Rabat – The USS Paul Ignatius (DDG117), a US Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, carried out a bilateral naval exercise with Morocco’s Royal Navy from December 2-4 in the Atlantic Ocean.
According to a statement from the US embassy, the exercise dubbed Atlas Handshake followed a port visit in Agadir to reflect the ongoing friendship and cooperation between the US and Morocco.
“During this iteration of Atlas Handshake, USS Paul Ignatius and RMNS Tarik Ben Ziyad conducted interoperability training to include visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) training, a combined anti-submarine warfare exercise, and a live fire event on a Moroccan range,” the statement said.
Joseph Phillips, commanding officer of USS Paul Ignatius, emphasized the importance of cooperation with the US, stating that the training with the Moroccan navy is key to boosting collective lethality against illicit maritime activity.
“Exercises like this ensure our forces are ready, lethal, and postured to safeguard against any threat to U.S. interests in Africa and around the globe,” Phillips explained.
The US Navy also emphasized the strength of cooperation between the two countries in boosting regional peace, security, and prosperity, against illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing, in addition to other security challenges like trafficking, piracy, and other maritime crime.
US Ambassador to Morocco, Duke Buchan III, also stressed the importance of cooperation between the two countries, stating that the military partnership with Rabat is strong and growing.
This strength of cooperation reflects the two countries’ “shared commitment to regional security and stability,” he elaborated.
“The United States remains dedicated to supporting Morocco and African partners in protecting maritime resources and ensuring the secure flow of global trade.”
USS Paul Ignatius is named after former Secretary of the Navy Paul R. Ignatius. The destroyer is deployed with the US 6th fleet to support the readiness and mission capabilities of US Naval Forces in Europe and Africa.
Its goal is to protect the US and partners’ interests in the two regions. The US 6th Fleet is based in Naples, Italy, carrying out a wide range of naval operations with partners to promote security and stability across Europe and Africa
