{"id":86531,"date":"2026-01-02T17:47:26","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T17:47:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/leadership-in-uniform-rooted-in-service-and-sacrifice"},"modified":"2026-01-02T18:08:46","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T18:08:46","slug":"leadership-in-uniform-rooted-in-service-and-sacrifice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/liberia\/all-news\/leadership-in-uniform-rooted-in-service-and-sacrifice","title":{"rendered":"Leadership in Uniform Rooted in Service and Sacrifice"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Liberia. <\/strong><\/span>Finance and Development Planning, Minister Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan, has reaffirmed the Government of Liberia\u2019s commitment to building a disciplined, professional, and constitutionally grounded military, declaring that \u201cleadership in uniform is rooted in service and sustained by sacrifice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Delivering his keynote address Monday at the graduation ceremony of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) Officer Candidate School (OCS) Class 12-2025 at the Barclay Training Center (BTC), Ngafuan said the commissioning of fifty-six new officers marked more than the end of a training cycle.<\/p>\n

Accordingly, he said it symbolized a quiet but deliberate strengthening of the Republic\u2019s foundations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe gather to mark the end of a training cycle, we affirm something deeper and more enduring: the Republic of Liberia is strengthening its foundations, quietly, deliberately, and with discipline,\u201d Ngafuan told the graduating officers.<\/p>\n

The OCS Class 12-2025 is composed of officers drawn from within the enlisted ranks, including medical personnel, band members, and combat officers, a composition Ngafuan described as a reflection of a modern and evolving military institution.<\/p>\n

\u201cAmong you are medical professionals, band members, and combat officers, all drawn from the ranks of enlisted soldiers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He added, \u201cThis composition is commendable. It reflects an institution that values specialized skills and leadership development from within its own ranks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Addressing the different categories of graduates, the Finance Minister emphasized duty beyond rank. To medical officers, he said, \u201cThe nation expects them to combine military discipline with compassion and clinical excellence.\u201d To band officers, he stressed that their role goes \u201cbeyond ceremony and tradition,\u201d noting their responsibility in \u201cpreserving military heritage, inspiring morale, and strengthening unity and pride within the force.\u201d<\/p>\n

For combat officers, many of whom served as enlisted soldiers, Ngafuan said their prior experience must now shape their command style. \u201cThat experience must now inform your leadership, empathy, and command responsibility,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Ngafuan reminded the graduating officers that the Republic is now placing its trust in them, urging them to exercise authority with restraint and loyalty to the Constitution.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people trust you to lead with discipline, to exercise authority with restraint, and to act at all times in defense of the Constitution and the rule of law,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Quoting former U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ngafuan warned that integrity must guide their leadership. \u201cThe supreme quality of leadership is integrity,\u201d he said, adding that integrity is essential \u201cwhen pressure is high and temptations arise.\u201d<\/p>\n

He stressed that Liberia\u2019s painful history demands a different kind of military ethos. \u201cThe army stands as a force for good, not evil. Our people should flock to it, not flee from it,\u201d Ngafuan declared.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis generation of officers is being trained differently, supported differently, and expected to lead differently,\u201d he added, noting that the AFL must remain guided by \u201claw, civilian oversight, and constitutional order.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ngafuan cautioned against arrogance and abuse of rank, reminding the graduates that true leadership is earned, not imposed.<\/p>\n

\u201cLeadership is not primarily about rank. It is about example,\u201d he said. \u201cYour authority should flow not from rank alone, but from trust earned through conduct, restraint, and professionalism.\u201d<\/p>\n

He warned, \u201cIf you find yourself constantly wielding your title to intimidate, woe to you,\u201d urging officers to focus on earning respect through character rather than command.<\/p>\n

As the graduates prepared to embark on their careers as commissioned officers, Ngafuan urged them to remain guided by the timeless military creed: \u201cDuty, Honor, Country.\u201d \u201cFor a soldier,\u201d he said, \u201cthose are the primary things that matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Turning to government support for the military, Ngafuan declared that Boakai administration commitments to the AFL are now being matched with concrete financial backing through the FY2026 budget.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs Minister of Finance and Development Planning, let me speak to the concrete support we have given to enhance this transformation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He disclosed that in the FY2026 approved national budget, the Ministry of National Defense received an allocation of US$20.7 million, with US$18.3 million directed specifically to the Armed Forces of Liberia. Of that amount, more than US$12.7 million is earmarked for compensation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe budget speaks,\u201d Ngafuan emphasized. \u201cThese achievements are promises made by the President, and they are promises kept. They are no longer just vision statements. They are line items, already budgeted, and actively being executed for the progress of our nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

He further announced a US$500,000 allocation under the Public Sector Investment Plan for the renovation of AFL barracks, building on completed works at BTC Barracks, Camp Jones, Camp Whisner, and Camp Grant.<\/p>\n

According to him, these improvements have \u201chad a tangible impact, enhancing accommodation and strengthening family stability for soldiers and their dependents.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also highlighted continued support to the 14th Military Hospital, expanded Coast Guard patrols up to 200 nautical miles offshore, the reactivation and deployment of three AFL units, extended operations along Liberia\u2019s western borders, and budgetary provisions to recruit about 500 new personnel into the AFL.<\/p>\n

In one of the most personal moments of his address, Ngafuan recounted an encounter with soldiers in Gbarnga that, he said, reinforced the human impact of government policies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey did not come with hostility; they came with heartfelt appreciation,\u201d he recalled. \u201cThey spoke with emotion about the changes we had introduced: the salary adjustments, the improved living conditions, and how these reforms had touched their lives and the lives of their comrades.\u201d<\/p>\n

Accordingly, he said, the soldiers told him that improved budgetary support allowed them \u201cto provide for their families with dignity\u201d and serve without \u201cthe constant burden of unpaid bills or the despair of deferred dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat encounter reminded me, in the most human way, that service is not measured only by policies written or programs launched,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is measured by the dignity restored to ordinary lives.\u201d<\/p>\n\r\n