The U.S. State Department highlighted the importance of the multifaceted strategic partnership binding the United States and Morocco, in the service of peace and prosperity in the region of North Africa and the Middle East (MENA), thanks in particular to an exceptional military relationship which continues to strengthen.
“Morocco is a vital U.S. partner on a wide range of regional security issues, with a shared goal of a stable, secure, and prosperous Middle East and North Africa,” the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM) pointed out in a fact sheet posted on the State Department website.
The document underlined the density of centuries-old cooperation between Washington and Rabat, and recalled that “the United States works closely with Morocco to promote regional stability, counter terrorism, strengthen trade and investment ties, and support Morocco’s development and reform efforts.”
Security cooperation between the two countries goes back to the late 1950s, “reflecting the enduring nature of the bilateral relationship,” it said.
“This commitment has been memorialized by multiple Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), most recently in 2007 and 2015, that outline critical areas of security and economic cooperation, helping Morocco address regional challenges and the impact of crises in neighboring regions,” the fact Sheet stressed, adding that “Morocco is a stalwart partner in multilateral defense.”
The Kingdom joined the NATO Mediterranean Dialogue in 1995, an initiative to promote regional security and stability in coordination with key NATO allies around the Mediterranean, and the United States designated Morocco a Major Non-NATO ally in 2004, the document pointed out.
Regarding the density of an exceptional military relationship which has continued to strengthen, the State Department underlined that in addition to the various sales of military equipment, the Moroccan-U.S. partnership also includes military support and education and training programs, with the objectives in particular of promoting regional stability and fighting terrorism.
“Morocco is among the top ten contributors to UN peacekeeping operations worldwide,” it said, adding that the Kingdom maintains a pre-deployment training center, which provides training in the areas of civilian protection, combating disinformation, digitalization, telemedicine, mental health, and environmental protection.
Commenting on the “leading role” of Morocco in counterterrorism efforts, Washington underlined that the Kingdom has been, since 2005, a member of the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership and a founding member alongside the United States of the Global Counterterrorism Forum.
Furthermore, Morocco was the first Maghreb country to join the anti-ISIS Global Coalition in 2014 and currently serves as the co-chair of the Coalition’s Africa Focus Group, it said.
The United States and Morocco also maintain “strong” military cooperation through joint security operations, the document said recalling that since the late 1990s, Morocco has hosted the AFRICAN LION training exercise, which brings together U.S. and Moroccan forces with participants from more than twenty countries and NATO for training.
Since 2008, African Lion has become the largest joint military exercise on the continent, with thousands of troops participating annually.