Morocco Outpaces Spain in Military Showdown Near Canary Islands

– byPrince · 3 min read
Morocco Outpaces Spain in Military Showdown Near Canary Islands

Morocco and Spain are waging a silent war around the Canary Islands and the waters of the Sahara.

Morocco and Spain have intensified their military maneuvers off the Canary Islands, both on land, at sea and in the air. The two countries have conducted more than 560 days of military exercises around the archipelago, according to the updated official data from June 2025. While the Spanish armed forces have conducted intensive and highly interoperable NATO exercises for 77 days, Morocco has deployed sustained operations for 485 days. These figures show a strategic difference: while Spain is conducting short-term technological exercises, Morocco has opted for a prolonged presence, particularly in the waters of the Sahara, analyzes Vozpopuli.

The Royal Moroccan Armed Forces (FAR) have participated in the Cyberdef-24 electronic warfare exercise and Obangame Express, one of the three regional African exercises organized by the U.S. Sixth Fleet in West Africa. For its part, the Spanish army has organized the Sirio exercises (2022 and 2024) which lasted a total of 25 days. The objective is to strengthen air defense, cyber defense and electronic warfare. In addition, there are the Eagle Eye 24-03 and Eagle Eye 25-01 exercises, which took place in October 2024 and during the first half of 2025 respectively.

In the naval field, Spain has conducted Sinkex 23 and 25 operations in the waters near the Canary Islands in June 2023 and 2025. The two exercises lasted between 10 and 14 days. Five days of maritime training had also been conducted in March 2023. Morocco, for its part, has conducted continuous naval maneuvers in the waters of the Sahara, only 125 kilometers from Fuerteventura, between September 1 and December 31, 2024, a total of 122 days. These operations, carried out under the command of Inspector General Mohamed Berrid, are expected to be repeated this year and last 90 days.

At the air level, Morocco has carried out operations with armed drones (UAVs) for 365 continuous days between September 2023 and August 2024. MINURSO has recorded at least 14 attacks in the eastern part of the wall in the Sahara. Although these are not exercises in the strict sense, the continuity of these actions confirms a strategy of secret operational presence. At least five national exercises were carried out in 2023 and 2024 in regions such as Tan Tan, Agadir and Tarfaya.

In collaboration with the United States, Morocco has also organized the African Lion, the largest military exercise in West Africa, from May 12 to 23 of this year, in which more than 10,000 military personnel from more than 30 countries participate each year. On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Green March, the tension between Spain and Morocco continues to rise over the Canary Islands, considered an advanced border and a key player in the new geopolitics of Euro-African defense.