Russian influence, drone attack readiness, and decorations mark this year's Africa Lion drills

The African Lion 2024 military exercise comes to an end this Friday, May 31.

More than just a military maneuver, this event, which has been held on Moroccan soil for 20 years now, bears witness to the strategic importance of relations between Morocco and the United States.

The exercise also serves as a reminded of the United States’ keenness to cement its position in Africa, and counter Russian soft power on the continent.

Some 7,000 members of the armed forces of 20 countries, as well as of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), took part in this exercise alongside the Royal Armed Forces and American forces.

With growing instability across the Sahel, rapid escalation between the US and Russia and growing popular unrest over global conflicts, the African Lion exercise offers the US  a chance to “tell their narrative in the region,” Head of the U.S. military in Africa (US AFRICOM) Gen. Michael Langley tells the Associated Press.

The US Marine Corps general, the top US military official in charge of Africa, made the remarks during a digital press briefing organized by the US State Department’s Africa Regional Media Center on Thursday afternoon, March 2, and attended by Hespress.

“For the foreseeable future, I assure you that Washington does not intend to increase its military presence in Africa, but we are strengthening our position through significant and value-added investments in a number of friendly and partner countries,” the US military official stated in a reassuring tone, despite growing Russian influence.

General Langley also discussed the priorities of his tenure in a context characterized by “increasing regional security challenges,” alluding to “the seriousness of the actions of the Russian Wagner Group militias, especially in Libya, Mali and Central Africa, in threatening regional and continental peace and security.

“The logic of the US system’s work in Africa is not only based on defense and security issues,” the US general said, responding to questions from African journalists, adding that “AFRICOM, in cooperation with the Pentagon, works to ensure national goals of security and stability so that we can reach prosperity throughout the continent.”

In addition to defense, the US official enumerated the fundamentals of the US approach in the African bush, highlighting the “diplomatic efforts and actions of the US State Department in the region,” in parallel with the “development support path” planned by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The US general warned of the risks of “the increasing spread of the threat of extremist organizations in Africa, especially the Sahel and sub-Saharan countries,” stressing “support for the efforts of West and North African countries to confront terrorist challenges.”

This year’s 20th edition has witnessed a plethora of exercises, from countering chemical attacks to flight maneuvers, the exercise grows and evolves each year to highlight the progress of both partnerships and capabilities.

The Command Post Exercise (CPX) was conducted on Tuesday as part of the activities of the joint African Lion exercise at the Joint Operations Center of the Southern Command in Agadir.

The CPX is a simulation to test the readiness and ability of the participants to ensure the full operational readiness of the joint task force.

It brought together a number of military cadres of different nationalities to train commanders and staff in the planning, execution and command of joint operations, and the implementation of coordination procedures between units.

Participant forces additionally organized a field exercise simulating “realistic conditions of an attack by two drones containing explosive devices on a chemical storage warehouse.”

This exercise enabled testing the response of Moroccan technicians from the IED (Improvised Explosive Devices) and NBC (Nuclear, Radiological, Biological and Chemical Defense) companies of the Forces’ relief and rescue unit.

King Mohammed VI, Supreme Commander and Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces, additionally presented American military officials with Royal Wissams (decorations) on Thursday at the headquarters of the South Zone General Staff in Agadir.

The recipients were Army General Michael Langley, who was awarded the Order of Military Merit, “Grand Officer Class”, and Major General Todd R. Wasmund, Commander of the U.S. Forces Africa Task Force Southern Europe (SETAF-AF) (Order of Military Merit, “Commander Class”).

The ceremony, attended by the Ambassador of the United States of America to Morocco, Puneet Talwar, also saw the decoration of Sergeant Michael Woods, AFRICOM Officer of Superior Rank (Order of Military Merit, Knight Class), and Warrant Officer Heidi Engel, Logistics Planner for the “African Lion 2024” exercise (Order of Military Merit, Knight Class).