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November has been a busy month for the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces (FAR) with joint military exercises that included air, land, and sea.
On November 22, the Moroccan Air Forces took part in an American joint exercise that involved American bombers assigned to the 20th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron. Two U.S. Air Force Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses participated in the joint training mission, specialized media reported.
The bombers took off from RAF Fairford, a Royal Air Force (RAF) station in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom, for a training mission with the Royal Moroccan Air Force. «Morocco is a key player in upholding regional stability and security, while also promoting peace and prosperity in the Middle East and across Africa», wrote specialized media.
The joint training is part of a mission called Bomber Task Force 25-1, which covered other countries, including nations in the Middle East and the Nordic region.
In Morocco, the squadron supported a U.S. Africa Command exercise on the same day. This task force operation is the first of the new U.S. fiscal year but not the first to take place in Morocco.
Back in September 2020, Moroccan F-16s flew alongside a U.S. B-52H Stratofortress during a Bomber Task Force Europe mission.
Italy and Morocco conduct joint naval exercise
Earlier this month, Italian and Moroccan navies conducted a bilateral exercise, ITA-MOR 24, in Taranto, a coastal city in southern Italy. Spanning from November 13-21, the naval exercise focused on maritime security and operational coordination. It is also part of a biennial series and included both port-based activities and live maritime operations in the Gulf of Taranto.
في اطار علاقات التعاون والشراكة العسكرية بين البحرية الملكية والبحرية الإيطالية، نظم تمرين مشترك بين فرقاطة طارق بن زياد وخافؤة أعالي البحار فرانسيسكو موروزيني، بهدف تبادل التجارب والخبرات، وتعزيز قدرات التنسيق العملياتي والتشغيل البيني بين البحريتين. pic.twitter.com/IjooZ6se2S
— Royal Moroccan Armed Forces (@MoroccanArmed) November 26, 2024
According to Difesaonline newspaper, the Italian-led exercise was planned and coordinated by the Second Naval Division Command. Italy deployed the multipurpose combat ship «Francesco Morosini», equipped with an SH-90 helicopter from Grottaglie's 4th Group and a San Marco Brigade security team. On the other hand, Morocco participated with its Dutch-built Sigma-class frigate «Tarik Ben Ziyad», accompanied by a security team and a Panther helicopter.
The exercise featured multiple training scenarios, including merchant traffic surveillance, counter-illegal activities operations, and helicopter-based boarding exercises. Teams conducted asymmetric threat response drills against fast boats and helicopters, along with air defense and damage control exercises. The operation also included joint helicopter training, with crews practicing fast-rope descents and landing operations.
Land drill with France
When it comes to land, a joint military exercise between Morocco and France was also carried out from October 20 to November 14, 2024, with the participation of the 13th Regiment of French Mountain Hunters and the 1st Regiment of Atlas Hunters of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces. The exercise took place in the High Atlas Mountains and is the second edition of this military cooperation between the two countries.
Des conditions météorologiques exigeantes, neige, froid glacial et vents violents sur des sommets à plus de 4 000 m ?️
— Armée de Terre (@armeedeterre) November 26, 2024
Nos chasseurs du @13eBCA s'y sont confrontés pour enseigner des techniques avancées d’alpinisme, format exercice ???? ?https://t.co/hcWrdVR47N pic.twitter.com/cm5DEsKynZ
According to the French Ministry of Defense, the aim of the exercise was to enhance mountain combat skills and techniques, using expanded resources, including a tactical staff and three combat companies, as well as a platoon of mountain experts. Sergeant Quentin, a high mountain guide in the 13th Regiment, explained that this version of the exercise provided the opportunity to train Moroccan climbers in the role of rope leader, as leadership skills and technical mastery are essential to ensure safety in difficult terrain.
The French ministry added that the exercise contributed to strengthening cooperation and friendship between the French and Moroccan mountain forces, and emphasized that «the joint certification of the exercise reflects the mutual appreciation of skills between the two sides». Building on these successes, the 13th Regiment of Mountain Hunters plans to welcome a Moroccan platoon to the Alps next spring.
Although they take place regularly, these simultaneous exercises come at a time of particular momentum in the region, with threats of an armed conflagration between Algeria and Morocco.
It is worth noting that on November 8, Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita told MPs during a parliament session that there are «indications that Algeria wants to ignite a war in the region and enter into a military confrontation with Morocco».
The minister signaled that Algeria is seeking «escalation» and «confrontation» with Morocco, labeling this as an Algerian response to the Kingdom's gains on the international stage regarding the Sahara issue, including France's recognition of the Moroccanness of the region.
