Loading ...Building Relations: How NATO Built a Multinational Defense Exercise in Morocco
African Lion is the U.S. Africa Command’s largest and most prominent annual exercise, taking place across Morocco, Ghana, Senegal, and Tunisia. This multinational, joint, all-domain, and multi-component event brings together over 10,000 participants from more than twenty nations, including NATO forces. The primary goal of African Lion is to enhance interoperability among participants and improve readiness to address crises and contingencies both within Africa and globally.
In 2024, African Lion will celebrate its 20th anniversary. The exercise will feature a variety of activities, such as command post exercises, field training drills, live-fire demonstrations, and humanitarian civic assistance programs. Humanitarian missions will provide a combination of medical, dental, and veterinary support, along with collaborative exchanges in Morocco, Ghana, and Senegal.
This year also marks the twentieth anniversary of the African Lion exercise series. What began as a bilateral exercise between the U.S. Marines and the Moroccan Army has expanded each year to include three additional African host nations, numerous African and European partners, and the entire U.S. joint force.
According to Ghana Army Brig. Gen. Frank Tei, Deputy Chief Staff Officer (DCSO) for Operations and Training, “This exercise provides us the opportunity to work on a broad range of skills directly with the U.S. and our neighbors. We believe this coordination not only contributes to our security, but the broader security of our region.”
“As we have for the past three years, we are again ready to host the African Lion in Ghana. This exercise provides us the opportunity to work on a broad range of skills directly with the U.S. and our neighbors. We believe this coordination not only contributes to our security, but the broader security of our region.”
Led by SETAF-AF, African Lion 2024 in Tunisia highlights the U.S. military’s dedication to strengthening strong ties with allies and partners, reflecting the fundamental principles of its approach in Africa: partner-driven and U.S.-supported.
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