23rd Infantry Brigade
Founded2008
CountryLiberia Liberia
TypeGround Force
Garrison/HQBarclay Training Center, Monrovia
Nickname(s)AFL Brigade
AnniversariesFebruary 11 (Armed Forces Day)
EngagementsFirst Liberian Civil War
Second Liberian Civil War
Commanders
Commander-in-ChiefPresident George Weah
Brigade CommanderColonel Theophilus Anto Dana, Jr.
1st Battalion CommanderMajor Korboi Ballah Sallie
2nd Battalion CommanderMajor Blaselee M. Wilson

The 23rd Infantry Brigade is a Liberian military unit that serves as the ground force component of the Armed Forces of Liberia. Commanded by a colonel, it consists of two infantry battalions under the 23rd Infantry Brigade and supporting units.

Structure

  • HQ
  • 1st Infantry Battalion (located at Edward Beyan Kesselly Military Barracks in Margibi County)
      • Headquarters Company
      • Alpha Company
      • Bravo Company
      • Charlie Company
      • Combat Support Company
  • 2nd Infantry Battalion (Also at Edward Beyan Kesselly Military Barracks)
    • Headquarters Company
    • Alpha Company
    • Bravo Company
    • Charlie Company
    • Combat Support Company

1st Battalion

[1]

2nd Battalion

The first commander of the battalion was Lieutenant Colonel Emmanuel Larbi Sarpong Gyadu of Ghana Army.

History

Origins

In the 1980s, during the era of Samuel Doe, the Liberian National Guard Brigade, was the heart of the ground forces.composed of six infantry battalions, an engineer battalion, a field artillery battalion, and a support battalion. Soldiers attached to other infantry units – the Third Infantry Battalion based at the BTC, the Fourth Infantry Battalion at Zwedru in Grand Gedeh County, and the Fifth Infantry Battalion at Gbarnga in Bong County – served mostly as auxiliary personnel.[2] It was so large to where it was often referred to as the army

Modern brigade

The 23rd Infantry Brigade was formed on August 29, 2008, at the Barclay Training Center in Monrovia,[3] and the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Brigade in December that year. Both battalions are currently based at the former Camp Schiefflin, which has now been renamed the Edward Binyah Kesselly Barracks, often known simply as 'EBK Barracks.'[4]

As a result of the concentration of troops at EBK, the camp was overcrowded, and disturbances among the soldiers have occurred.[5] As of mid-2009, the Ministry of Defense is attempting to alleviate the problem by relocating some personnel to Camp Tubman in Gbarnga.[6]

The two battalions and supporting units went through training and preparation for an assessment exercise, a modified US Army Readiness Training Evaluation Program (ARTEP),[7] which was held in late 2009. The force operates according to slightly modified United States Army practices, and uses U.S. doctrine.

"..The first battalion started the United States Army Training and Evaluation Programme, which it will complete in September [2009], while the second battalion will complete the programme in December [2009]. At that time, the United States contractors currently training and equipping the force will hand over to the Ministry of National Defense, which will assume responsibility for training and standing up the new army. The United States has indicated that it plans to assign as many as 60 United States serving military personnel to continue mentoring the Armed Forces of Liberia, beginning in January 2010."[8]

Operations

The unit was deployed during Operation Restore Hope in June 2012 at the Ivorian border in a Joint Task Force (JTF) with other security agencies like the Liberian National Police (LNP), the Liberian Immigration Service (LIS) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).[9]

References

  1. ↑ "FIRST INFANTRY BATTALION – Ministry of National Defense".
  2. ↑ "Barclay Training Center".
  3. ↑ Petty Officer 1st Class Daniel P. Lapierre, Liberia's President Johnson-Sirleaf, U.S. General Ward Attend Historic Activation of Liberian Military Unit Archived September 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, United States Africa Command. Retrieved August 3, 2010
  4. ↑ Colin Robinson, Military or hybrid solutions for border patrolling in Liberia Archived February 2, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Comments on Africa No. 13, Conflict, Security, and Development Group, King's College London, March 2012.
  5. ↑ Rebecca Murray, New Army Faces Greatest Challenge Archived June 7, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, Inter Press Service, December 26, 2009
  6. ↑ Jefferson Massah, Liberia: UNMIL Provides training for 60 AFL Military Engineers Archived June 29, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, The Informer, September 16, 2009
  7. ↑ United States Marine Corps, Diggin' In, March 2009
  8. ↑ UN Secretary-General's Report on UNMIL, released 10 August 2009
  9. ↑ "SECOND INFANTRY BATTALION – Ministry of National Defense".
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