An assiduous partner of AFRICOM, Morocco, which organizes the African Lion annually, is about to join the American military command in the Middle East (CENTCOM).
Indeed, in addition to the exercises scheduled by AFRICOM (United States Africa Command), Morocco could be called upon to participate in exercises organized by the American Army in the Middle East, CENTCOM.
The latter, which is one of the eleven unified combat commands of the United States, covers a vast area from Egypt to Afghanistan. The proposal to integrate Morocco into CENTCOM was made by Democratic Senator from Arizona Mark Edward Kelly, who was part of a delegation of US Senators from both parties, Republican and Democrat who visited the Kingdom in January 2023 after the Negev meeting. The delegation was led by Senators Jacky Rosen, a Democrat from Nevada, and James Lankford, a Republican from Oklahoma.
Mark Kelly is currently advocating for the Kingdom to be associated with US CENTCOM exercises. The senator, whose opinion is respected within the American Senate, formally recommended the integration of the Kingdom. This recommendation was posted on his official website, in a statement announcing the senator’s priorities under the defense bill.
Senator Kelly is a former astronaut he spent over 50 days in space, traveling over 20 million miles. He retired from NASA in 2011 after commanding the space shuttle Endeavor on its final flight.
Now converted into politics, he sits on the commissions for the armed forces, the environment and public works, energy and natural resources, aging and the mixed economy. He is chairman of the Senate Air Force Subcommittee, where he plays a leading role.
A week ago, Senator Kelly unveiled his defense bill, which supports the military, modernizing the Air Force and strengthening American national security. Jointly produced by Republicans and Democrats, this defense bill aims to respond to challenges and threats, take advantage of new opportunities to inform and accelerate the modernization of the US Army, particularly in the field of military aeronautics.
That said, in the area of security and foreign policy cooperation, there is a passage in this bill. Worded and written by Kelly, it reads and as part of the need for threat assessments to mitigate those related to the prevention of Iranian nuclear capabilities: “Seeks to improve coordination between the United States and regional partners to counter the shared threat from Iran, including supporting Morocco’s integration into CENTCOM-led military exercises”.
This proposal for the integration of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) in the exercises of the US military command in the Middle East CENTCOM emanating from Senator Kelly comes within the framework of the visit made to Morocco by the delegation of American senators and members of the Abraham Accords Caucus. They later flew to the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Israel.
With therefore this very certain entry into the United States of Asia’s Unified Combatant Command (CENTCOM) as the second African country after Egypt, Morocco, the main non-NATO ally of the United States, reinforces thus its military and security cooperation with the United States but also with Israel and the other partners who coordinate with the US Army all over the world.
This also gives it full access to the “market”, so to speak, of technologically sophisticated and advanced American and Israeli weapons. A continuation, natural in the continuity in some way of the cooperation with regard to the last deliveries of armament in Morocco on behalf of the United States and Israel. US Congress proposes to include Morocco in the military maneuvers and exercises organized by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) in order to strengthen cooperation and coordination between US partners to deal with Iranian threats and its terrorist groups in the region.
Also, it is not for nothing that the American Congress proposes to include Morocco in the maneuvers and military exercises organized by CENTCOM. Indeed, it will strengthen cooperation and coordination between American partners to deal with Iranian threats and its terrorist groups, including Hezbollah and Polisario.