France and Morocco strengthen their military cooperation with naval manoeuvres

Morocco and France began their naval military exercises, ‘Al-Shebik’, earlier this week, using for the first time a French nuclear attack submarine.

These manoeuvres underline the improvement of bilateral relations, after France recognised Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara and announced a visit by President Emmanuel Macron to the Kingdom at the end of October.  

The French Naval Command in the Mediterranean stated that these exercises reflect ‘the development of Morocco's and France's areas of operational cooperation, as both navies have anti-submarine capabilities within the framework of maritime security and safety areas’. 

The same source confirmed the participation of a nuclear attack submarine in this thirtieth edition of the ‘Al-Shebik’ manoeuvres, which is a precedent in these exercises that ‘will allow Moroccan naval forces to obtain high-level training in the field of anti-submarine warfare’. ‘This cooperation seeks to improve the operational compatibility of the participating units in the areas of maritime security, with the aim of emphasising the ability of the two parties to work together and respond to any crisis situation at sea,’ it adds.   

These naval manoeuvres, organised by the Royal Moroccan Navy, demonstrate the improvement of political and diplomatic relations between Rabat and Paris, willing to boost cooperation and military coordination to face the various challenges in the Mediterranean space. 

Hisham Moataded, an academic and expert in strategic affairs, stressed to Al-Arab that these naval manoeuvres demonstrate that military relations between Morocco and France ‘are not just about technical or operational cooperation, but embody an integrated strategic vision and a deep understanding of regional and international geopolitical transformations, reflecting a growing awareness of the need to add new dynamism to the partnership’.   

‘The nature of these manoeuvres is appropriate for strengthening naval capabilities in the framework of Morocco's effort to position itself as a regional power capable of creating a strategic balance between the northern and southern Mediterranean,’ he explains, stressing that ’this positioning reflects a strategic vision aimed at establishing stability in the region.’  ‘It is considered vital not only for Morocco's security, but also for European and global security', he adds.  

Moatadid considers that ‘Morocco and France not only share the strengthening of security, but also seek to build a common vision on the concept of regional security and the best ways to deal with it’. ‘It is limited to addressing immediate security challenges, but also includes a vision of the future in line with developments in the global security environment,’ he explains.

The exercise will take place from 7 to 13 October in the port of Casablanca, where warships from the French and Moroccan fleets will meet, and then off the Mediterranean coast. 

For its part, Morocco has expressed its desire to acquire a military submarine to expand its naval fleet, which is the key missing piece. In this regard, the French newspaper La Tribune has reported that negotiations are at an advanced stage between Morocco and France to supply the Royal Armed Forces with modern Barracuda submarines after Australia cancelled its contract with France to obtain these submarines. 

Also, at the maritime level, Morocco has concluded agreements to acquire warships with the Spanish company Navantia, which specialises in the manufacture of these vessels.