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Agadir – Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces and the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the Africa Multidomain Training and Experimentation Center (AMTEC), a joint initiative aimed at strengthening military training, innovation, and emerging defense technologies in Africa.
The memorandum was signed today at AFRICOM Headquarters, launching plans to develop the center in Tan-Tan by 2030.
AMTEC will comprise three main components: a Multidomain Training Area (MDTA), a Drone Academy, and an Innovation and Experimentation Center, designed to enhance operational readiness, technological innovation, and regional security cooperation.
“Morocco’s readiness, demonstrated by our existing facilities and skilled personnel, ensures rapid progress from concept to operational reality and provides the Morocco and US industries with a reliable and capable partner for joint innovation and export opportunities,” said General Mohammed Berrid, Inspector General of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces and Commander of the Southern Zone.
According to AFRICOM, the MDTA will provide a dedicated training environment where forces and military systems can prepare to operate across multiple domains and under contested conditions.
A key feature of the facility will be its ability to support operations across the full electromagnetic spectrum, enabling realistic training scenarios in complex operational environments.
Drone training for African partners
The Drone Academy will focus on training operators, planners, and instructors from Morocco and partner nations across Africa. The program aims to strengthen counterterrorism capabilities, particularly against threats in West Africa, by equipping participants with the skills to integrate small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) into military operations.
Training will emphasize airspace deconfliction, multidomain integration, strike capabilities, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance synchronization.
Meanwhile, the Innovation and Experimentation Center will accelerate the development, testing, and evaluation of emerging defense technologies, with an emphasis on affordable and scalable solutions for counterterrorism and regional security operations.
The initiative also seeks to foster collaboration with universities and research institutions by integrating academic experts into multidisciplinary design teams working on next-generation technologies.
“The Africa Multidomain Training and Experimentation Center will increase readiness and advance capabilities of both nations,” said General Dagvin Anderson, commander of US Africa Command. “This partnership represents a great opportunity for US and African defense industrial bases as well as academic institutions to experiment, innovate and develop scalable, adaptable solutions across emerging technologies.”
Supporting defense innovation and economic development
Beyond military cooperation, AFRICOM said the project is expected to support technological innovation and economic development by expanding network capabilities in remote and underserved areas. The center will also provide Moroccan and US industry developers with a cost-effective environment for testing advanced technologies.
AMTEC is expected to serve as a testbed for future wireless communications and sensing technologies, with the goal of translating research and innovation into operational capabilities while supporting joint industrial development.
As part of the project’s rollout, African Lion 2027 will serve as the first proof of concept for AMTEC.
The annual Morocco-hosted African Lion exercise provides a platform for integrating advanced technologies into real-world operational environments, allowing military personnel and industry partners to test artificial intelligence-enabled systems, autonomous platforms, and advanced communications technologies before their broader operational deployment.
