US navy cancels joint exercises in Morocco amid Middle East crisis

The United States navy has canceled joint exercises with Moroccan military amid tensions with Iran, a defense official confirmed to USNI News on Friday.

Members of the 26th MEU and Bataan crew were expected to train with members of the Moroccan military as part of the joint exercise «African Sea Lion». According to the same source, the 26th MEU and Bataan were sent to the Middle East.  

«USS Bataan and embarked Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) are underway conducting routine operations, demonstrating the inherent flexibility of our naval forces», Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Comer, a U.S. 6th Fleet spokesperson told USNI News.

«For operational security reasons, we do not discuss future operations. ARGMEUs operate continuously across the globe to provide commanders with a forward-deployed, flexible and responsive sea-based Marine Air-Ground Task Force», he added.

For the record, the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group arrived off the Moroccan coast last week before its new tasking, wrote the same source, quoting the USNI Fleet tracker.