Doha – Lieutenant General Mohammed Berrid, Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) and Commander of the Southern Zone, convened with US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Charles Brown, in a critical telephone discussion on Tuesday, following a request from US military leadership.
During their exchange, both military chiefs stressed that the African Lion exercise, conducted in Morocco since 2004, represents “the best illustration of the solidity and depth of the Moroccan-American strategic partnership,” according to a statement from the FAR General Staff.
“Yesterday I spoke with the Inspector General of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces about security issues in Sahel and Maghreb,” General Brown announced on X following the call. “Morocco is one of our oldest allies; we will continue to support one another in the face of evolving security challenges.”
The conversation centered on matters of mutual interest, particularly regional security and methods to unite efforts in addressing current regional challenges and threats.
This high-level military dialogue occurs within the context of extensive bilateral defense cooperation. Morocco, designated as a Major Non-NATO ally in 2004, is Africa’s largest purchaser of US military equipment, with active government-to-government sales reaching $8.545 billion under the Foreign Military Sales system.
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The defense partnership has deepened through various channels, including Morocco’s receipt of $478 million in equipment through the Department of Defense’s Excess Defense Articles program since 2013.
The United States has also provided Morocco with $135 million in Foreign Military Financing since 2012 and $32 million for International Military Education and Training since 2006.
The relationship extends to counterterrorism efforts, with Morocco joining the anti-ISIS Global Coalition in 2014 as the first Maghreb country to do so.
The North African country currently serves as co-chair of the Coalition’s Africa Focus Group and participates in the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership since 2005.
The African Lion exercise, which the two officers mentioned during their call, has evolved into Africa’s largest joint military exercise under US Africa Command since 2008, drawing participation from more than twenty countries and NATO forces annually.
These partnerships are projected to strengthen further under President Trump’s second administration.
