A memorandum of understanding (MoU) entered into between the Kingdom of Morocco Royal Armed Forces and US Africa Command (Africom) will see an Africa Multi-Domain Training and Experimentation Centre (AMTEC) become reality in the North African country by 2030.
Signatures were put to the MoU at Africom headquarters in Kelly Barrack, Stuttgart, Germany on Monday 13 July.
AMTEC is set to be built at Tan-Tan in south western Morocco on the edge of the Sahara Desert and, when complete, will comprise a Multi-Domain Training Area (MDTA), Drone Academy and an Innovation and Experimentation Centre.
The MDTA range complex, an Africom statement has it, will provide dedicated physical space to ensure forces and systems are prepared to operate effectively in any environment. A key feature is its ability to operate in the full electromagnetic spectrum as well as contested environments.
The drone academy will train operators, planners and instructors from Morocco and African partner nations to improve counter-terrorism capabilities against West African threats. Students will acquire the knowledge and skills to integrate sUAS (small unmanned aircraft systems) into the broader scheme of manoeuvre, with a focus on airspace deconfliction, multi-domain integration, strike capabilities intelligence as well as surveillance and reconnaissance synchronisation.
The Innovation and Experimentation Centre will develop, test and evaluate emerging capabilities with a focus on low cost, scalable solutions for counter-terrorism and regional security operations. Collaboration efforts will seek to partner with academia, embedding academic experts and institutions into cross-functional design teams.
Africom Commander, US Air Force (USAF) General Dagvin Anderson, sees AMTEC increasing readiness and advance capabilities of both Morocco and the US adding it is an opportunity for African and US defence industrial bases as well as academic institutions to experiment, innovate and develop scalable, adaptable solutions across emerging technologies.
The Moroccan view came from General Mohammed Berrid, Royal Moroccan Armed Forces Inspector General and Commander of the Southern Zone. He is quoted as saying: “Morocco’s readiness – demonstrated by existing facilities and skilled personnel – ensures rapid progress from concept to operational reality and provides Moroccan and US industries with a reliable and capable partner for joint innovation and export opportunities”.
Next year’s African Lion exercise will, according to Africom, serve as a proof of concept for AMTEC. The annual exercise, hosted in Morocco, is a proving ground for integrating cutting edge technologies into operational environments. Industry partners work alongside armed service staff to test AI (artificial intelligence) enabled systems, autonomous platforms and advanced communication tools, accelerating transition from concept to capability during the exercise.
Source: https://defenceweb.co.za/land/land-land/state-of-the-art-defence-technology-centre-coming-to-north-africa/
