DR ‹ › Morocco, alongside several other nations, is taking part in the large-scale military exercise ORION 2026, led by France and scheduled to run from February 8 to April 30. The exercise aims to strengthen armed forces' readiness to deal with complex scenarios in hybrid and contested operational environments, while improving coordination, interoperability, and the protection of territories and civilian populations. Morocco's participation includes the deployment of the Moroccan frigate Mohammed VI and forms part of a broad international coalition comprising, in addition to France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, South Korea, Estonia, the United States, Croatia, Italy, Greece, Japan, Norway, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Qatar, Romania, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Switzerland. ORION 2026 focuses on training participating forces to plan and conduct joint operations across land, sea, and air domains, as well as in cyber and information spaces. The exercise also tests the integration of modern military technologies, including drones, artificial intelligence, and electronic jamming capabilities. The exercise is structured in three phases: an initial operational planning phase that began on January 6; a field execution phase running from February 8 to March 1; and a final phase from April 7 to April 30, during which participating forces will be integrated into a NATO exercise. ORION 2026 is part of the broader framework of military cooperation between Morocco and France. In November, the two countries held the 32nd edition of the joint naval exercise «Chebec 25», which included coordinated maritime passages through the Strait of Gibraltar, as well as joint maneuvers in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, aimed at enhancing operational readiness and strengthening interoperability between the two navies.
