The United States and Morocco are set to further strengthen their long-standing military partnership with the upcoming Arcane Thunder 24 exercise, scheduled to take place from August 5-16.
This multi-domain exercise will involve approximately 300 soldiers from the US, Morocco, the United Kingdom, and Germany, and will be conducted in both Germany and Morocco.
Led by the US Army’s 2nd Multi-Domain Task Force, Arcane Thunder 24 aims to enhance cooperation and interoperability among participating nations by focusing on the synchronization and employment of non-lethal effects against adversaries across land, sea, air, cyber, and space.
Col. Patrick Moffett, commander of the 2nd Multi-Domain Task Force, emphasized the exercise’s importance in strengthening the partnership between the US and Morocco while ensuring US allies and its partner nations maintain a decisive advantage against potential adversaries.
This year’s iteration of Arcane Thunder marks the first time the exercise will take place in Morocco, further solidifying the US’s commitment to the North African nation’s security.
Participating forces will face a series of complex missions and challenges designed to test their planning capabilities and incorporate industrial technology to evaluate the US Army’s modernization efforts.
The Arcane Thunder 24 exercise comes on the heels of the successful 20th edition of African Lion, a joint military exercise co-hosted by the Royal Armed Forces of Morocco (FAR) and the US Armed Forces in May.
African Lion 2024 saw the participation of around 7,000 armed forces from 20 countries and representatives from NATO.
In recent years, Morocco and the US have worked to expand their military cooperation through strategic dialogue, joint training, and support programs.
Last February, Michael Langley, Commander of the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), visited Rabat and commended Morocco’s commitment to regional stability and its leadership in promoting security cooperation.
During his meeting with Abdeltif Loudyi, delegate minister to the Chief of Government in charge of the Administration of National Defense, both parties discussed the achievements of the existing military cooperation relations under the defense partnership roadmap for 2020-2030 and acknowledged the positive outcomes resulting from the collaboration between the Moroccan Armed Forces and their American counterparts.
This comes after another visit in the same month, when the Inspector General of the FAR, Mohammed Berrid, met with US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs Jennifer Zakriski, to discuss various aspects of military collaboration, including the defense industry, procurement of materials and equipment, training, technology transfer, and disaster management.
The US State Department has also commended Morocco’s integral role in regional security, recognizing the country as a vital partner in promoting stability, counter-terrorism efforts, and economic ties in the Middle East and North Africa.
Morocco is the largest purchaser of US military equipment in Africa and has received substantial support through Foreign Military Financing and the International Military Education and Training program.
