Moroccan, U.S. Troops to Hold Military Exercise “African Lion” April 18-27
Moroccan and American servicemen will organize their joint annual military exercise “African Lion” from April 18 to 27 in southern Morocco, according to press reports.
This military drill seeks to improve interoperability and mutual understanding of each nation’s tactics, techniques and procedures. It involves various types of training including command post, live-fire and maneuvering, peace keeping operations, an intelligence capacity building seminar, aerial refueling/low-level flight training, as well as medical and dental assistance projects.
The year’s exercise will be conducted with the goal to establish a Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF) while performing exercises that meet “Peace Operations under UN mandated processes and procedures.”
Forces from Germany, Canada, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Tunisia, Mauritania and Senegal will also take part in the exercise. The 2015 “African Lion” was conducted last May in Agadir and included American combat equipment, such as amphibious assault vehicles.
Moroccan forces have carried out lately a month-long operational training in Sennybridge, South Wales, with the Royal Gibraltar Regiment (RG.)
The RG continued its ‘close relationship’ with the Moroccan Armed Forces at Exercise Jebel Tarik, and invited members of the Forces Armées Royale (FAR) to join. A week before deployment to Sennybridge, 20 FAR personnel arrived in Gibraltar and underwent pre-deployment training.
“It is good to work with foreign troops, particularly the Moroccans, given the fact we have been working with them for over 15 years now,” said Chief Instructor Sgt Joshua Whitaker.
“These opportunities allow us to share ideas on best practices and enable the RG to continue developing its special relationship that has been in place for such a long time. The FAR troops were highly motivated and competent soldiers that engaged with us instantly and became fully integrated with the company from the outset,” he stressed.
