Washington Consolidates Its Military Presence in Africa Through Morocco
The establishment of an Africa Multidomain Training and Experimentation Center in Morocco will provide a more stable platform for training, testing military systems and building regional partnerships.
Washington is moving toward a more flexible approach to the Abraham Accords, one that would enable multilateral cooperation in areas where interests converge, particularly security, defense and technology.
According to a report by the French magazine Jeune Afrique, Morocco occupies a distinctive position within this strategy because of its expanding military relations with its partners and its geographical location connecting North Africa with the Sahel, West Africa and the Atlantic region.
The Kingdom is therefore assuming growing importance in US strategic calculations. It is increasingly viewed as a platform from which military and technological capabilities can be developed, benefiting not only Morocco and the United States but also other African partners.
One of the clearest indications of this shift is the establishment of the Africa Multidomain Training and Experimentation Center in Morocco. In July 2026, the United States Africa Command, or AFRICOM, and the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the center in the Tan-Tan region by 2030.
The project consists of three main components: a multidomain training area, a drone academy, and an innovation and experimentation center.
AFRICOM says the initiative is intended to advance military innovation and training by enabling the testing of new technologies and capabilities while strengthening cooperation among US and Moroccan forces and other African partners.
The move reflects a significant transformation in Morocco’s role. The Kingdom is no longer merely hosting US military exercises but is gradually becoming a regional hub for military training and experimentation that could serve other African countries.
This development is consistent with the vision outlined in AFRICOM’s 2026 posture statement, which emphasizes shifting a greater share of the security burden to African partners and strengthening their own capabilities instead of relying on a large US presence on the ground.
The US command describes Morocco as a key partner, noting that it has hosted the African Lion exercises for 21 years and invested in centers of excellence that attract African partners for training.
US-Moroccan military cooperation has expanded considerably in recent years. A recent report by Le Monde indicates that Morocco has become the largest purchaser of US military equipment in Africa, with active US government-to-government sales agreements valued at $8.5 billion in 2025.
Morocco also hosts the annual African Lion exercise, regarded as one of the largest multinational military drills on the continent.
This partnership has taken on additional importance for Washington amid the decline of the Western military presence in parts of the Sahel and the increasing difficulty of relying on conventional military bases in the region.
Morocco could consequently provide a more stable platform for training, testing military systems and developing partnerships with African countries.
A particularly notable aspect of the approach described by Jeune Afrique is that Washington does not view the Abraham Accords solely as a mechanism for normalizing relations between Israel and Arab states. It also sees them as a framework that can be expanded to include cooperation in security, technology, energy and supply chains.
The Heritage Foundation reports that cooperation among the United States, Israel and the countries participating in the Abraham Accords expanded during 2026 to encompass defense, technology and economic security. Military cooperation between Morocco and Israel has emerged as an increasingly prominent part of this framework.
Morocco could therefore become a link between the US security architecture in the Middle East and North Africa and Washington’s emerging partnerships across the African continent.
According to analysts, Washington is not necessarily seeking to replace its military presence in Africa with a complete withdrawal. Instead, it aims to change the nature of that presence by reducing direct deployments and relying more heavily on partners capable of acting on its behalf or in coordination with US forces.
This is where Morocco’s strategic value becomes particularly apparent. The Kingdom combines a strategically important geographical position, advanced military infrastructure and capabilities, a longstanding partnership with Washington, security relations with Israel and the ability to host large-scale international exercises.
This trajectory suggests that Rabat’s importance within US strategy could extend beyond North Africa in the coming years to encompass the Sahel, West Africa and the Atlantic region.
The shift comes as Washington focuses on combating jihadist groups, securing trade routes and countering the influence of international competitors, while reducing its reliance on direct US military deployments.
