Combined multilateral exercise African Lion 18 has been launched this month in Morocco and will last until the end of April, said a communiqué issued by the US embassy in Morocco and sent Monday to Yabiladi. Participants from 15 countries representing Africa, Europe and North America will attend the exercise alongside «900 U.S. military personnel». Organized annually and led by the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa, the African Lion 18 is created to «improve interoperability and mutual understanding of each nations' tactics, techniques and procedures», said the same press release. «African Lion is a clear demonstration of the strong bond between our militaries», said Lt. Col. Winston Tierney, former lead planner of the exercise and acting task force Commander. «This robust, reliable relationship is the cornerstone to shaping the security environment in the region», he added. The exercise has military training in command-post activities, academics, and field training all focused on combating violent extremist organizations, as well as aviation training, a humanitarian civic assistance mission, and a senior leader dialogue (SLD), said the same source. Units from the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force and the Utah, Colorado and Georgia Air National Guards, Utah Army National Guard, and U.S. Marine Corps Reserve are conducting multi-lateral training with units from the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces, alongside contingents from Burkina Faso, Canada, Chad, Egypt, France, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, Spain, and Tunisia. «African Lion 18 is a unique opportunity for us to get to know each other, to train together, and to provide a greater level of trust when we operate together in the future», concluded Tierney.
