TRAINING: North Africa prepares for African Lion exercise

Fears that Covid-19 might have led to cancellation of the annual Morocco-US led exercises were quashed when the Georgia National Guard has announced its participation with 700 troops going to North Africa.

African Lion is the largest military exercise in Africa. The US will send approximately 4,000 service members, of which 740 will be Georgia Guard troops, while approximately 5,000 members from Royal Moroccan Armed Forces, the Tunisian Armed Forces, Senegalese Armed Forces, as well from Italy, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, will participate.

This year African Lion exercises will include “operating a tactical command post, conducting situational training exercise lanes, conducting field training exercises and conducting indirect fire gunnery table qualification,” which will culminate in “a combined and joint live-fire exercise,” organisers said.

The African Lion exercise is designed to provide training for US, Moroccan, Tunisian, Senegalese, and “other regionally-based African partnered forces.” It will also reinforce the knowledge learned from previous African Lion exercises, while providing both a foundation and a structure for future military cooperation in the region and beyond.

The event had been cancelled last year because of the pandemic

US National Guard from Georgia will train alongside Morocco, Tunisia and Senegal at African Lion (Image Georgia National Guard)