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New Armed Forces of Liberia Reaches Another Milestone

DI has an important role in recruiting and training the new army

DI supports the U.S. State Department by helping Liberia recruit and train its new army. In April, 510 trainees graduated from boot camp and joined the new Armed Forces of Liberia, increasing the ranks of a well-trained force that is now nearly 1,634-strong.

“We can see reaching our mission goal of 2,000 trained soldiers by year end,” said Program Manager Jeffrey Rodriguez.

In January, nearly 1,000 people filled the grandstand at the Barclay Training Center as President and Mrs. Bush, Secretary of State Rice, President Johnson-Sirleaf and others saw the result of DI’s training efforts when more than 1,000 Armed Forces of Liberia soldiers and a 40-member band passed in review.

Ms. Ciatta Harris-Clarke is the assistant to Liberia’s minister of national defense. She graduated in March 2007 from the Ministry of Defense Command and Staff training program conducted by DI. During her January visit to Washington,

U.S. Ambassador Donald E. Booth, Lt. Col. William Wyatt, and Minister of National Defense, Brownie J. Samukai

D.C., VoiceofAmerica.com reported that she praised DI for the job it’s doing in training the new Armed Forces of Liberia, and commented on “the high standards that are being set to professionalize the new army.”


Ms. Ciatta Harris-Clarke, assistant to the Liberian minister of national defense, holding DI World.

Sudan Security Sector Transformation

The people of Sudan make a lasting impression

DI managed the construction of an Interim General Headquarters complex in Juba and refurbished the Malou Infantry School camp in Rumbek. These projects are part of the State Department’s Security Sector Transformation program in Southern Sudan.

Contracts Administrator Christine Cissa traveled from DI headquarters in Virginia to Sudan to monitor compliance and ensure that the camps met contract specifications.

“The projects were challenging, but we were able to finish on time and the end product is really very good,” she said.

Her experience in Sudan left a lasting impression. “I was touched by the culture and the people. They are extremely hard-working people who live with almost nothing, yet every morning I saw smiles, waving, children laughing and playing, camaraderie, and family.

“I was moved, too, by the simplicity of the lifestyle. There are no roads to speak of, just packed red dirt. No stoplights, no running water, and in most tuekels – huts made of straw and clay – no electricity. The few places that were lucky enough to have electricity often had a TV. Neighbors came from all around, sometimes 30 deep, to catch a glimpse of what was showing that night,” she wrote.

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DI WORLD May 2008