Morocco and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday to establish a joint military training and experimentation center in Tan-Tan, expanding bilateral defense cooperation and positioning the kingdom as a regional hub for training, drone operations and defense innovation for African partner nations.
The agreement was signed at U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, by Gen. Mohammed Berrid, inspector general of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces and commander of the Southern Zone, and Gen. Dagvin Anderson, commander of AFRICOM, during an official visit carried out under instructions from King Mohammed VI.
Known as the Africa Multidomain Training and Experimentation Center (AMTEC), the facility is expected to be developed in Tan-Tan by 2030 and will comprise three main components: a multidomain training area, a drone academy and an innovation and experimentation center. AFRICOM said the project is designed to strengthen operational readiness, technological innovation and interoperability among Moroccan, U.S. and African partner forces.
According to AFRICOM, the multidomain training area will provide an environment where forces can train across land, air, maritime, cyber and electromagnetic domains under contested operational conditions.
The drone academy will train operators, planners and instructors from Morocco and partner countries across Africa, with a focus on integrating small unmanned aerial systems into military operations, including intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and counterterrorism missions.
The innovation and experimentation center will support the development, testing and evaluation of emerging defense technologies while encouraging cooperation between industry, universities and research institutions in Morocco, the United States and Africa. AFRICOM said the facility is intended to accelerate affordable and scalable defense solutions while providing opportunities for joint industrial development and technology transfer.
“The Africa Multidomain Training and Experimentation Center will increase readiness and advance capabilities of both nations,” Anderson said in a statement. He described the project as an opportunity for U.S., Moroccan and African defense industries and academic institutions to develop and test emerging technologies together.
Berrid said Morocco’s existing military infrastructure and trained personnel would allow the project to move quickly from concept to implementation while providing a platform for joint innovation and export opportunities between Moroccan and U.S. industries.
AFRICOM said the first operational demonstration of the concept is expected during the African Lion 2027 exercise, when new technologies could be tested in multinational training scenarios before wider deployment.
The annual African Lion exercise, jointly organized by Morocco and the United States since 2004, has become the largest multinational military exercise on the African continent and serves as the cornerstone of bilateral military cooperation between Rabat and Washington.
add your comment
Terms of publication : Not to offend the writer, people, sacred things, or attack religions or the divine self, and refrain from racist incitement and insults.