On Friday in Tan-Tan, Morocco, African Lion 2023 came to an end with a series of realistic battle exercises. Coordinated airstrikes by Moroccan and American planes, as well as land maneuvers that simulated war operations, were all part of the exercises.

The new Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Mohamed Berrid, and Lieutenant General Michael Langley, the commander of the American military command in Africa (AFRICOM), watched two Royal Air Force F-16 fighter jets display high-speed and low-altitude aerial maneuvers as the closing ceremony got underway.

The participation of the American “B1B” strategic bomber aircraft, which flew alongside the Moroccan F-16 squadrons, was the highlight of the aerial operations. The B1B was used for the first time during the joint maneuvers of “African Lion.” It is noted for its ability to carry a variety of long-range weaponry and execute stealthy low-altitude flights.

During the drill, Moroccan and American soldiers demonstrated how its main function is to support infantry and armored force ground assaults.

Armoured personnel carriers and modern Abrams tanks from Moroccan and US ground forces participated in the field maneuvers. These training sessions included activities including heavy artillery shell shooting, accurate targeting of enemy locations, and infantry maneuvers utilizing armored vehicles.

Military engineering troops participated in the exercises as well, using vehicles to cut through obstructions and detonate them with explosives. Partner forces were able to move forward safely and execute attack and counterattack missions thanks to these actions.

Military authorities and representatives from the participating and watching nations applauded the maneuvers. The Moroccan and American military representatives were led by Lieutenant General Mohamed Berrid and the Commander of AFRICOM forces.

Read Also: African Lion 2023: Moroccan-US Airdrop maneuvers

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Today marked the formal start of the 19th iteration of the African Lion maneuvers in Morocco. Over 8,000 soldiers from 20 countries on the continent and overseas, as well as observers from 27 other countries, are taking part in the largest military exercise of its kind ever held in Africa.

According to the United States Africa Command, the African Lion maneuvers involving Moroccan and American soldiers will take place in the Mahbas region of the desert from May through next June.

The African lion exercise will also be held in the nation’s other areas, including Agadir, TanTan, Tiznit, Kenitra, Benguerir, and Tifnit, according to the MAP.

The joint Moroccan-American exercise involves a variety of joint armed operations for ground, airborne, maritime, aviation, and special forces, as well as formations pertinent to several operating locations.

The exercise this year involves combined arms live fire drills with American F-16 Fighting Falcons, KC-135 Stratotankers, and C-130J Super Hercules aircraft.

According to a statement published by the General Command of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces in April, the exercise also entails civil-military activities for the removal of radioactive, biological, chemical, and nuclear contamination.

A strong illustration of Moroccan and American military cooperation is the African Lion. The two countries decided on a ten-year road map for the area of military defense on October 2, 2020.

Cooperation between Morocco and the United States aims to raise military preparedness, proficiency, and force interoperability.

In addition, Morocco intends to promote cooperation by encouraging joint ventures to engage in the country’s military sector.

The combined exercise aims to strengthen interoperability during crises and operations to strengthen security and stability in the region. It also aims to improve defense capabilities and coordination to counter transnational threats and violent extremist groups.

The African Lion manoeuvres, in which both European and African countries participate, were started in 2007 by Morocco and the US. The joint workout happens once a year, though perhaps more than once.

Other countries, such as Ghana, Senegal, and Tunisia, host the African Lion exercise.

Read Also: WHO Director General Hails Morocco’s Efforts to Achieve Universal Health Coverage

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The Royal Armed Forces of Morocco will receive cutting-edge equipment worth more than $500 million according to a transaction approved by the US State Department.

The package contains HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems) and related equipment. On Tuesday, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency officially announced the transaction after providing the requisite clearance to the US Congress.

The agreement comprises a variety of cutting-edge military hardware, according to the Moroccan government’s purchase order, including 36 M31A2 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, 40 Army M57 Tactical Missile Systems, and 18 M142 High Mobility Rocket Launchers.

36 M30A2 Guided Missiles, 40 M28A2 Low-Cost Low-Range Portfolio Missiles, and radios with a similar “SINCGARS” capability are also included in the package. The package also includes twenty-four individual radio, long-range GPS vehicle systems and 35 long-range vehicle radio systems.

By enhancing the security of a crucial non-NATO ally that is essential to advancing political stability and economic development in Africa, the proposed arrangement will advance the foreign policy and national security goals of the United States.

