PAE Graduation (2 Dec 08)

Honorable Liberian Ambassador to Sierra Leone,
Chief of Defense Staff
Distinguished representatives of the Department of Defense of Sierra Leone and Liberia
Ladies and Gentlemen, Good morning

Thank you so much for joining us here this morning to celebrate the accomplishments of these fine men and women.  Our famous American poet Robert Frost said "good fences make good neighbors," but we all know that when it comes to international neighbors, cooperation is absolutely essential. 

I am extremely pleased to see Liberian and Sierra Leonean military training together to build a stronger Mano River Union and Economic Community of West Africa States.  Regional cooperation is perhaps the greatest failsafe that exists to maintain stability in the nations of West Africa.  The United States appreciates the Mano River Union and Economic Community of West Africa States' commitment to strengthening trade and investment and security throughout West Africa.

Courses like this, which bring Liberian and Sierra Leonean military personnel together in a learning environment, encourage cooperation in addressing issues of regional concern.  Through partnership, collaboration, and trust, the nations of West Africa can approach challenges with the creativity of broad thinking and the benefit of mutual lessons learned.
Pacific Architects and Engineers, with the support of the United States Government, has done an excellent job in sustaining different types of peace support operations by providing logistical resources and training to strengthen the capabilities of ECOWAS in its regional mission.  We believe that regional cooperation can go a long way to increasing the prospects for prosperity and development in West Africa.

I am proud to recognize your achievements in completing the Security Sector Reform Course here at PAE.  You are joining a distinguished group of graduates from all over West Africa.  PAE has trained 773 soldiers from Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Mauritania, and Chad, who have studied a variety of topics to enhance security sector performance.  Graduates from previous classes have already returned to their home countries and are profoundly impacting their organizations' effectiveness.

As government servants, we are all entrusted with the care of our nation's resources including money, personnel, and equipment.  Our success depends on our ability to effectively use every available resource, stretching limited assets to get the maximum benefit for the longest period of time. I urge you to commit yourselves to maintaining safeguards against waste and abuse.  Your integrity and the success of your nations depend on it.

In addition to the technical expertise you have gained through this course, we hope you will take away a sense of the importance of teamwork.  Working together within your organizations and across borders, anything is possible. 

I congratulate you on your graduation and wish you all the best in the future.