US-Moroccan military partnership grows stronger
Military cooperation between the United States and Morocco continues to strengthen at a time when the Alawi kingdom is modernising its armed forces by leaps and bounds with the aim of establishing itself as the leading regional power in North Africa.
The latest example of Washington's good and important harmony with Rabat was the recent visit of the US general and commander of the US Army Task Force South Africa, Todd Wasmund, who reportedly completed a two-day trip to Morocco to further strengthen cooperation in security and defence.
On this trip, Wasmund's first to the African continent since his appointment, the commander met in Rabat with the Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces and Commander of the Southern Zone, General El Farouk Belkheir, in a meeting in which they discussed the importance for both of them to continue cooperating on security issues. In this regard, Wasmund stressed that both American and European security "are deeply linked to the security of Africa".
For this reason, he stressed that "the US military is always committed to its African partners and will continue to coordinate in the areas of training and security cooperation on the continent".
The manoeuvres conducted by the United States and Morocco in exercises such as the "African Lion" are another sign of the interest that both countries have in rooting an increasingly important cooperation, even more so after the multiple regional and international challenges that have multiplied in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Moreover, the current rivalry and cooling that are characterising relations between Morocco and Algeria have demonstrated the importance of continuing to invest in an arms race that for the moment is intended to be a deterrent. At the international level, and coinciding now with the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, while Russia continues to strengthen its ties with Algeria, the United States continues to build on its strong partnership with Morocco, facilitating the acquisition of new, better and more modern equipment such as the F-16C/D Block 52+ fighter.
Similarly, Morocco has increased its defence spending, making it the third largest arms purchaser on the continent, and taking advantage of its privileged designation as a "major extra-NATO ally". This designation, granted by the United States, emphasises collaboration between Washington and its group of allies through military and financial advantages.
On the other hand, Israel also plays a key role in this situation. In a statement published in Defense News, retired US Army General Steven Blum indicated that the current US-backed Moroccan-Israeli partnership is key to "mitigating" security challenges in Africa, including the fight against terrorist groups in parts of the Sahel.
In this context, Morocco and Israel reached a $500 million defence agreement in February that aims to further deepen their close military cooperation. In addition to this new agreement, the two countries reached a new agreement in 2021 to produce kamikaze drones, the Hermes 900 from the Israeli company Elbit System.
The Hermes 900 would have been used for intelligence gathering and electronic warfare in conflicts such as those currently being waged against the Polisario Front, which is accused of having committed several war crimes according to various human rights activist movements.
Americas Coordinator: José Antonio Sierra.