Ambassador Perry's Speeches

Civil Military Relations Seminar (25 Feb 08)

Ladies and gentlemen, Good Morning

Thank you all for coming today.  It is heartening to see so many representatives from the Sierra Leone Parliament, the Office of National Security, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Justice, the National Police, Prisons and Customs here today to discuss the importance of Civil-Military Relations.
 
It was especially gratifying during the August Presidential and Parliamentary Elections and the September Presidential Run-Off Election to see the military and national police working in tandem with each other and with the National Electoral Commission to ensure that the citizens of Sierra Leone could freely and safely exercise their right to vote for the leaders of this nation.  Without your efforts, the voices of the Sierra Leonean people would not have been heard as clearly as they were.  The elections were a model for democratic nations across Africa and indeed the world.

In a democracy, like Sierra Leone, some of the most critical decisions the leaders must take are decisions about peace, war and national security.  Those decisions must always be taken with the best interests of the people at the front of mind, and must take into account the various perspectives of different segments of the population and the government.  The military has a crucial role to play in that decision making process, informing the policymakers of the military realities on the ground and the strategic goals that must be taken into account.  Likewise, the leadership of the country has an obligation to carefully weigh the concerns of the military along with the concerns and interests of the civilian, security, and other segments of the population.  When tough decisions are being made, the importance of positive civil military relationships truly shine through – they ensure that decisions are mutually beneficial for all involved.

In the United States, we reflect with pride on over 230 years of military history without a single coup or period of arbitrary military rule.  I wish I could share with you today the secret behind that success, but I don’t think there is a simple reason.  Some believe it goes back to our Revolutionary War, at which time the colonists raised an Army that was strictly voluntary. Conditions during the most critical times of our war for independence were harsh – food was scarce, shelter was difficult to find, cold weather, poor clothing and late or absent salaries added to the troubles of the volunteer soldiers.

On one occasion the troops considered staging a military coup to protest their unpaid salaries, and sought support from their former commander of the revolutionary army, General George Washington, who was later to be elected first president of the United States.. General Washington refused to support the coup, and called for the Army to disband, return to civilian life and support the elected leaders.

Many believe General Washington’s commitment to the elected leaders set the tone of loyalty to the civilian government from the first days of our nation. Whatever the reason, the American tradition of the volunteer citizen-soldier has worked for us for more than 200 years.  While each nation is different, the principles of respect for civilian government are a basic tenet of all democracies, and we are proud to share that value with the Republic of Sierra Leone.

This week, you will discuss peace, war, democracy, and a lot of other very big ideas.  I encourage you to remember that the citizens of democratic nations value the contributions of the military toward protecting the nation from external enemies, but they expect every member of the military to maintain a sense of professionalism, commitment to preservation of peace and security, and loyalty to the elected leaders.

Thank you again for coming to this seminar and I encourage you to open your mind to the ideas being presented so you may reap the full benefit.