The nation’s ability to recognize threats and manage its borders will also improve thanks to this military hardware, which will help Morocco to successfully counter both current and foreseeable challenges while also promoting stability and security in the region.

With the main objective of combating terrorism and violent extremist organizations active in the Maghreb and Sahel regions, the agreement will also improve cooperation between the Royal Armed Forces and US forces.

Read Also: Bolivia MP Calls Decision to Recognize Ghostly Republic ‘Wrong’, Urges Correction

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The director of Security and Defense Cooperation visited Morocco this week in order to further develop this cooperation, showing that Morocco and France’s military cooperation continues despite the turmoil that plagues their relationship.

General Régis Colcombet, Director of Security and Defense Cooperation for the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, has concluded his working visit to Morocco, according to the French Embassy in Rabat.

In a tweet posted on Friday, the embassy stated that General Colombet was able to hold “rich meetings with several Moroccan partners in security and defense cooperation” while on a working visit to Morocco.

Military affairs specialist Mohamed Chakir asserts that Spain has also encountered paradoxes comparable to the one that exists at the moment regarding Morocco’s military and security ties with France and Spain. He says that these relationships are regulated by agreements that are not affected by political difficulties since they are founded on military ties and interests, which are private and adhere to a different logic from politics.

Chakir notes that agreements governing military and security cooperation are often made on a long-term basis and are unaffected by diplomatic problems or political unrest. He also emphasizes how crucial and strategically important the military ties between Morocco and these nations are.

Since Morocco’s independence from France in 1956, there has been a long history of military cooperation between Morocco and France. Since then, Morocco has been a key ally of France in Africa, and the two nations have maintained close military ties.

Moroccan and French military cooperation has recently concentrated on counterterrorism initiatives, with both nations collaborating to fight regional terrorist groups. France has aided Morocco’s efforts to uphold peace in the Sahel by offering the G5 Sahel joint military force military and logistical support.

Read Also: Canary Islands PM to visit Morocco, as demarcation of maritime borders drags on

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On Wednesday, the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies approved the agreement for defense cooperation between Brazil and Morocco.

The agreement, according to a website announcement from the Brazilian House of Representatives, covers a number of areas, including “the exchange of visits by delegations of the two countries, the exchange of superintendents and students of military educational institutions, as well as participation in theoretical and practical courses, cultural and sporting events, humanitarian assistance, and military training.”

The action reflects “the importance and great success of Moroccan diplomacy,” according to military expert Abd Rahman Makkaoui.

Since the Moroccan Foreign Minister’s visit to the Federative Republic of Brazil in June of last year, he told Hespress AR, “several files of partnership and cooperation have been opened between the largest country in Latin America and the Kingdom in many fields, both economic and cultural, not to mention the security defense field.”

The agreement between Brazil and Morocco for defense cooperation, according to the military expert, “opens the door to several cooperation projects between the Royal Moroccan Army and the Brazilian Army.”

He emphasizes with interest Brazil’s defense industries and notes that this is specifically with regard to the exchange of experiences and training in military academies.

Brazil is one of the nations with military industrial vehicles and cutting-edge technologies, according to Makkaoui.

Since Brazil and South Africa have business ties in the military sector, which could improve relations between Morocco and South Africa, Makkaoui argues that the success of Moroccan diplomacy with the biggest regional powers in Latin America will have an impact on both the level of Latin America and Africa.

Read Also: AU: Under the leadership of HM the King, Morocco is determined to work to strengthen cooperation with African countries

The House Foreign Relations and National Defense Committee previously gave their approval to the text on December 1, 2021.

The two countries have signed seven agreements during Bourita’s visit that covered a range of topics, from defense to investment to double taxation on air and sea travel.

The decree, which ratifies the cooperation agreement between Brazil and Morocco in the field of defense and emphasizes research and development, logistical support, and the acquisition of goods and services, was adopted, according to representative Rubens Pereira Silva Jr.

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Rabat – On the High Instructions of His Majesty the King, Supreme Commander and Chief of General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces, the Lieutenant General, Inspector General of FAR and Commander of the South Zone, received on Tuesday at the General Staff of FAR in Rabat, Brigadier General Fructueux Gbaguidi, Chief of General Staff of the Beninese armed forces.

The two officials’ discussions, which took place in front of the leaders of the relevant FAR General Staff offices, according to a statement from the FAR General Staff, focused mainly on bilateral cooperation between the Royal Armed Forces and the Beninese Armed Forces.

