Now on his third trip to Morocco, General Michael Langley, Commander of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) and a general in the US Marine Corps, arrived in the kingdom on Tuesday for talks centered on strengthening bilateral security cooperation between the two countries, the US. Embassy in Morocco tweeted on X.
Langley is in Morocco for a series of meetings with defense officials and “to discuss shared security interests and future areas of potential cooperation,” according to the Embassy.
During his previous visit to Morocco in mid-June 2023, Langley presided over the closing ceremony of the “African Lion 2023” exercise along with General Mohammed Berrid, Inspector General of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces (FAR) and Commander of the Southern Zone, during which he acknowledged the importance of the annual military event.
“African Lion is more than just a military exercise,” according to the official description. It is a tangible demonstration of African nations working together to improve security.
The FAR South Zone Headquarters in Agadir convened the primary planning meeting January 29 to February 2, 2024, for Exercise African Lion 2024, the 20th such exercise, which is scheduled to be held May 20-31, 2024.
In addition to team members from the FAR and the US Armed Forces, around ten other partner countries attended that meeting.
The African Lion is an annual joint military exercise organized each year by the FAR and the US Armed Forces. The most recent exercise included 6,000 military personnel from 14 different countries. It took place last year from June 5-16 in the Moroccan cities of Agadir, Tan-Tan, Mahbès, Tiznit, Kénitra, Benguérir, and Tifnit. With an eye toward fostering security and stability in the area, it is designed to be an opportunity to expand exchanges between the militaries of participating countries.