, encouragement and standing by me through the years while alive. To my siblings, I cannot explain the support, love, care and prayers accorded to me throughout my formative stage. May God richly bless each one of you abundantly. My children, you give me a reason to smile and push forward every day, thank you for the sacrifices. Finally, to my loving husband, if I had to choose again, it would still be you. Thank you for standing by me, love you so much.

The Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) is considered a professional organization, “A Force for Good”, known for its integrity, courage, teamwork and discipline. The AFL, like any other military force, is a building block institution. As the jeweler takes the raw stone and polishes it into a fine valuable jewel worth much more than when it was first received, so the AFL takes on individual, whose outlook on life and experience are not yet fully developed and produces a person that is an achiever; someone who is able to accomplish any given tasks, despite the obstacles and challenges

Leadership is a skill with multiple facets, and the way of knowing it often entails rigorous training and practical experiences. My sojourn into strategic leadership started with my service in the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL), a step that has deeply shaped my perspective to leadership. This article explores how my time of service in the Liberian military prepared and positioned me for strategic leadership roles and how the principles I learned can be applied beyond the military context. This article highlights the key areas of Training, Leadership, Planning/ Strategy, Exposure and Discipline relations to preparedness for strategic leadership.

TRAINING:

Training refers to a process of capacity building through instructions, practice and experience, thereby transforming an unskilled individual to a professional. The AFL has a system of transforming a person who is enlisted into the military with poor qualities such as lack of confidence, inability to complete basic tasks to become a professional soldier. A professional soldier is trained to achieve any assigned task with utmost efficiency. This is achieved through a systematic approach of moulding and shaping a recruit into an accomplished and focused person. Therefore, the building block to this approach is in training. An AFL recruit goes through a training period where subjects such as communication, first aid, field craft, map reading, marksmanship, survival training, teamwork, physical fitness and the will to fight and win battles are taught.

Above all, the training I acquired in the AFL has helped me to approach the execution of tasks in a systematic and logical way of analyzing each problem. This is done through series of steps, each of which requires analysis of weighing the pros and cons of each; ending up with the course of action that allows for calculated and acceptable risks. Sun Tzu, a Chinese military strategist, postulates, “When you sweat more in peace time, you bleed less in war.” This is a fundamental statement which re-enforces the concept that one must continuously rehearse the appropriate drills to ensure success despite the obstacle and challenges faced. This concept has been one of the core principles used by me in my approach in fulfilling obligations resulting in an acceptable level of success.

LEADERSHIP:

Acquiring leadership qualities requires a combination of skills, knowledge and practices. The AFL has over the years taught me that to acquire such qualities, one must learn to lead and follow. When giving instructions and making demands to subordinate staff, the leader should reflect on the experiences of a follower to ensure that the task is realistic and achievable. To be an effective leader, one should always be firm but fair. The wellbeing of your subordinates should always be your utmost priority as a leader. Therefore, an effective leader should give clear instructions and make sure that subordinates are kept engaged with everyone knowing his/her tasks and responsibilities to avoid chaos.

As Minister of National Defense, I am mindful of these requirements, and I have established schedules and activities to harness the skills of the staff in the ministry. These along with effective planning, teamwork, discipline and the dedication of staff will be attributed to the ministry’s success.

PLANNING/ STRATEGY:

Those who fail to plan, plan to fail. The Ministry of National Defense (MoD), like other ministries, is required to have effective planners to achieve the set objectives of the Ministry. Several pieces must come together in ensuring operational success. The military teaches the ability to analyse operational situations for success. This knowledge therefore makes it easier for me to confront challenges and provide solutions with minimal efforts. This is what Carl Von Clausewitz infers that one is required to think and take into consideration several factors before finalizing a course of action. This is called the estimate process or SWOT Analysis. This analysis has allowed  me to maintain flexibility and adaptability in responding to given tasks.

EXPOSURE:

Military service provides an opportunity for personnel to study in both local and international military institutions. It also exposes one to work with foreign military personnel of international repute. My thanks and appreciations are to the government of the Republic of Liberia for allowing me to serve my country through the AFL. Within the period of my service, I had the opportunities of serving under some excellent commanders in the positions of Commanding Officers-In-Charge (COIC) and Chiefs of Staff (COS) of the AFL. These commanders have contributed immensely to my becoming the person I am today. The commanders are:

LATE – MAJ/GEN. LUKA YUSUF – COIC AFL – (FEBRUARY 2006 – MAY 2007)

I was enlisted into the AFL after my graduation from the Initial Entry Training (IET) at Barclay Training Center (BTC), Liberia, in 2006. Thereafter, I attended Advanced Individual Training (AIT) at BTC also in 2006.  After that, I attended Basic Non-Commissioned Officer Course (BNCOC) and Officer Candidate School (OCS) at the same BTC in 2007. After my OCS training, I was opportune to work under the command of General Yusuf who was the COIC of the AFL. I was appointed as the first commander of the Medical Unit at Edward Binyah Kesselly Military Barracks, when I learned to give my first injection.

