American and Moroccan forces are participating in a joint exercise near Agadir to test new electronic warfare technologies and tactics, according to several media reports.
This operation, part of the Arcane Thunder 24 maneuvers running from August 5 to 16, is part of a broader initiative to restore and enhance military capabilities that were dismantled after the Cold War.
The reports also noted that the exercise features advanced equipment, such as high-altitude balloons and various types of drones, designed to detect and neutralize enemy radars and radio transmitters.
The same source mentioned that this could involve using the battalion’s own drone-borne jammers for temporary disruption, deploying lethal drones for a permanent solution, or relaying the coordinates to the MDTF’s artillery, which is now being equipped with its first long-range missile launchers.
“The core function of the Multi-Domain Effects Battalion,” explained the unit’s commander, Lt. Col. Aaron Ritzema, “is to find and fix potential targets, which we then pass on for further action,” during a live video feed from Morocco at the NDIA Emerging Technologies conference.
The ongoing binational exercise, according to the Breaking Defense platform, marks only the second wargame for the 2nd MDTF, which was established three years ago.
It said that Arcane Thunder 24 is far more ambitious than the unit’s first field exercise last year in Central Europe. In 2023, the Germany-based battalion could easily drive from its Wiesbaden barracks to exercise sites in Poland, as Ritzema recalled.
However, reaching Morocco required coordinating the movement of personnel, equipment, and supplies by sea and air.
“The Moroccans are fully integrated,” he noted, unlike the minimal Polish involvement last time.
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