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Ministry of National Defense (Liberia)

The Ministry of National Defense of Liberia is the government ministry responsible for the maintenance of the national defense and the governance of the Armed Forces of Liberia.

History

An amendment to the Liberian Constitution allowed the previously named War Department to be renamed the Department of National Defense on February 25, 1955. Then, during the early years of President William Tolbert's Administration after 1971, all departments were renamed Ministries and thus the organization became the Ministry of National Defense.

The Ministry's three-story building used to be located on Benson Street in downtown Monrovia, but upon the conclusion of the DynCorp / PA&E training effort in Liberia, moved to the Barclay Training Center, also located in central Monrovia, in July 2009. In early August 2009 the Ministry's Comptroller was dismissed, apparently for misappropriating US$50,000 intended for paying soldiers of the rebuilt AFL.

Recent Reforms (2024–present)

In recent years, the Ministry of National Defense (Liberia) has undertaken several internal governance and modernization initiatives under the leadership of Brigadier General (Rtd.) Geraldine Janet George, who became Liberia’s first female Minister of National Defense in April 2024.

Additional developments include:

  • The Ministry’s Strategic Plan (2022–2025) outlines institutional structure and priorities such as territorial defense, peacekeeping, civil engineering, and disaster response.
  • The Ministry maintains a Policy Repository and Service Delivery Charter to improve transparency and accountability.

List of ministers

Source:

Secretaries of War and the Navy (1848-1971)

Ministers of Defense (1971-present)

See also

References

  • M. Burleigh Holder, "The Hand of God," Xlibris Corporation, April 2006.

External links