The 22nd edition of Exercise African Lion was officially launched on Monday at the headquarters of the Southern Zone Command in Agadir, opening Morocco’s largest annual military event and the continent’s most extensive multinational military exercise. Conducted under the High Instructions of King Mohammed VI, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Armed Forces, the exercise runs until May 8 and involves more than 5,000 military personnel from approximately 40 participating and observer nations.
The opening ceremony was co-chaired by Major General Mohammed Benlouali, Chief of Staff of the Southern Zone, and Brigadier General Daniel Cederman, Deputy Commander of the U.S. Army Task Force for Southern Europe and Africa (SETAF-AF). Both officers framed the exercise as a strategic milestone in the consolidation of the operational partnership between Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces and their American and allied counterparts. General Benlouali described African Lion as an advanced step in strengthening constructive military partnership across all its dimensions. General Cederman identified the year’s objectives as building readiness, reinforcing interoperability, and improving the capacity to execute joint missions in complex environments.
The exercise will unfold across six sites: Benguerir, Agadir, Tan-Tan, Taroudant, Dakhla, and Tifnit. Its program spans tactical exercises across land, maritime, and air domains, day and night operations, special forces activities, airborne operations, and command post exercises. The 2026 edition is distinguished by its extension into three domains that have become central to modern military doctrine: space, electromagnetic warfare, and cyberspace. The integration of unmanned aerial systems into operational planning and execution is a particular focus this year.
The exercise includes a counter-weapons of mass destruction component and a humanitarian dimension, with a military field hospital providing medical and surgical care to the civilian population of the El-Faid area in Taroudant province, alongside additional services in Dakhla. A preparatory academic phase launched on April 20 and running through April 30 covers 20 specialized modules on emerging technologies, including drone systems, cybersecurity, and satellite operations, designed to ensure that all participants arrive at the maneuver phase with a shared baseline of technical knowledge.
African Lion has grown since its inception into the defining annual expression of the Morocco-U.S. military partnership, which is formalized through Morocco’s status as a Major Non-NATO Ally and a 10-year defense cooperation roadmap signed with Washington. The exercise’s expansion to 40 participating countries reflects the breadth of Morocco’s multilateral defense network and its role as a convener of security cooperation across the African continent. This year’s edition, with its space and cyber dimensions, marks a qualitative step toward a more technologically sophisticated exercise format aligned with the realities of 21st-century warfare.