In accordance with the High Instructions of His Majesty the King, Supreme Leader and Chief of General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces, the Moroccan and American Forces are co-organizing, until May 8, the 22nd edition of the “African Lion” exercise.
At the headquarters of the South Zone General Staff in Agadir, an opening ceremony was organized on Monday announcing the official launch of this multinational joint exercise in the presence of representatives of participating countries.
During this ceremony co-chaired by Major General Mohammed Benlouali, Chief of Staff of the Southern Zone and Brigadier General Daniel Cederman, deputy to the commander of the US Army Task Force for Southern Europe and Africa (SETAF-AF), the overall concept of the exercise and the related activities of this 22nd edition were presented.
Speaking on this occasion, Major General Mohammed Benlouali indicated that this event constitutes an advanced strategic step in the process of consolidating the constructive military partnership between the FAR and the American Armed Forces, in all their components, as well as with their counterparts from participating sister and friendly countries.
This exercise aims to strengthen partnership and integration in the areas of planning, raise the level of operational readiness, thus contributing to the gradual improvement of operational performance, the expansion of fields of cooperation, as well as the improvement of expertise and skills at different levels and in various specialties, he added.
For his part, Brigadier General Daniel Cederman stressed that partnership constitutes the foundation of the “African Lion” exercise, noting that the objectives of this year are clear: “increase readiness, strengthen interoperability and improve our ability to execute joint missions in complex environments”.
And added that “We are building forces capable of responding quickly and effectively to common challenges.”
More than 5,000 elements of the armed forces from approximately 40 participating and observer countries are taking part alongside the FAR and the American Armed Forces in these innovative military maneuvers.
Scheduled to take place in Benguerir, Agadir, Tan-Tan, Taroudant, Dakhla and Tifnit, the “African Lion 2026” exercise includes several activities including tactical, land, maritime and air exercises, combined, day and night, a special forces exercise, airborne operations, as well as a field command exercise.
The current edition is distinguished by an extension into rapidly changing areas, notably outer space, electromagnetic warfare and cyberspace, with the integration of unmanned aerial systems in the planning and conduct of operations.
This twenty-second edition also includes training to combat weapons of mass destruction and medico-surgical and social services provided for the benefit of the population of the El-Faid region (Taroudant) by a military field hospital and other services in Dakhla.
As preparation for the exercise, academic training, launched on March 20 and will continue until April 30, aims to effectively prepare for the command exercises and maneuvers to come, by allowing participants to familiarize themselves with the content that they will implement during the planning and execution phases.
This initial phase known as “academics”, which constitutes the basis of the exercise, is structured around 20 specialized modules dedicated to the coordinated mastery of emerging technologies (unmanned aerial systems, Cybersecurity, satellite operations, etc.).
Contributing to the strengthening of operational, technical and procedural interoperability between the participating armies, the “African Lion 2026” exercise, the largest exercise conducted in Africa, remains an unmissable event where military executives come together to exchange procedures and experiences, particularly in terms of training and combined joint training.
This twenty-second edition testifies to the sustainability which characterizes the cooperation between the FAR and the American Armed Forces, reflecting the historical and solid links which bind the two countries.
