Royal Armed Forces (FAR) Inspector General and Commander of the Southern Zone, Major General Mohammed Berrid, received General Michael Langley, Commander of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) and General in the U.S. Marine Corps on Wednesday in Agadir, FAR reported in a post on Facebook.
U.S. Ambassador to Morocco Puneet Talwar attended the meeting of the two officials.
During his visit, Langley visited the surgical medical field hospital in Akka, Tata province. The U.S. delegation members were briefed on the goals of this medical initiative, the human resources being mobilized, the services being provided to the local population, and the number of beneficiaries.
This visit came as part of the 20th Morocco-USA annual joint and combined military exercise “African Lion” that commenced on May 20 and which will continue through May 31.
Approximately 7,000 military personnel from approximately 20 countries are participating in these military maneuvers, along with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), FAR, and the U.S. Armed Forces.
African Lion is the largest multinational exercise on the African continent. It mobilizes thousands of soldiers, vehicles, and aircraft from both sides of the Atlantic each year.
The joint exercise seeks to strengthen military cooperation between Morocco and the United States–as well as between other participating countries–and to promote peace and security in the region.
In February, General Langley arrived in the Kingdom for talks on strengthening bilateral security cooperation between the two countries.
During his previous visit to Morocco in mid-June 2023, Langley and Berrid presided over the closing ceremony of the “African Lion 2023” exercise, during which Langley acknowledged the importance of the maneuver.