Morocco’s Military Buildup Raises Concerns in Spain as Regional Power Shifts

Morocco is strengthening its army to compete with or even surpass Algeria and become the military power of the region. The kingdom has strengthened its military capabilities, far exceeding those of Spain. A situation that is becoming worrying for Spain, given the kingdom’s claims on Ceuta, Melilla, the Spanish islands and rocks. Morocco has diversified its sources of arms procurement for years, buying weapons from its privileged partner, the United States, but also from Israel, France and Spain, reports El Español.

Morocco plans to acquire a batch of HIMARS rocket launchers, as well as various ammunition and long-range glide bombs from the United States. Information revealed in recent days by documents from the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the agency responsible for analyzing and approving arms exports. The HIMARS rocket launcher is considered one of the best in the world due to its high precision and the military capabilities it offers to its owner.

According to the DSCA document, the HIMARS consists of 18 M142 platforms, plus 36 M31A2 rockets and 36 M30A2 rockets. It is equipped with a high-precision GPS system and has a range between 15 and 92 km. The launchers and the 72 rockets are accompanied by a set of 40 ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile Systems) units. This tactical missile, 4 meters long and weighing 1,670 kg, has a range between 70 and 300 km.

The version of the ATACMS provided to Morocco is the M57, which uses the WDU-18/B warhead, the same warhead used by the AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missile. These military equipment cost Morocco a little over $524 million. But that’s not all. The U.S. administration has also approved the acquisition by the kingdom, for an amount of $250 million, of 40 units of the AGM-154 JSOW (Joint Stand Off Weapons), an aircraft designed to attack medium-range targets and that the Moroccan army could use from its F-16 aircraft.