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U.S. Army and Royal Moroccan Armed Forces Demonstrate Strength of Air Domain Capabilities During African Lion 2023

U.S. Army and Royal Moroccan Armed Forces demonstrate the strength of their air domain capabilities with a B-1 Bomber and F-16 Fighting Falcons fly over for distinguished visitors during African Lion 2023 in Tantan, Morocco, June 16, 2023. Eighteen nations and approximately 8,000 personnel will participate in African Lion 2023, U.S. Africa Command's largest annual combined, joint exercise that will take place in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia from May 13-June 18, 2023.(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Natalie Pantalos)

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Photo by: Sgt. Natalie Pantalos 

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Idaho National Guard and Moroccan tankers partner during African Lion 2023

Master Sgt. Aghzaf Abdelkrim from the 15th Regiment Royal Char and Master Sgt. Joe Carson, from the 3-116th Combined Arms Battalion, 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team, chat while their soldiers boresight their tanks before gunnery during African Lion at Tan Tan, Morocco June 7, 2023. Eighteen nations and approximately 8,000 personnel will participate in African Lion 2023, U.S. Africa Command's largest annual combined, joint exercise that will take place in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia from May 13-June 18, 2023.(U.S. Army National Guard Photo by Staff Sgt. Ariel J. Solomon)

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Photo by: Staff Sgt. Ariel J. Solomon 

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U.S. Army and Ghana Armed Forces conduct combat training during African Lion 2023

U.S. Marine Sgt. Brian Gilbert works with Soldiers from the Ghana Military Police Headquarters, as they review tactics during African Lion 2023 in Daboya, Ghana, June 9, 2023. African Lion is an annual training event between the U.S. and participating African nations intended to build interoperability and strengthen partnerships. Approximately 8,000 personnel and 18 nations will participate in African Lion 2023 from May 13 - June 18, 2023. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. William Cowley)

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Photo by: Staff Sgt. William Cowley 

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U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa

The Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport vessel USNS Trenton (T-EPF-5), left, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Rose (DDG 71), center, and the Moroccan navy Sigma class frigate Allal Ben Abdellah (615), sail in formation to kick off exercise African Lion 2021 with the Expeditionary Sea Base USS Hershel “Woody” Williams (ESB 4) in the Atlantic Ocean, June 13, 2021. African Lion 2021 is U.S. Africa Command’ largest, premier, joint, annual exercise hosted by Morocco, Tunisia and Senegal, 7-18 June. More than 7,000 participants from nine nations and NATO train together with a focus on enhancing readiness for U.S. and partner nation forces. AL21 is a multi-domain, multi-component, and multi-national exercise, which employs a full array of mission capabilities with the goal to strengthen interoperability among participants. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Eric Coffer)

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Photo by: Petty Officer 2nd Class Eric Cof 

This past month marks the start of a new edition of the annual African Lion military exercises, a partner-led, U.S. enabled exercise executed across North and West Africa slated for next summer. This planning meeting, organized by the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces (FAR) and the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), hosted military planners from Ghana, Italy, the Netherlands, Senegal and the United Kingdom to begin detailed planning for Exercise African Lion 24, Sept. 18-22.

This year also marks the twentieth anniversary of the African Lion exercise series. What started as a bilateral exercise between the U.S. Marines and the Moroccan Army has grown every year to include three additional African host nations, multiple African and European partners and allies, and the entire U.S. joint and total force.

African Lion is U.S. Africa Command's premier, joint, annual exercise hosted by Morocco, Ghana, Senegal, and Tunisia from May to June 2024. Annually, more than 10,000 participants from 20 nations and NATO train together with a focus on enhancing interoperability with African partner nation forces.

“We are incredibly excited to convene this exercise alongside our partners across Africa and Europe for this 20th anniversary of African Lion,” said Lt. Col. Drew Schaub, U.S. AFRICOM Joint and Combined Exercise branch chief. “While this partner-led, U.S. enabled exercise has changed and grown over the years, the commitment to improving security cooperation between African nations and communication among all our partners is unwavering.”

The week-long planning meeting aims to identify training scenarios, logistical requirements and training objectives for all participants for next summer's multinational exercise. Based on the complexity and scale of this exercise, planning begins months before execution.

The exercise is a joint, all-domain, multi-component and multinational training event, employing a full array of mission capabilities to strengthen interoperability among participants and set the theater for strategic access. The annual exercise provides unmatched opportunities for participation and cooperation on the African continent.

A key element of the growth of African Lion over the past several years has been the inclusion of other North and West African nations as hosts of the exercise. This year, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia each host significant training events in their country, integrating U.S. units as well as other European and African partners into their training plans.

"As we have for the past three years, we are again ready to host African Lion in Ghana," said Ghana Army Brig. Gen. Frank Tei, Deputy Chief Staff Officer (DCSO) for Operations and Training, Army. “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 a large-scale global exercise, African Lion demonstrates U.S. AFRICOM building and maintaining interoperability with our African and European partners to improve our ability to meet security-related challenges together. Over the next eight months, military and civilian planners will meet multiple times in each host nation to deliberately plan and refine the exercise.

About SETAF-AF

SETAF-AF provides U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Army Europe and Africa a dedicated headquarters to synchronize Army activities in Africa and scalable crisis-response options in Africa and Europe.