Nearly 5,000 troops from Morocco, the United States and dozens of partner nations have taken part in live-fire drills at Cap Draa, near Tan-Tan, as part of the 22nd edition of African Lion, the largest annual U.S.-led military exercise on the African continent.
The maneuvers featured tank fire, helicopter operations, bomber flights and coordinated land-air exercises designed to improve battlefield readiness and interoperability among allied forces. African Lion 2026 is being held from April 20 to May 8 across Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia, bringing together more than 5,600 military and civilian personnel from over 40 countries.
U.S. Africa Command said this year’s exercise places a strong emphasis on adapting to the changing nature of war, including the use of artificial intelligence, robotics, digital command systems and other next-generation technologies. Training at Cap Draa included advanced live-fire scenarios and integration of modern battlefield tools intended to help partner forces respond more effectively to complex security threats.
U.S. officials also linked this year’s exercise to the long-standing relationship between Washington and Rabat. Morocco was the first country to recognize the United States in the late 18th century, and both countries have used African Lion as a platform for military cooperation for more than two decades.
“This is the 250th anniversary of the United States. Morocco was the first country to recognize us 249 years ago,” one U.S. military official said during the drills. “We’ve been doing African Lion together for 22 years, and now, as we see the changing character of war, we’re adapting that and bringing new technologies into our force to meet the future.”
Hosted annually in Morocco for more than 20 years, African Lion has grown into a major multinational exercise involving land, air, naval, airborne, special operations and humanitarian support components. It is designed to strengthen regional security cooperation, improve joint planning and enhance the ability of African, American and allied forces to operate together in crisis situations.
The 2026 edition has also been marked by a search-and-rescue operation after two U.S. service members were reported missing near the Cap Draa Training Area on May 2. AFRICOM said U.S., Moroccan and partner forces launched coordinated ground, air and maritime searches.
Despite that incident, the wider exercise has continued, with Moroccan and U.S. officials presenting African Lion as a key demonstration of military partnership, technological adaptation and shared security priorities across Africa and beyond.
