2025 African Lion Holds WMD Exercise at Agadir Military Port
Agadir - As part of the Morocco-U.S. military cooperation in disaster management, an exercise to counter Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) took place on Tuesday at the military port of Agadir.
This operation is part of the joint Moroccan-American exercise “African Lion 2025,” held on the High Instructions of His Majesty the King, Supreme Commander and Chief of the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces.
The exercise is primarily focused on the conduct of reconnaissance operations, the neutralization of improvised WMDs, radiological dispersal devices and CBRN decontamination.
It aims to further enhance the operational and tactical capacities of CBRN and EOD companies of the FAR Rescue and Salvage Unit to deal with a crisis situation involving radiological, chemical and explosive hazards.
Through a scenario involving the personal and material resources of the CBRN, Flood Rescue and EOD companies of the FAR Rescue and Salvage Unit, this exercise was designed to train on ship decontamination techniques and develop procedures for combating Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).
Based on an interconnected scenario very close to reality, the theme of the WMD exercise will enable the CBRN, Flood Rescue and EOD companies of the FAR Rescue and Salvage Unit to intervene effectively to manage an incident involving chemical, radiological and explosive agents.
The scenario of this exercise, which took place in the presence of Major General Mohammed Benlouali, Chief of Staff of the South Zone, Brigadier General Daniel Cederman, Deputy Commanding General-Reserve of the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force-Africa (SETAF-Africa), involved an intervention to secure the port of Agadir against the arrival of a suspect vessel carrying materials of Mass Destruction.
Moroccan and Ghanaian special forces launched a visit operation on the ship using maritime assault techniques before taking complete control of the vessel and securing the area.
Special forces teams then undertook a thorough inspection of the vessel, revealing the presence of materials and WMD- associated equipment.
Clandestine laboratories and containers of chemical agents were discovered in various compartments of the ship.
USS CBRN and EOD teams will be deployed to assess and neutralize the threats, using a drone and specialized equipment.
At the same time, USS divers, assisted by specialized Royal Navy divers, inspected the hull for any potential explosive devices, while experts from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) supervised technical reconnaissance and recommended specific measures for chemical agent management.
Finally, the USS CBRN team carried out decontamination, triage and medical care operations, as well as air and ground evacuation of victims to receive the necessary treatment.
Launched on May 12, “African Lion 2025” runs until May 23, in the regions of Agadir, Tan-Tan, Tiznit, Kenitra, Benguerir and Tifnit.
It aims to strengthen military cooperation between Morocco and the US, develop interoperability and reinforce intervention capabilities in a multinational context, thus contributing to the promotion of security, peace and stability in the region.
The 21st edition of Exercise “African Lion” also includes parallel actions of a humanitarian and social nature.
