In a landmark move destined to reshape the security architecture of the African continent, the Kingdom of Morocco Royal Armed Forces and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) have officially entered into a bilateral agreement to establish a premier defence training and technology installation. Signed at AFRICOM Headquarters on July 13, 2026, the Memorandum of Understanding outlines a joint vision to deliver cutting-edge tactical readiness, specialized drone warfare training and agile technological experimentation directly to the region.
Named the Africa Multidomain Training and Experimentation Centre (AMTEC), this ambitious defence hub will be permanently situated in Tan-Tan, Morocco, with a target to be fully operational by the year 2030. According to General Mohammed Berrid, Inspector General of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces and Commander of the Southern Zone, Morocco’s existing world-class facilities and highly skilled personnel ensure that this initiative will rapidly transition from a strategic concept into an operational reality, offering both American and Moroccan industries a reliable partner for joint innovation and export growth.
To address the multifaceted security threats facing the region, AMTEC is built upon three foundational pillars that will operate in complete synergy.
The first pillar is the Multidomain Training Area (MDTA), a dedicated physical range complex designed to prepare allied forces to operate in highly contested environments. Crucially, the MDTA will allow military units to train across the full electromagnetic spectrum, ensuring coalition forces can effectively manoeuvre even when adversarial electronic warfare attempts to deny communications and radar capabilities.
The second pillar, the Drone Academy, addresses the rapid proliferation of small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) across West Africa. The academy will train operators, instructors and mission planners from Morocco and partner nations, equipping them with the tactical skills required to integrate drone systems into a broader scheme of manoeuvre. Focus areas will include airspace deconfliction, strike synchronization and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) optimization to counter persistent regional threats.
The third and final pillar is the Innovation and Experimentation Centre, which will leverage close partnerships with academic institutions and cross-functional design teams to rapidly prototype low-cost, scalable security solutions. This division will serve as a testbed for next-generation wireless networks and advanced sensing capabilities, ensuring that initial research and development investments translate seamlessly into field-deployable tools.
General Dagvin Anderson, Commander of U.S. Africa Command, emphasized that AMTEC represents a massive opportunity for both U.S. and African defense industrial bases to collaborate on scalable, emerging technologies. He noted that the center will not only increase immediate combat readiness but will also pioneer critical network capabilities in remote, underserved areas, simultaneously boosting regional security and local economic development.
The road to 2030 will officially begin with the African Lion 2027 joint military exercise. Serving as the official proof of concept for AMTEC, this annual exercise in Morocco will act as a live proving ground, allowing military service members and private industry partners to integrate and test AI-enabled systems, autonomous platforms and resilient communication networks directly in real-world environments.
