Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces (Liberia)

Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces
Incumbent Davidson F. Forleh since 31 January 2025
Armed Forces of Liberia
Type	Chief of staff
Abbreviation	COS – AFL
Appointer	The president with Senate advice and consent
Term length	At the pleasure of the president
Formation	1909
First holder	Major R. Mackay Cadell
Deputy	Vice Chief of Staff
Website	Official website

The chief of staff is the professional head of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Liberia. The chief of staff is appointed by the president of Liberia, who is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces according to the Constitution.

List of officeholders

Liberia Frontier Force

No.	Portrait	Name (born–died)	Term of office			Ref.
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
?		Harper, Alexander Major General Alexander Harper	1952	1954	1–2 years	–
?		Jackson, Abraham Lieutenant General Abraham Jackson	1954	1956	1–2 years	[1]

Armed Forces of Liberia

Portrait	Name (born–died)	Term of office			Ref.
		Took office	Left office	Time in office
Chief of staff
	Lieutenant General Abraham Jackson	1956	1960	3–4 years	[1]
	Lieutenant General George T. Washington (born 1928)	1965	1970	4–5 years	[2]
	Lieutenant General Henry Korboi Johnson	1970	September 1979	8–9 years
	Franklin J. Smith	September 1979	1980
	Brigadier General Edwin Lloyd	?	May 1980	?	[3] [1]
Commanding general
	Brigadier General Thomas Quiwonkpa (1955–1985)	May 1980	1983	2–3 years	[3]
	Lieutenant General Henry Dubar	1983	30 June 1990	9–10 years	[4]
	Lieutenant General Charles Julue	30 June 1990	5 July 1990	5 days	[5]
	Lieutenant General Hezekiah Bowen (1943–2010)	1990	1997(?)	6–7 years
Chief of staff
	Lieutenant General Prince C. Johnson II (?–1999)	August 1997	November 1999 †	2 years, 5 months	[6] [7]
	Lieutenant General Kpengbai Y. Konah	25 November 1999	February 2006	6 years, 3 months	[7] [8]
Command officer-in-charge
	Major General Luka Yusuf (1952–2009)	February 2006	May 2007	1 year, 119 days
	Major General Suraj Abdurrahman (1954–2015)	6 June 2007	11 February 2014	6 years, 250 days	[9]
Chief of staff
	Major General Daniel Dee Ziankhan (born 1971)	11 February 2014	5 February 2018	3 years, 360 days	[10]
	Major General Prince C. Johnson III (born 1976)	5 February 2018	5 February 2024	6 years	[11] [12]
	Brigadier General Davidson Fayiah Forleh	25 March 2024	Incumbent	1 year, 134 days	[13]

Deputy chiefs of staff

• Colonel Daniel Moore (-11 February 2013) ^[14]
• Colonel Eric Wayma Dennis (11 February 2013-8 August 2016) ^[15]
• Brigadier General Prince Charles Johnson III (14 November 2016-6 February 2018) ^[16]
• Brigadier General Geraldine George (since 6 February 2018)

References

1. Ministry of National Defense (Liberia), Armed Forces Today, Vol. 2, No.1, February 11, 2008, p.63. Note that this source gave Dubar's period in office as 1980-90, which in view of Quiwonkpa's tenure, is patently incorrect.
2. Roberts et al, Area Handbook for Liberia, 1972, p.xxxi, gives Washington's succession as 1970. His successor Johnson was a former assistant to General Washington.
3. Admin (12 November 2018). "Liberia: Thomas Quiwonkpa And The Coup That Failed, This Day in History". frontpageafricaonline.com. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
4. Huband, Mark (2013). The Liberian Civil War. Routledge. p. 135. ISBN   9781135252144.
5. "Liberian Troops Reported to Loot Capital Shops as Rebels Advance". Reuters. The New York Times. 6 July 1990. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
6. Nicholai Hart Lidow (2011). Violent Order: Rebel Organization and Liberia's Civil War. Stanford University. pp. 175, 177. STANFORD:cd347ss0802.
7. Kahler, Peter (18 November 1999). "Liberia: Taylor Names New Army Chief Of Staff". Panafrican News Agency. Dakar. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
8. Kpan, Veronica. "Liberia: Defense Envisages Unethical Army". allafrica.com. Analyst Liberia online. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
9. "Immediate Past COS". mod.gov.lr. Ministry of National Defense. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
10. Admin (25 January 2018). "AFL Retires Gen. Ziankahn…New Chief Of Staff Says Challenges In Military Will Be Mitigated". theinquirerlib.com. Archived from the original on 17 August 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
11. Daily Observer. Defense Minister, Chief of Staff Receive Senate Blessings Archived 2021-02-26 at the Wayback Machine
12. RFI (14 February 2024). "Liberia: les femmes de militaires obtiennent la démission du ministre de la Défense". Radio France International . Retrieved 14 February 2024.
13. "Liberia: Boakai distingue le nouveau chef d'Etat-major, le Général Davidson Forleh". Koaci (in French). 26 March 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
14. Kwanue, C.Y., 2016, 'AFL Deputy Chief of Staff Col. Eric Dennis Dies', Daily Observer (Liberia), 9 August 2016.
15. Kwanue, C.Y., 2016, 'AFL Deputy Chief of Staff Col. Eric Dennis Dies', Liberian Daily Observer (Monrovia), 9 August 2016.
16. Kwanue, C.Y., 2016, 'Lt. Col. Prince Johnson Named New AFL Deputy Chief of Staff', Liberian Daily Observer (Monrovia), 14 November 2016, accessed 17 November 2016 Archived November 20, 2016, at the Wayback Machine >