U.S. is planning to set up a regional training center in Morocco for African drone operators. The move confirms the strong military and security partnership set between Rabat and Washington.
The announcement of this training center was made by Gen. Christopher Donahue, commanding general of US Army Europe & Africa, during the African Land Forces Summit held lately in Rome.
The summit, sponsored by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), gathered more than 300 participants from 47 countries, including Morocco.
Gen.Donahue said the Morocco-based regional training center will enable stakeholders to identify pressing security problems and bring to bear a wide range of assets to solve the problems.
It will offer “a different approach to train each other, to learn from each other and to share information to solve a problem,” Gen. Donahue said, explaining “That is what we’re going to start in Morocco.”
The center will also serve as a platform for the exchange of experiences and solutions adapted to African realities. It will enable African countries to develop their own monitoring and response tools to security challenges.
The US Army will introduce unmanned aerial system (UAS) training during the African Lion 2026 military exercise to strengthen regional security capabilities and integrate emerging technologies into operations.
The pilot program will begin in Morocco with two courses for 16 participants, covering UAS integration and hands-on flight training across multiple systems.
The US-led African Lion exercise is hosted annually by Morocco with the participation of several African & European countries and NATO. This military exercise, the largest in Africa, not only strengthens multinational cooperation but also enhances readiness across all domains.
According to AFRICOM, Morocco provides training to more than 1200 African partners annually. The training includes every level of military education from basic training to War College, spans all services, and includes professional medical, intelligence, airborne, and special operations training.