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Rabat – The US Armed Forces and the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces, along with allies and partners from 15 countries representing Africa, Europe, and North America, arrived in Morocco yesterday for joint military exercises, known as African Lion.
These annual exercises are a combined multilateral exercise, are designed to improve the interoperability and mutual understanding of each nation’s tactics, techniques and procedures.
Approximately 900 US military personnel from various units of the US Armed Forces participate in the multilateral training with units from the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces, as well as contingents from Burkina Faso, Canada, Chad, Egypt, France, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, Spain, and Tunisia.
“African Lion is a clear demonstration of the strong bond between our militaries,” said Lt. Col. Winston Tierney, who served as the lead planner for the exercise and is now serving as the acting task force commander. “This robust, reliable relationship is the cornerstone to shaping the security environment in the region.”
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The exercises include military training in command-post activities, academics, and field training, all of which focus on fighting violent extremist organizations. Aviation training, a humanitarian civic assistance mission, and a senior leader dialogue will also be included in the joint exercises.
Lt. Col. Tierney emphasized that African Lion is an exceptional opportunity for the US Armed Forces to develop relationships with other nations and build trust in the future.
“African Lion 18 is a unique opportunity for us to get to know each other, to train together, and to provide a greater level of trust [for] when we operate together in the future,” the lieutenant added. “This exercise is a true force multiplier as it promotes regional cooperation and grows the ability of African militaries to work effectively together.”
In addition to the exercises taking place in Morocco, Tunisia will host a field training exercise accompanied by a senior leader dialogue which will address the lessons learned from the exercise. All US Forces will return to their home bases at the conclusion of the exercises on April 27.
