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Operation Onward Liberty
Liberia Defense Sector Reform

Operation Onward Liberty is a 5-year program, intended to provide uniformed US military mentors and advisors to the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) to develop the AFL's ability to independently sustain and train the force, contribute to the development of a professional officer and NCO corps, and institute a unit training and evaluation system that reinforces an enduring AFL ability to support the national security objectives of the government of Liberia.

In January 2010, US Africa Command (AFRICOM) began a Defense Sector Reform (DSR) program, called Operation Onward Liberty, to support existing security sector reform in Liberia, previously managed by the US Department of State as part of the Liberia Security Sector Reform (LSSR) program. Under AFRICOM's DSR, the AFL would be responsible for training its own forces on company-level basic infantry tactics, techniques and procedures, as well as providing logistics training to its soldiers. The US military, in turn, would provide about 50-60 advisors and mentors to continue the US assistance and support to the AFL's military transformation. Liberia also reactivated its Coast Guard in February 2010, and, under the DSR program, the US Coast Guard would provide a senior officer as a maritime advisor and to oversee funding and training. US Marine Corps Forces Africa (MARFORAF) was designated as the lead component for Onward Liberty by US Africa Command, but was a joint-venture between the Marine Corps, Air Force and Army. The program was coordinated with the assistance of the US and Economic Community of Western African States (ECOWAS) partner nations. The United Kingdom also participated in the program, providing at least one Ministry of Defense-level advisor.

In January 2011, MARFORAF received the first wave of new mentors at Panzer Kaserne in Germany, bound for Liberia to participate in Operation Onward Liberty. The group represented the first of a batch of what would be about 50 service members, assembled based on their individual talents and experience, tasked with providing Security Force Assistance in support of Liberian security sector reform initiatives. Essentially, the service men and women would provide training and mentorship to the AFL. In-processing and briefings were held at MARFORAF headquarters prior to the personnel heading to Monrovia, Liberia to start their 6- or 12-month tours as military advisors and mentors. The US was using a crawl, walk, run methodology and the new team of mentors would help the AFL transition through the walk phase of training in the form of platoon and eventually company-level skill sets and maneuvers.