The Royal Armed Forces (FAR) and the United States Army this week concluded a major disaster planning exercise, coupled with a four-week training program on explosion risk management, the said Thursday. US Embassy in Rabat, emphasizing the “continued strength” of the military partnership between Morocco and the United States.
This week, members of the Utah National Guard are in Ksar Sghir to participate in Exercise Maroc Mantlet, the first disaster planning and preparedness exercise in Morocco, alongside FAR partners and agencies. Moroccan civilians, the American diplomatic representation said in a statement.
This year’s exercise, for which the FAR led the planning, presents a scenario based on a large-scale industrial disaster, requiring search and rescue operations on land and at sea, fighting industrial fires in a HAZMAT type environment (hazardous materials) and crisis management at the national level, according to the same source.
“These joint training programs are an essential component of the close strategic partnership between Morocco and the United States,” said US Army Major General Michael J. Turley, Adjutant General of the Utah National Guard. , visiting Morocco this week to observe the conclusion of these exercises. “We always work closely with our Moroccan partners to face a range of possible threats, including natural disasters or industrial accidents, as well as classic security issues,” added the senior military official, quoted in the statement. .
Maroc Mantlet, the US Embassy noted, includes international observers from Djibouti, France, Jordan, Mauritania, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Senegal and Tunisia.
This Friday, General Turley will join other senior Moroccan and American military officials in Kenitra to mark the end of an intensive training program for the benefit of Moroccan soldiers, Utah National Guard personnel and Marines Americans, on the risks associated with explosives, such as mine clearance or the storage and transport of ammunition. More than 20 military personnel participated in the program, officially known as Humanitarian Mine Action and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (HMA-EOD) training.
HMA-EOD training, from the United States Department of Defense, helps military partners develop their ability to identify and neutralize mines and similar hazards that threaten civilian populations, while helping to improve physical security and stock management of conventional ammunition.
The Utah National Guard, which has mobilized six of its staff for HMA – EOD training, has had a long-standing relationship with the FAR since 2003, as part of the National Guard State Partnership Program from Utah, the statement said.
Next week, U.S. and Moroccan military officials will mark the completion of a six-year program, focusing on chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats, recognizing the FAR’s CBRN response company status as “Fully fit for the mission”.
Morocco participates each year in more than 100 military engagements with American forces. It hosts the African Lion – the largest annual military exercise on the continent – and is a major partner in US international military training and training programs and foreign military sales, recalls the US Embassy.
In October 2020, the United States and Morocco signed a ten-year “Defense Cooperation Roadmap”, which guides cooperation in priority areas, including efforts to cope. together and more effectively, to regional threats.
.
