As the UNMIL drawdown nears to an end in Liberia and the security affairs are turned over to the Government of Liberia (GoL) and the security sector, there are major gaps and challenges that need to be addressed before the drawdown is completed. The United Nations mandate and the Comprehensive Peace Accord focus mostly on the political and security aspects with less emphasis on economy, information, social, and infrastructure. While these aspects still need to be addressed, major partners, including international partners, major donors, and the GoL, need to combine more effort in solving these gaps and challenges to enable a conducive atmosphere for the security sector to operate effectively in Liberia. The security sector in Liberia needs sufficient resources and adequate budget allocation to fully assume the role and responsibilities of UNMIL, notwithstanding the GoL and its international partner's needs to also address aspects that affect the progress of the security sector reform program.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student-authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to these studies should include the foregoing statement.)