The US Department of State posted a “factsheet” yesterday on its website touting America’s strong ties with Morocco with respect to regional and multilateral security, and highlighting Morocco as a “vital U.S. partner on a wide range of security issues, with a shared goal of a stable, secure, and prosperous Middle East and North Africa.”
The factsheet recounts the long history of cooperation between the two countries with respect to regional security beginning in the 1950s after Morocco’s independence, citing multiple memoranda of understanding, including those signed most recently in 2007 and 2015.
Morocco joined the NATO Mediterranean Dialogue in 1995, an initiative to strengthen regional security and stability in collaboration with major NATO partners in the Mediterranean. Recognizing Morocco’s promotion of regional stability and “leading role” in combatting terrorism, in 2004 the United States classified Morocco as a Major Non-NATO ally.
This designation permits Morocco to engage in joint research and development efforts, obtain priority delivery for EDA, and take advantage of reciprocally financed cooperative training.
Morocco is the top buyer of US military equipment in Africa. The US currently has $8.545 Bln in pending active government-to-government sales with Morocco under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) system.
Previous FMS sales reported to Congress include: 18 M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers; 40 AGM-154C Joint StandOff Weapons (JSOW); six Multifunctional Information Distribution System Joint Tactical Radio Systems (MIDS-JTRS); ten GM-84L Harpoon Block II Air Launched missiles; 25 F-16C/D Block 72 aircraft; 5,810 MK82-1 Bombs; 36 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters; eight AN/MPQ-64F1 SENTINEL Radars; 20 AIM-9X-2 SIDEWINDER Missiles; three CH-47D CHINOOK Helicopters, among other equipment.
In Fiscal Year 2018-22, the United States authorized the permanent shipment of nearly $167 Mln of military “defense” equipment to Morocco under the Direct Commercial Sales procedure. The top three defense export categories to Morocco were military electronics, gas turbine engines and associated equipment, and fire control, laser, imaging, and guidance equipment.
Since 2012, the United States has provided approximately $135 Mln in foreign military financing (FMF) to Morocco. US assistance has been critical in increasing Morocco’s marine surveillance to combat illegal immigration, smuggling, drug trafficking, and illegal fishing, acquiring transportation and logistics equipment, and enhancing aerial surveillance.
Since 2006, the United States has funded Morocco with $32 Mln for International Military Education and Training (IMET). Moroccan students are sent to Professional Military Education programs at US service schools every year under this initiative. IMET courses promote military professionalism, increase capability in critical areas, improve interoperability with US troops, and foster a better knowledge of the US.
The factsheet notes that Morocco is one of the “top ten contributors to UN peacekeeping operations” globally. The kingdom currently has 1,718 troops deployed in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, and South Sudan.
Morocco has a pre-deployment training facility in Tifnit that teaches civilian protection, including combatting disinformation, and training in digitalization, telemedicine, mental health, and environmental protection.
Noting that Morocco is still dealing with landmines and explosive ordnance left over from the conflict between Morocco and the Polisario Front in Sahara, the factsheet recounts that since 1993, the United States has supplied Morocco with $1.996 Mln to support its conventional weapons destruction program, including $1.154 Mln in FY2022.
Finally, the factsheet touts cooperation in military training, especially the AFRICAN LION training exercise which every year brings together thousands of U.S. and Moroccan personnel and participants from more than twenty countries and NATO for training.