Royal Moroccan Armed Forces Test Drone Defense in African Lion 2023 Exercise

The exercise aims to assess the dexterity of the USS-FAR in the face of an attack by two suicide drones targeting a chemical warehouse, explains Lieutenant Hossam El Khazi, deputy commander of the USS-FAR, adding that the scenario of this simulation exercise also provides for the discovery of improvised explosive devices and their explosion, injuring dozens of people.

During this exercise, which is part of African Lion 2023, the joint military maneuvers organized by Morocco and the United States, the USS-FAR’s explosive ordnance disposal team precisely located the improvised explosive devices using robots and sophisticated equipment, then neutralized the suicide drones, while ensuring risk assessment, sorting and grouping of victims.

An EOD team was then deployed to carry out emergency decontamination of the explosive and ammunition neutralization team members following the presence of chemicals. As for the improvised explosive devices, they were neutralized and destroyed, and chemical samples were taken. The USS-FAR elements also provided care to the victims before opening a criminal investigation.

DTRA representative Kelly Veenden expressed his delight to participate in this exercise aimed at strengthening cooperation between Moroccan and American units in the field of Nuclear, Radiological, Biological, Chemical and Explosive (NRBCE) response. African Lion, which takes place in seven regions of Morocco (Agadir, Tan-Tan, Mehbes, Tiznit, Kénitra, Benguérir and Tifnit), ends on June 16.