African Lion 2023: Moroccan-US disaster management cooperation; airdrop Maneuvers

As part of the 19th edition of the ongoing African Lion drills, a synthetic exercise on Moroccan-US cooperation in disaster management took place on Sunday at the military port of Agadir, to assess the responsiveness of the Royal Armed Forces Rescue and Assistance Unit (USS-FAR) to a suicide drone attack presenting a crisis situation linked to chemical risks.

According to Lieutenant Hossam El Khazi, Deputy Commander of the USS-FAR, the exercise scenario involved two unmanned suicide drones containing an explosive device targeting a chemical warehouse.

The exercise also involved the discovery of improvised explosive devices that caused an explosion and injured dozens of people.

During the simulation exercise, the USS FAR explosive ordnance disposal team carried out a preliminary reconnaissance using robots and sophisticated equipment to locate the IEDs safely and accurately.

This was followed by the neutralization of suicide drones, risk assessment, and the triage and regrouping of victims.

An EOD team was also deployed to carry out search operations, in addition to detecting the site of the disaster and carrying out emergency decontamination of elements of the explosive ordnance disposal team following the presence of chemicals.

The USS FAR also neutralized and destroyed the improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and took chemical samples, before treating the victims and opening a criminal investigation.

The representative of the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), Kelly Veenden, said he was pleased to take part in this exercise, which is part of the strengthening of the partnership and age-old joint cooperation between the US Armed Forces and the FAR.

The aim of the exercise is to assess the USS FAR’s ability to react to a CBRN attack, in close cooperation with American players in the field of Nuclear, Radiological, Biological, Chemical and Explosive (NRBCE) response.

On the sidelines of the exercise, media representatives were given a guided tour of the Royal Navy’s “Tarik Ibn Ziyad” multi-mission frigate and a U.S. Marine Corps Forces frigate.

On Saturday, Aircraft from the two countries’ armies took part in airdrop maneuvers at the Benguerir military base.

After the airdrop of a batch of military equipment, which had been conditioned by Moroccan and American executives at the Kenitra air base, aircraft from the two armies carried out a series of mass airdrop operations on the drop zone, with the execution, once the aircraft had landed, of a ground maneuver aimed at carrying out the assigned mission.

Paratroopers from the FAR and the US Armed Forces carried out an airdrop exercise, to reinforce the operational interoperability of the two countries’ paratroopers and promote their joint action, Major Mohamed El Kouiti, from the 2nd Parachute Infantry Brigade at the Benguerir military base, told the press on the sidelines of the maneuvers.

During this collective airdrop operation, military officers from both armies conducted a tactical exercise, demonstrating their ability to carry out a wide range of joint maneuvers, explained El Kouiti.

For his part, Lieutenant-Colonel John Staeheli, Battalion Commander of U.S. Forces Africa’s Southern Europe Task Force (SETAF), said the combined joint operation, which brought together 240 Moroccan and American paratroopers, offered the exercises “we need to fight and win” together on the contemporary battlefield.

Staeheli emphasized that the African Lion exercise is an illustration of the long-standing security relationship between the two countries, saying he was more convinced than ever that “we are stronger when we are together.”

The main aim of these maneuvers is to harmonize tactical, technical, and logistical procedures, from the planning phase through to conduct in the field, and to develop the capabilities of the two armies in the field of force projection.

The airdrop maneuvers involve setting up a joint operational center to monitor the various situations and airborne maneuvers, pooling efforts, particularly in terms of air and medical logistics, carrying out combined load conditioning and splitting the airborne echelon and its complement, and coordinating plans for grounding and maneuvering on the ground.

African Lion is a combined joint exercise organized annually by the Royal Armed Forces and the U.S. Armed Forces.

African Lion 2023, which will run until June 16, in seven regions of Morocco, namely: Agadir, Tan-Tan, Mehbes, Tiznit, Kénitra, Benguérir and Tifnit, remains an annual event that contributes to consolidating Moroccan-American military cooperation, and reinforcing exchanges between the armed forces of different participating countries, with a view to promoting security and stability in the region.