Morocco used the opening of an international naval summit in Rabat on Tuesday to promote plans for a permanent African military training and technology centre, extending its security partnership with the United States beyond recurring exercises, according to remarks reported by Hespress on July 21.
The fourth African Maritime Forces Summit gathered naval officials from more than 40 African countries and 20 other states to discuss piracy, trafficking, illegal fishing, maritime terrorism and emerging technological threats.
Royal Moroccan Navy Inspector Rear Admiral Mohamed Tahin said Morocco wanted to strengthen maritime surveillance, information-sharing and cooperation between African navies, governments and international partners.
He linked that effort to the planned Africa Multidomain Training and Experimentation Center, or AMTEC, which Morocco and U.S. Africa Command agreed to pursue under a memorandum signed on July 13.
The Tan-Tan facility is planned to include a multidomain training area, a drone academy and a centre for developing and testing emerging military technology. AFRICOM said it aims to establish the centre by 2030, with an emphasis on low-cost systems that African partners can use against regional security threats.
Morocco already hosts African Lion, AFRICOM’s largest annual military exercise on the continent, while its navy participates in U.S.-backed exercises including Phoenix Express and Cutlass Express.
Tahin said artificial intelligence, unmanned systems, satellite surveillance and advanced data-sharing platforms were changing maritime operations and should be integrated into African security cooperation.
The summit, co-hosted by Morocco, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa and U.S. Marine Forces Europe-Africa, runs from July 20 to 24.
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