AFL completes non-lethal weapons training

News: AFL completes non-lethal weapons training

Operation Onward Liberty

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Story by Capt. Amy Rittberger Subscribe To This Journalist

Capt. Amy Rittberger

Armed Forces of Liberia soldiers practice their building clearing skills during a non-lethal weapons training exercise at Camp Ware, Sept. 20. The culminating exercise tested the soldiers on their foot patrol, building clearing and crowd control skills. All 39 students and 11 instructors successfully completed the course and graduated Sept. 21.

MONROVIA, Liberia – Armed Forces of Liberia soldiers participated in three weeks of non-lethal weapons training at Camp Ware Sept. 3-21.

This class, non-lethal weapons phase III training, was the final iteration in three phases of training with U.S. Marine Corps Forces Africa in their goal to help African militaries sustain the program on their own.

Specialized instructors came to assist members of Operation Onward Liberty in their mentoring mission, as they seek to establish the AFL as a professional army that is operationally capable and a force for good among the Liberian people.

“The goal is to have the AFL soldiers do the training,” said U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Aaron Greenberg, Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force non-lethal weapons instructor. “Phase III is almost entirely focused on the instructors. It’s no longer basic skills we’re teaching; this phase is designed to help the AFL sustain this type of training.”

Some of the areas covered in this training were crowd control, baton training and foot patrols.

“I’m very impressed with the instructors and students,” said Greenberg. “They are motivated and are really taking ownership of the program; they want this to be their own.”

The training culminated with a final exercise Sept. 20 in which the soldiers were given a humanitarian relief scenario, with tips that some local citizens were planning to disrupt their food distribution.
The soldiers started the exercise with a foot patrol where they encountered numerous disruptive citizens, played by fellow AFL soldiers.

Other situations the soldiers were challenged with in the exercise included clearing buildings, and riot control.

“Every situation is different, and they need to know how to appropriately handle them,” Greenberg said. “The AFL is committed to the program and the skills they’re learning. They want to be a force for good and have options for different situations. They want this training so they know how to act responsibly.”

All 39 students and 11 instructors passed the course, and are now qualified to continue this type of training themselves.