The Arleigh Burke-class-guided-missile destroyer U.S.S. Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) arrived in Agadir’s port on June 10, reported U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa in a press release.
Leaders and representatives of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces and the United States Naval Forces Europe-Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) will tour the ship during the visit, which is being held to support the ongoing African Lion 2023 training exercise.
Arleigh Burke will also take part in a Maritime Exercise Key Leader Engagement (MTX KLE).
“Our partnership with Morocco provides the U.S. Navy with a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate our shared commitment to a secure, stable, and prosperous Africa,” said commanding officer of the U.S.S. Arleigh Burke Pete Flynn.
After this port visit, Arleigh Burke and its crew will join approximately 8,000 participants from 18 nations in the annual exercise African Lion.
Besides U.S. forces, other participants will take part in the training, including allies and African partners from Morocco, Djibouti, Ghana, Senegal, and Tunisia.
The press release added that the African Lion exercise provides a critical opportunity for members of the joint team to build and test their strategic readiness to deploy, fight and win in a complex, multi-dimensional environment.
Maritime interdiction operations, air defense drills, anti-submarine warfare drills, and naval gunfire drills are all part of the exercise’s maritime component that is led by the NAVAF.
Arleigh Burke is on its third patrol in the NAVEUR-NAVAF area of operations as a member of the Forward Deployed Naval Forces-Europe (FDNF-E).
FDNF-E destroyers routinely operate throughout the waters of Europe and Africa, from the Cape of Good Hope to the Arctic Circle, demonstrating their mastery of the maritime domain.