Liberia: Defense Minister, AFL COS to Be Recognized by US Army University

The U.S. Army University Combined Arms Center has invited Liberia’s Minister of National Defense, Major General (Retired) Daniel D. Ziankahn and the Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of Liberia, Major General Prince C. Johnson, III, to be inducted into the Command and General Staff College (CGSC) International Hall of Fame. 

The Ceremony will take place on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, at the campus of the U.S. Army University, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. 

“I would like to formally invite you to participate in our April 12, 2022, International Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony,” said the letters of invitation, signed by Donn H. Hill Major General, U.S. Army Deputy Commanding General for Education, addressed respectively to the two Liberian Defense officials. “It is our request that you accept this invitation to be inducted, in person, during a formal ceremony to be held at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. 

“The International Hall of Fame was established in 1973 for the purpose of providing a prestigious and visible means of recognizing International Officer graduates who, through military merit, achieve the highest positions of command and authority in their home military. 

“To date, 288 graduates from 77 countries have been inducted, each representing the pinnacle of military achievement in their country; borne out by the fact that nearly 50 percent of our over 8,000 International Officer graduates achieve General Officer rank,” the invitations concluded. 

The CGSC International Hall of Fame was established by the college, the Greater Kansas City Chapter of the Military Order of the World Wars and the CGSC Foundation in 1973. According to the Foundation, to be nominated for the International Hall of Fame an officer must be a graduate of CGSC and have attained, by merit, the position of leader of his or her country’s army or defense forces. Fifteen International Hall of Fame members have gone on to be heads of state or heads of government in their countries.

International military student participation in cooperative military studies in the United States originated at Fort Leavenworth with the arrival of Swiss Lieutenant Henri Le Comte in 1894. Since then, international students, representing 166 countries, have become an integral part of the Fort Leavenworth experience. These talented military officers contribute to a rich professional and cultural exchange environment. 

Minister Ziankahn and Major General Johnson will join ranks with notable foreign alumni and recipients of the International Hall of Fame, including: Rwandan President Paul Kagame; General Carlos Prats (Commander-in-Chief of the Army: Interior and Defence Minister; Vice President of the Republic of Chile); Minister of State General Mohammed F. Abo Sak of Saudi Arabia; Prime Minister and General Kringsak Chamanan of Thailand; Prime Minister and Brigadier General Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore; President Gaafar Nimeiry of Sudan, among others.