Ministry of National Defense (Liberia)

The Ministry of National Defense is the government ministry responsible for the maintenance of the national defense and the governance of the military of Liberia, the Armed Forces of Liberia.

History
An amendment to the Liberian Constitution allowed the previously named War Department to be renamed the Department of National Defense on February 25, 1955. Then, during the early years of President William Tolbert's Administration after 1971, all departments were renamed Ministries and thus the organization became the Ministry of National Defense. Retired General Ziankahn remains the Minister of Defence.

Secretaries of War and the Navy (1848-1971)

 * Joseph Jenkins Roberts (1848-1876)
 * Reginald A. Sherman (1876-1892)
 * Colonel Anthony D. Williams, Jr. (1892-1900)
 * George B. Padmore
 * Robert T. Sherman
 * Wilmot H. Dennis
 * Columbus Harris
 * Isaac Moart
 * James F. Cooper
 * B.W. Payne
 * James W. Cooper
 * Momolu Massaquoi
 * Joseph Dennis
 * Henry Reed Cooper
 * J. Foulton Dunbar
 * Wilkins Tyler
 * Isaac Whisnant
 * Ernest C.B. Jones
 * Ernest J. Yancy
 * Harrison Grisby
 * Robert A. Brewer (c. 1967-1971)

Ministers of Defense (1971-present)

 * Everett Jonathan Goodridge
 * Allen H. Williams
 * Harry A. Greaves (1976–1978)
 * M. Burleigh Holder (1978–1979)
 * James Y. Gbabee (1979–1980)
 * Samuel Bennie Pearson (April 1980-1981)
 * Albert Karpeh (1981-1982)
 * Grey Dio-Glaye Allison (1982-August 1989 )
 * J. Boima Barclay (1989–9 September 1990 )
 * J. Hezekiah Bowen (1995–1997 )
 * Daniel Chea (1997–2006), as National Transitional Government of Liberia Defense Minister
 * Brownie J. Samukai (2006–2017)
 * Major General Daniel Ziankahn (22 January 2018-9 February 2024)
 * Prince C. Johnson III (9 February 2024-12 February 2024)
 * Brigadier General Geraldine J. George (13 February 2024-)

Building
The Ministry's three-story building used to be located on Benson Street in downtown Monrovia, but upon the conclusion of the DynCorp army training effort in Liberia, moved to the Barclay Training Center, also located in central Monrovia, in July 2009. In early August 2009 the Ministry's Comptroller was dismissed, apparently for misappropriating US$50,000 intended for paying soldiers of the rebuilt AFL.