LATE – MAJ/GEN. SURAJ A. ABDURRAHMAN – COIC AFL (JUNE 2007 – FEBRUARY 2014)

Under the command and leadership of Maj Gen Abdurrahman of blessed memory, I had opportunities to attend various military schools. These include Basic Officer Leader Course II at Fort Benning, USA, in 2007; Military Police Basic Officer Leadership Course at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, USA, in 2008 and Company Commander’s Course at Rwanda Military Academy, GAKO, Rwanda, in 2010.  I also attended Junior Staff Course (JSC) at Horton Academy, Freetown, Sierra Leone, in 2011; the United States Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, USA in 2013 and Webster University where I read Master of Arts in International Relations in 2013. It was under his command that I took the first Promotion Examination from First Lieutenant to Captain. I also got exposure to the Chiefs of Defense Staff (CDS) conferences and meetings. Besides, I held various command and staff appointments within the AFL, including Commander Training Company, Brigade S-5 CIMIC Officer, Military Police Company Commander, and Provost Marshal at the 23rd Infantry Brigade. I equally served at the Headquarters of AFL as Legal Officer, Assistant Chief of Staff for Personnel (ACOS J1) as well as Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations (ACOS J3).

MAJ/GEN. DANIEL D. ZIANKAHN (RTD) – COS AFL (FEBRUARY 2014 – FEBRUARY 2018)

Maj/Gen. Daniel D. Ziankahn was the first indigenous COS after the devastating Liberian Civil War. I was privileged to also work under him at the HQ AFL as Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations (ACOS J3).  Under General Ziankahn, I got opportunity to serve under the United Nations Multidimensional Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) for a period of one year. I also served as Acting Deputy Chief of Staff (DCOS).

MAJ/GEN. PRINCE C. JOHNSON III (RTD) – COS AFL (FEBRUARY 2018 – FEBRUARY 2024)

I had another opportunity to serve as the DCOS to Maj/Gen Prince C. Johnson, III, the second indigenous COS of the new AFL. Under the leadership of General PC Johnson, I got the rare privilege of participating in strategic level activities of the military. I was opportune to represent the AFL at the ECOWAS Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) Meeting.  It was the first CDS Meeting that I sat in to share my views and make decisions on issues affecting our Continent. This participation exposed me to the “Gentleman’s Club”. I called it the gentleman’s club because I used to be the only woman amongst the men from the fifteen ECOWAS member states when it comes to decision making.

DISCIPLINE:

Discipline is the hallmark of every institution. It is an important tool for any effective leader.

Whenever the term discipline is mentioned, one thinks of punishment and reprimand for violating an order. In a military context, discipline refers to adherence to rules and regulations or obedience to orders and commands. Thus, every leader has the responsibility to ensure his/ her subordinates adhere to organizational ethics and participate actively in the attainment of organizational objectives. My training in the AFL equipped me with the skills of mission command- a philosophy which cautions military leaders against launching troops into battle without adequately preparing them for the stated mission.

According to General George Patton, “A strong military disciplinarian told his subordinate commanders if they did not enforce and maintain perfect discipline, they were potential murderers.” It is therefore critical that every leader takes discipline very seriously and exercises that discipline in fairness to the subordinates or staff he/ she leads.

I am grateful that I have been given the opportunity to lead the Ministry of National Defense.

I consider it as great honor to have served in the AFL. My tenure in the AFL was more than a period of service; it was a transformative experience that prepared me for strategic leadership. The training, leadership, strategic thinking and ethical standards that I developed in the AFL have been instrumental in shaping my approach to leadership. In reflection, those years and experiences have shaped my life and have been instrumental in whom I have become and where I am today. Indeed, I am satisfied with my contributions to the force- the AFL as a ‘Force for Good’.  I am of the conviction that the future of the AFL is in good hands. I am happy that I have played my part in professionalizing the force. Now, with a supervisory role of the AFL, I now turn my attention to making higher contributions.