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Marrakech – Morocco and the United States reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening counterterrorism cooperation during a bilateral dialogue held in Washington on July 8, as the two countries continue to deepen a security partnership approaching its 250th year.
The session was co-chaired by US Acting Principal Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism Monica Jacobsen and Ismail Chekkori, Director of Global Affairs Issues at Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Both delegations agreed to build on ongoing initiatives to “defeat terrorist groups, including AQIM, ISIS, and other Morocco and US-designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations, across the region and the globe,” the US Mission in Morocco stated.
The talks also addressed “coordination on terrorism designations and countering terrorism financing, as well as ways to stem terrorist violence in the Sahel.”
The US Embassy in Rabat noted that the meeting “highlighted the longstanding partnership between the United States and Morocco to promote regional security and stability.” It added that both countries “committed to continuing our enduring partnership to disrupt terrorist threats and protect the interest of our citizens.”
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The dialogue came just days before a separate high-level defense development that gave concrete operational expression to the partnership.
On Monday, July 13, the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) and US Africa Command (AFRICOM) signed a memorandum of understanding at AFRICOM headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, to establish the Africa Multidomain Training and Experimentation Center (AMTEC) in Tan-Tan, Morocco, by 2030.
Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces Gen. Mohammed Berrid led the Moroccan delegation on instructions from King Mohammed VI. AFRICOM Commander Gen. Dagvin Anderson co-signed the agreement.
AMTEC will comprise three components: a Multidomain Training Area capable of operating across the full electromagnetic spectrum and in contested environments, a Drone Academy to train operators and instructors from Morocco and African partner nations, and an Innovation and Experimentation Center focused on low-cost, scalable solutions for counterterrorism and regional security.
The Drone Academy specifically targets counter-terrorism capabilities against threats in West Africa. It will train students to integrate small unmanned aerial systems into operations, with a focus on airspace deconfliction, strike capabilities, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance synchronization.
In Gen. Berrid’s assessment, Morocco’s “existing facilities and skilled personnel” ensure “rapid progress from concept to operational reality” and provide both countries’ defense industries a “reliable and capable partner for joint innovation and export opportunities.”
Gen. Anderson framed AMTEC as “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.” African Lion 2027 will serve as a proof of concept for the center.
Both the counterterrorism dialogue and the AMTEC agreement fall within the framework of the 2026-2036 Defense Cooperation Roadmap signed in Washington on April 15.
That roadmap has since gained legislative traction through Section 1268 of S. 4784, the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act. Introduced by Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker on June 15, the provision directs the Pentagon to submit a plan to enhance defense cooperation with Morocco within 180 days of enactment.
The NDAA section covers cooperative security locations on Moroccan soil, counterterrorism cooperation, force modernization through procurement of American defense articles, the establishment of an all-domain range complex, and the creation of a drone center of excellence.
It also directs the Pentagon to expand the scope and scale of bilateral and multilateral exercises, specifically naming African Lion, to incorporate cybersecurity, drone and counter-drone operations, undersea technologies, hybrid warfare, critical infrastructure protection, and the countering of adversarial artificial intelligence and autonomous systems.
The provision further calls for assessing the feasibility of a cost-sharing arrangement to refurbish strategic air command runways formerly operated by the United States in Morocco – objectives that track directly with both the Washington dialogue and the Stuttgart agreement.
Morocco has held Major Non-NATO Ally status since 2004. The United States currently supplies approximately 60% of the country’s arms imports.
