Morocco has made a significant advancement in its strategic defense partnership with the United States by officially activating the Africa Multidomain Training and Experimentation Center (AMTEC) along its southwestern coast, situated approximately 250 kilometers from the Canary Island of Fuerteventura. This initiative marks a pivotal step stemming from the newly established 2026-2036 defense agreement, which was signed in Washington in mid-April. The current agreement supersedes the previous one from October 2020, which was set to expire in 2030, and represents a transformative phase for Morocco, while also allowing the United States to strategically reposition itself on the African continent.
The agreement, which is already in effect, was signed by Elbridge Colby, the U.S. Under Secretary of War for Policy, and Abdellatif Loudyi, Morocco's Minister Delegate to the Head of Government responsible for the National Defense Administration. Loudyi, an experienced economist at the age of 77, has effectively overseen the defense portfolio since December 2010 and has earned the unwavering trust of King Mohammed VI, who serves as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and the Chief of the General Staff of Morocco. The operational details that paved the way for AMTEC's activation were finalized on July 13 in Stuttgart, Germany, at the headquarters of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM). The signing of the agreement was carried out by AFRICOM Commander Lieutenant General Dagvin Anderson and Inspector General of the Moroccan Armed Forces Lieutenant General Mohamed Berrid, who has been in office since April 2023 and plays a crucial role as the head of the General Staff.
A Low-Cost Testing Ground for U.S. Industry
AMTEC serves as a weapons testing and trial center available to the U.S. Army, strategically positioned close to logistical infrastructure that facilitates the transport of equipment from the Atlantic. Located near Tan-Tan's civilian and military airport, approximately 270 kilometers from Puerto del Rosario, the capital of Fuerteventura, AMTEC also benefits from port facilities that maintain commercial sea and air links with the Canary Islands and can be expanded further. It is characterized as an "international military testing ground" aimed at providing economical services to private industry for research, development, and rapid experimentation. The planners from ATEC have designed the Tan-Tan facilities to grant U.S. companies access to exclusive firing and maneuver areas, where they can assess and evaluate technologies such as drones, counter-drone systems, cruise missiles, aerial targets, new munitions, long-range artillery, and low-cost interceptors, all of which are crucial for future battlefields.
In order to utilize the land or airspace at this new Moroccan testing complex, U.S. private companies and start-ups must submit requests to ATEC, which will allocate available dates for testing. Notably, applicants are not required to hold a Pentagon contract or have any prior formal relationship with the federal government, streamlining the process significantly. General Patrick Gaydon, who has led ATEC since July 2024, has introduced a new methodology aimed at aligning the traditionally slow military testing processes with the rapid pace of commercial innovation. This approach encourages companies and their engineers to travel to Morocco to test prototypes and refine them quickly using a
As reported by escudodigital.com.
