On High Instructions of HM King Mohammed VI, Supreme Commander and Chief of General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces, the combined Moroccan-American exercise “African Lion 2021” was launched Monday in Agadir.
This exercise will continue until June 18, 2021 in the regions of Agadir, Tifnit, Tan Tan, Mehbes, Tafraout, Ben Guerir and Kenitra, involving thousands of multinational military and a very large number of land, air and sea equipment.
Speaking on this occasion, Lieutenant General Belkhir El Farouk, Commander of the South Zone, said that “this exercise has reached, undoubtedly, a degree of maturity that attests to the strength of cooperation relations between our respective armies”.
“In this context, it is appropriate to emphasize that the evolution of global geopolitics, carries a lot of threats and challenges that test the military action, which is increasingly multinational in order to better understand the contingencies and constraints of commitments against hybrid threats, using multi-faceted modes of action,” he stressed.
“Also, and in order to meet the new requirements of combined military commitments, it is inexorable that the concept of interoperability is well developed between the armies, likely to intervene in multinational forces,” added El Farouk.
For his part, Major General Andrew M. Rohling, the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa commander and the U.S. Army Europe and Africa deputy commanding general, noted that African Lion is “the largest U.S. Army exercise conducted on the African continent”.
“We have developed an exercise that will provide excellent training for all participants while protecting everyone’s health and safety,” said Rohling, noting that African Lion offers realistic, dynamic and collaborative preparedness training.
“Together, we will improve interoperability and multinational cooperation, while creating strong ties between the participating armed forces,” he said.
In addition to the United States of America and the Kingdom of Morocco, the 17th edition of this exercise brings together Great Britain, Brazil, Canada, Tunisia, Senegal, the Netherlands, Italy and the Atlantic Alliance, in addition to military observers from thirty countries representing Africa, Europe and America.
The objectives of this exercise, considered one of the most important joint exercises in the world, are numerous: to reinforce the maneuver capabilities of the participating units, to consolidate interoperability between participants in the planning and conduct of joint operations within a coalition framework, to perfect tactics, techniques and procedures, develop cyber defense capabilities, train the air component to conduct fighter, support, and air-to-air refueling operations, consolidate maritime security cooperation, conduct naval tactics and conventional warfare exercises at sea, and conduct humanitarian activities.
It includes, in addition to training and simulation of command activities and training on operations against violent terrorist organizations, land, air, sea and CBRN (Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) decontamination exercises.
In addition, and as part of parallel activities with a humanitarian vocation, a medical-surgical field hospital will be deployed at Amlen (Tafraout) where medical and surgical services will be provided for the benefit of local populations in the region, by medical teams consisting of doctors and nurses of the FAR and the U.S. Army.
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.