U.S., SETAF-AF Soldiers validate first Liberian drill sergeant cadre in Careysburg

VICENZA, Italy - A mobile training team of U.S. Soldiers trained and validated 27 new Liberian drill sergeants at Camp Sande Ware in Careysburg, Liberia, June 1-21, establishing a baseline to develop future forces for the Armed Forces of Liberia.

The mobile training team, or MTT, brought together instructors from multiple organizations, including the Michigan National Guard, the U.S. Army Drill Sergeant Academy, the U.S. Army Security Assistance Training Management Organization, and civil affairs Soldiers from U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF).

Since the end of Liberia's civil war in 2003, the nation has recognized the U.S. as a key partner in its democratization and reconstruction efforts.

"The U.S. and Liberian militaries have a long history of cooperation," said U.S. Air Force Capt. Andrew Layton, a Michigan National Guard officer serving as the bilateral affairs officer at the U.S. Embassy in Liberia.

"From 2006 to 2010, the AFL was completely rebuilt and restructured with the support of U.S. defense contractors. In the years that followed, AFL personnel received drill sergeant training and qualification at the U.S. Army Drill Sergeant Academy in the U.S., but as time passed, those individuals transitioned to senior leadership positions."

To fill the instructional gap, MTT personnel developed certification standards, mentored and evaluated candidates, and taught core military subjects, including drill and ceremony, physical readiness training, rifle marksmanship, warrior tasks and battle drills. USADSA instructors on the team included Sgt. 1st Class Jacob Hamersly, Sgt. 1st Class Kinney McRae, Staff Sgt. Matthew Johnson and Staff Sgt. Roxanna Flores.

"Their combined efforts established the framework for a sustainable drill sergeant program that will enable the AFL to independently develop future drill sergeants and professionally train future generations of Liberian soldiers," Hamersly said.

The training aligns with U.S. Africa Command's Africa Enlisted Development Strategy, marking a key milestone in the AFL's capacity to manage its own training pipeline. By equipping candidates with advanced instructional techniques, the initiative strengthens Liberian defense self-reliance and supports broader regional security goals.

The Africa Enlisted Development Strategy supports partner-led efforts to build and maintain a professional, disciplined and ethical noncommissioned officer corps.

Layton noted that the AFL shares significant operational alignment with U.S. forces, including English as an official language and a shared reliance on U.S. military doctrine.

"They have a strong enlisted force and agree with the philosophy that NCOs are the backbone of their military," Layton said. "The AFL is now embarking on its most ambitious force-generation program in the last 20 years. They plan to bring in a significant number of new recruits to train under the same doctrine as the U.S., which makes for a natural partnership."

When U.S. officials structured the MTT, they integrated SETAF-AF civil affairs NCOs due to their operational experience in Africa and expertise in security cooperation. Dual-qualified as drill sergeants and civil affairs specialists, Master Sgt. Daniel Skunza and Sgt. 1st Class Gannon Romick advised team members on cultural and operational considerations while delivering direct instruction to candidates.

"Drill sergeants have a tremendous influence on the development of new recruits as their initial leaders and trainers," Skunza said. "They help shape the next generation of soldiers, so creating a highly professional cadre is extremely important. By providing drill sergeant leaders from USADSA and using that curriculum to train AFL candidates, the U.S. is helping the AFL institutionalize professional development and capacity building."

Romick emphasized that mobile training teams offer a low-cost, high-return approach to partner capacity building while sustaining readiness across U.S. forces.

"It allows U.S. forces to sustain a diverse portfolio of training and readiness," Romick said. "These military-to-military engagements are essential to maintaining an active presence in West Africa."

The civil affairs background of the team members also opened avenues for broader engagement with the host nation.

"We went out as a small team to build relationships that included the U.S. Embassy, AFL leadership, AFL members and the local population, and then we applied a CA perspective to assist all parties," Skunza said. "We were also able to conduct key leader engagements, assessments and civil reconnaissance during our four weeks in Liberia. Once we returned, we were able to take all these elements and create civil affairs products to inform future operations."

Skunza added that while the immediate objective was building an instructor cadre, the effort holds broader strategic value as Liberia assumes greater responsibility for its national defense.

"The Liberian government is demonstrating a firm commitment to national security through its first major recruitment effort in four years," Skunza said. "Expanding from 176 recruits in 2022 they are holding several basic training classes of 600 recruits. This is a substantial increase for them."

The Michigan National Guard's State Partnership Program with Liberia originated in 2009, providing sustained engagement between the state and the West African nation.

Brian Brace, AFRICOM desk officer with the Michigan National Guard, noted that Staff Sgt. Bernardino Sivley-a drill sergeant with the Michigan Guard's recruiting battalion-contributed directly to the MTT instruction. Brace highlighted that the academy reflects a broader emphasis on institutional growth within the AFL.

"Building a strong, professional force structure increases stability, and the AFL has graduated three separate noncommissioned officer [professional military education] courses in the last two years," Brace said. "Adding more professionalism to a quality instructor corps bakes those values into military organizations and sets the example for regional partners. This will spread as the AFL starts adding international students to future PME courses."

Looking ahead, Layton said the AFL plans to launch its next recruit training class in early September, supported by a follow-up assessment visit from U.S. personnel.

"We're planning to send a team back to assess the beginning of training in September, so this is really a multiphase program with the MTTs," Layton said.

Layton pointed out that expanding the AFL's training capacity demonstrated the mobile training team's own readiness and adaptability in accomplishing its mission.

"They had to tailor their approach based on local conditions since Liberia is a different environment - it's in the tropics and environmental factors such as heat, culture and infrastructure demand different requirements - and they successfully managed all those factors into their plans," Layton said. "This event demonstrated that our drill sergeant trainers could do their job anytime, anywhere in the world, no matter what."

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About SETAF-AF

U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) prepares Army forces, executes crisis response, enables strategic competition and strengthens partners to achieve U.S. Army Europe and Africa and U.S. Africa Command campaign objectives.

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