Morocco Set to Join US Military Exercises in Middle East, Expanding Defense Cooperation

In partnership with Africom, the US military command for Africa, Morocco organizes the African Lion, the largest military exercise on the continent, each year. With this proposal from Senator Mark Kelly, taken into account in the 2024 US Defense bill, the kingdom is about to also participate in US military exercises in the Middle East, reports Le360. The proposal aims to "improve coordination between the United States and regional partners to counter the shared threat from Iran, including by supporting Morocco’s integration into CENTCOM-led military exercises," it is said.

The proposal follows the visit to Morocco of a Congressional delegation earlier this year. Senator Mark Kelly tabled this proposal after participating in the January 13 visit to Morocco of a delegation from the Abraham Accords Caucus, a group of senators created in 2022 to reflect on ways to strengthen cooperation between Israel and the signatories of the Abraham Accords. A former Navy officer and astronaut, Mark Kelly has carried out several missions. He was the last commander of the Endeavour shuttle as part of the STS-134 mission.

CENTCOM or the United States Central Command is responsible for US military operations in the Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia. It has allowed the United States to strengthen its presence in this area during several military operations such as the Iraq war in 2003, the war in Afghanistan in 2001, etc. CENTCOM has its headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. It has had an advanced headquarters at Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar since 2003.