For his first official activity, Major General Mohammed Berrid, recently appointed Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) and Commander of the Southern Zone by King Mohammed VI, received a delegation from the American Congress in Rabat this Friday, May 5.
The delegation was led by House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers and included Sara Jacobs and Dale Strong. The purpose of this meeting was to strengthen relations between Morocco and the United States in the military and regional security fields.
The United States Ambassador to Morocco, Puneet Talwar, was also present during the meeting and expressed his satisfaction to participate in these conversations with Moroccan officials on the strength and depth of the US-Moroccan relationship.
It was a pleasure joining three members of US Congress –@RepMikeRogersAL, @RepSaraJacobs, @RepDaleStrong – for conversations with Moroccan officials about the strength and depth of the US-Morocco relationship. pic.twitter.com/u9S8vWOp64
— Ambassador Puneet Talwar (@USAmbMorocco) May 5, 2023
Before this meeting, the delegation had already met the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, as well as the Minister Delegate to the Head of Government, in charge of National Defense Administration, Abdeltif Loudyi.
During a press briefing organized after the meeting with General Mohammed Berrid, Mike Rogers underlined the crucial role of the Kingdom as a partner of the United States on a number of security issues and mentioned the upcoming holding of a new edition of African Lion, the largest American military exercise in Africa, which Morocco has hosted for almost twenty years.
” This year, African Lion, which will begin in a few weeks, will once again bring thousands of American soldiers to the Kingdom to train alongside their Moroccan counterparts. “, he said confided Mile Rogers, stressing that this type of exercise is ” critical to the readiness and interoperability of our armed forces, as we work together to address common security challenges “.
Born in 1955, General Mohammed Berrid, laureate of the Royal Military Academy (armoured arms), has approximately 43 years of military experience in the field of force preparation and training. He held various positions of responsibility in the field, notably in the 3rd and 4th Royal Tank Regiments, before heading the 3rd Bureau of the General Staff of the FAR from 2014.