The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) Major General Prince C.Y. Johnson has disclosed that accommodation of soldiers is a major challenge hindering the recruitment of more personnel.
Speaking at the Center for Exchange of Intellectual Opinions (CEIO) on Wednesday, December 30, 2020, in Monrovia, the Liberian Army Chief said in the past, the US Government, ECOWAS and UN were renovating and building homes for soldiers and providing logistics.
But he said currently, the Liberian Government to a larger extent is responsible for this. General Johnson stressed the need for the recruitment of more personnel in the AFL.
However, he was quick to add that this is not possible when there is no accommodation for those who will be recruited.
“According to LISGIS, the average Liberian household is six. So, if you take a man and recruit him in the army, you must expect that he and family will have to be accommodated,” he said.
The AFL boss said though there are challenges confronting the army, but there are already guidelines and framework to mitigate these challenges even with a limited budget.
On the issue of logistics, General Jonson said the AFL has transitioned from lite infantry to motorized infantry because of the improvement of technologies which, he said, calls for the need for more budgetary support.
Another challenge he mentioned was the issue of operationalizing the 14th Military Hospital which will be used by the army after COVID-19 to cater to the health needs of soldiers.
He thanked the US government and ECOWAS for their continuous support in providing some basic logistics for the AFL.
Gen. Johnson also thanked President George Manneh Weah and the Minister of Defense Daniel Ziankan for the efforts they are making to ensure that the AFL is improved to meet all international military standards.