From September 18th to 22nd, a series of planning meetings were organized by the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) and the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force Africa (SETAF-AF). According to the U.S. Army communication, the city of Agadir hosted military planners from Ghana, Italy, the Netherlands, Senegal, and the United Kingdom to initiate the detailed preparatory phase of Exercise African Lion 24, which will primarily take place in Morocco from May to June 2024.
Annually, over 10,000 participants hailing from 20 nations, including NATO members, come together for comprehensive training endeavors, with a distinct emphasis on enhancing interoperability with their African counterparts.
Furthermore, this year signifies the remarkable twentieth anniversary of the African Lion exercise series. What originally commenced as a bilateral undertaking involving the U.S. Marine Corps and the Moroccan military has progressively evolved, incorporating an expanding roster of three additional African host nations, numerous African and European collaborators, allied nations, and the entire U.S. joint force.
Throughout this week-long planning session, the primary objectives were the identification of training scenarios, meticulous assessment of logistical prerequisites, and the definition of precise training goals for all participants slated for the upcoming multinational exercise scheduled for next summer. Due to the intricate nature and substantial scope of this exercise, the planning phase is initiated several months ahead of its actual execution.