Read Also: Morocco presents its counterterrorism and extremism strategy in Kenya

The King of Morocco and the Republic of Benin on this occasion are united by friendship, active solidarity, and mutual trust, said the Chief of General Staff of the Beninese Armed Forces and the Inspector General of FAR.

Military cooperation between the two armies was started in the 1990s, and it is primarily focused on training Beninese military personnel in FAR schools and training centers for both initial and ongoing training as well as higher military education.

The two officials expressed their satisfaction with the military cooperation’s expansion into other fields, and they reaffirmed their commitment to working to further advance this bilateral cooperation.

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According to the Iberian press, in 2022 Morocco would have purchased military supplies and equipment from Spain worth 30 million euros.

It appears that Morocco and Spain are actively collaborating on military matters. A recent revelation in the Spanish press supports this. After Rabat and Madrid’s reconciliation, Vozpopuli reports that Spain sold the Kingdom weapons worth 30 million euros. The same source claims that starting in the first half of 2022, Pedro Sanchez’s administration would have granted four licenses for the export of dual-use defense goods to Morocco.

As reported by Spanish media, 1,181 licenses for the sale of arms have been approved, generating 4,192 million euros in revenue for the Spanish industry.

In fact, European nations continue to be Spain’s main export markets, according to statistics from the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Tourism. Along with Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Mali, Morocco is listed as one of the key clients of the Iberian neighbor outside of NATO and the EU. These nations, including Morocco, have purchased weapons made in Spain for a total of about 481.1 million euros.

NATO allies imported 671.7 million euros, accounting for 52% of Spanish exports. According to Spanish media, the main customers are France, the United Kingdom, and Turkey.

Read Also: Moroccan military ranks 6th in MENA, 61st internationally

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Morocco and Israel signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on military cooperation during an official visit by a senior Israeli military delegation, the Israeli army’s spokesperson Avichay Adraee tweeted on Friday.

https://twitter.com/avichayadraee/status/1507319070651297795?s=24

According to Adraee, senior Israeli military officials met in Rabat with Moroccan military head Belkhir El-Farouk and decided to form a joint military commission to sign a joint action plan.

“The officials discussed the historical and cultural connection between the countries and mutual interests in the Middle East, and expressed their desire to promote extensive military cooperation,” Adraee posted.

Cooperation on military drills, intelligence, and military training is part of the MoU.

Morocco and Israel, along with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Sudan, have decided to re-establish diplomatic ties in December 2020.

Israeli officials, including Defense Minister Benny Gantz, inked an agreement in Rabat in November that paved the way for today’s declaration and allowed for intelligence cooperation, arms sales, and joint military training.

The Moroccan Front for Palestine Support and Against Normalization issued a statement condemning normalization and signing agreements with the “Zionist entity,” emphasizing that “this is against the will of the Moroccans and their strategic interests.”

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The Pakistan-Morocco Bilateral Joint Exercise – 2021 concluded on Saturday at the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) in Pabbi, according to the military. This is the first time the two countries have participated in a joint exercise.

During the exercise, Moroccan and Pakistani Special Forces rehearsed numerous counter-terrorism maneuvers, including cordon and search, compound clearance, close quarter battle, fast rope, rappelling, and combat medics, according to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

The training aims to share mutual counter-terrorism experience, practice and adopt best practices, and improve cooperation between the two militaries.

The conclusion ceremony was attended by senior leaders from Morocco and Pakistan.

Morocco’s and Pakistan’s special forces rehearsed numerous maneuvers related to combined counter-terrorism operations, according to the source.

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From May 23^rd to June 3^rd, 2021, Morocco and France carried out military exercises in the region of Ouarzazate, within the framework of the “excellent cooperation” between the French army and the Royal Armed Forces (FAR).

According to the French Embassy in Rabat, “this land-air training exercise ‘ALAT/FAR2021’ involving numerous units from both countries, contributed to the strengthening of the interoperability between air-land assets” of the Moroccan Armed Forces and others of the French “4th air-combat brigade of Clermont-Ferrand”.

The closing exercises of Ouarzazate 2021, which were held at the shooting field of Saghro’s operational sector near the city of Ouarzazate, were marked by the presence of France’s Ambassador to Morocco, Hélène Le Gal.

These maneuvers provided an opportunity to examine military and strategic cooperation between the Kingdom of Morocco and the French Republic.

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