The Royal Moroccan Armed Forces have entered into a significant collaboration with the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) by signing a memorandum of understanding aimed at establishing the African Multi-Domain Training and Experimentation Center, commonly referred to as AMTEC. This pivotal agreement, signed on Monday at the AFRICOM headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, by General Mohamed Berrid, Inspector General of the Moroccan Armed Forces and Commander of the Southern Region, alongside General Dagvin Anderson, Commander of AFRICOM, marks the beginning of a transformative project intended to evolve into a continental hub for military training and the testing of advanced defense technologies by the year 2030.
According to an official statement released by AFRICOM, the AMTEC will comprise three main components: a Multi-Domain Training Area, a Drone Academy, and an Innovation and Experimentation Center. The integration of these components within a single location is designed to create a facility capable of hosting field exercises, training military personnel, and testing new systems and technologies in conditions that simulate real operational environments.
The Multi-Domain Training Area will provide a dedicated space for preparing military forces and systems to operate effectively across intertwined terrestrial, aerial, and electronic environments. Among its notable features, as highlighted in the American briefing, is the ability to conduct training across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, including scenarios where communications and command-and-control systems face jamming or electronic competition. This expansion of training capabilities indicates that exercises will not be limited to traditional maneuvers but will also encompass testing communication, sensing, command, control, and coordination capabilities among various units.
The Drone Academy will focus on training operators, planners, and instructors from Morocco and partner African nations, with an emphasis on enhancing their abilities to confront terrorist and security threats in West Africa. The training will encompass the operation of unmanned aerial vehicles, their integration into military maneuvers, airspace coordination, reconnaissance, surveillance, intelligence collection, and the use of unmanned systems to support operations and offensive capabilities when necessary.
This establishment of the academy follows the successful organization of the first multinational academic program dedicated to drone technology during the African Lion 2026 exercises held in Morocco, which included participants and experts from the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces, the United States, Nigeria, and Ghana. Training sessions covered the fundamentals of operating unmanned aerial systems, reconnaissance, target identification, and counter-drone system handling, positioning the new project as a permanent institutional extension of experiences that have already begun during the African Lion exercises.
The third component, the Innovation and Experimentation Center, will focus on developing, testing, and evaluating emerging capabilities, particularly low-cost, scalable solutions for combating terrorism and regional security operations. The announced vision also includes engaging universities, experts, and academic institutions in multidisciplinary teams, thereby linking scientific knowledge and applied research with the operational needs of the armed forces.
General Mohamed Berrid stated, according to the briefing, that Morocco's readiness, reflected in its existing facilities and the efficiency of its human resources, will facilitate a swift transition from conceptualization to operational reality, providing Moroccan and American industries with a reliable partner for joint innovation and exploring export opportunities. In a similar vein, General Dagvin Anderson affirmed that the center will enhance the readiness of both Morocco and the United States, opening doors for American and African defense industries and academic institutions to develop adaptable solutions in the realm of emerging technologies.
The forthcoming African Lion 2027 exercises are expected to serve as the first practical test of the center's concept by experimenting with AI-supported systems, autonomous platforms, and advanced communication tools within real operational environments. Looking ahead, AMTEC will also be utilized to test wireless communication technologies and sensing in remote areas, thereby linking the project to military security, industrial innovation, and the development of networks and technological infrastructures.
While the AFRICOM statement did not disclose the expected budget for the project, the funding shares of both parties, or the nature of the companies that will construct and equip the facilities, it also did not specify the management system of the center or the conditions under which African nations can benefit from its programs. These elements remain contingent upon the subsequent phases of planning and implementation, with an aim to operationalize the center's components in the city of Tan-Tan by 2030.
As reported by assahifa.com.
