Armed Forces of Liberia complete legal training program with MI National Guard

Air Force 1st Lt. MarkLazane Operation Onward Liberty MONROVIA, Liberia --About 50 Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) personnel recently completed three weeks of intensive legal training conducted in part by Michigan National Guard members at Edward Binyah Kesselly (EBK) Military Barracks here Jan. 27. AFL personnel, including military police, investigators, provost marshals and paralegals, learned operational law as well as detainee operations at the course held inside the EBK dining facility. "It used to be, soldiers who got in trouble would just be placed in a cell without any legal justice system in place to resolve the problem," said Pfc. Joyce Acquio, an AFL military police specialist who has been in the military for four years. "These types of courses change that because they make law enforcement professionals aware of the proper procedures to follow in detaining people," he said. "Continuing these types of training help us develop our skills and processes even further." The Guard members were joined by instructors from Operation Onward Liberty, a U.S. Department of State-led training initiative that pairs U.S. service members with AFL personnel to build capacity and strength in the fledgling Liberian armed services. The Michigan National Guard legal experts were able to visit Liberia through their state partnership program, which pairs foreign countries with different state National Guard units as a way to build trust, promote interoperability and learn new tactics, techniques and procedures. Though the trainers were charged with conducting the class, the learning was definitely two-sided, said Army Lt. Col. John Wojcik, the staff judge advocate for the Michigan National Guard's joint force headquarters and the head military trainer for the training. "Our goal for this course is to teach and to learn, because they teach us about their procedures just as much as we teach them about ours," Wojcik said. "The AFL soldiers that I've come in contact with are very bright, and have a lot of capability and a lot of potential for future success. "They really understand the core constructs of the law of war, in other words, how you wage combat operations and how you are supposed to treat people whenever you are engaging in combat operations," he said. The legal training was one in a series of capacity building events designed to promote the developing AFL, which is being retrained and reequipped following several years of national strife. "This course is important to the AFL as well as the people of Liberia because it helps put in place the proper ways in which people should be detained by law enforcement," Acquio said. "The people of Liberia expect us to follow rules and laws. Training is all about muscle memory, so the more we get trained on these principles, the better we can receive the information and the more it becomes natural to us when it comes time to act," he said. Though the surroundings might differ than other training classes taught in the United States, the students are much the same in both places, Wojcik said. "The training environment is much different here than the United States," he said. "In the United States, you take the students into a classroom, you have air conditioning, proper facilities and everything else and you can really get the training across. Here, it's a little more austere, but they still train hard despite the lack of creature comforts. They still listen, participate and it's kind of neat to have lizards running across the floor during a presentation." Regardless of the austerity of the training environment, the skills being presented, as well as the manner in which the information was received, has been mutually beneficial, said Acquio and Wojcik. "The instructors here present the information in a very plain way that helps us to understand easily," Acquio said. "All the participants in this course are getting subject matter that is clear, to the point and that directly relates to our everyday jobs. This course helped clear up lots of confusion that existed and really helped us understand our roles as law enforcement professionals. "We are becoming more understanding of the role the people of Liberia trust us with in terms of good behavior and discipline in the AFL." Wojick seconded the sentiment. "The training here has been fantastic," he said. "My teaching style is not just to give people information, it's to present them information, discuss it and then have them give it back to me so that I know that they got it. The quality of soldiers is very high. The level of attentiveness that they had was great. When I'd ask a question in the group, 15 hands may go up. It's encouraging because they are completely honest about their system and that can be a tough thing to get a group to do. We want them to fix their problems; we don't want us to fix them for them, because if you fix it from the bottom up, that's how it will stick." With trainings such as this, AFL law enforcement personnel are prepared to lead their armed forces well into the future. Editor's note: Lt. Col. John Wojcik presented the ICBA Liberty Bell award to Sgt Major David L. Dunckel, co-recipient with Heather Spielmaker at the 117th annual award banquet on Nov. 2. Wojcik has been active in Service to Soldiers, the Legal Assistance Referral Program sponsored by Cooley Law School and led by Spielmaker. Published: Mon, Feb 13, 2012