Washington Abandons France for Morocco Strategic Military Alliance Africa
Facing the collapse of Western influence in Africa, Washington is completely rethinking its military strategy. An ambitious plan by the US Senate aims to make Morocco the new security pillar of the United States, surpassing France and Spain.
France’s forced withdrawal and a succession of coups d’État in the Sahel have destroyed the network of American military bases in West Africa. To fill this security void, Washington is now turning to Rabat, seen as the only stable and well-disposed ally in the region. Under the impetus of Republican Senator Roger Wicker, the US Senate has approved a plan to strengthen military cooperation with the kingdom, integrated into the defense budget proposal for 2027. This project aims to propel Morocco to the rank of first-rate strategic partner for the superpower’s military projection on the continent and in the Atlantic, reports El Confidencial.
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This vast defense program is structured around five major axes designed to transform Moroccan operational capabilities. It provides for the creation of "cooperative security centers," infrastructures allowing rapid deployment of American forces and ammunition storage. Added to this are increased joint counterterrorism efforts, accelerated modernization of the Royal Armed Forces, and the creation of a center of excellence dedicated to drones. Finally, the annual "African Lion" maneuvers, already the largest in Africa, will be considerably expanded to include cybersecurity, anti-drone systems, and hybrid warfare.
This rising alliance reshuffles the cards on the other side of the Strait of Gibraltar, directly competing with Spanish strategic interests. Analyst Yago Rodríguez points out that the rehabilitation of airstrips and these new advanced Moroccan platforms could simply reproduce the functional core of the Morón air base near Seville. Moroccan infrastructure would be capable of hosting American bombers and strategic cargo aircraft, an alternative all the more crucial for the Pentagon as the Spanish government recently vetoed the use of the Morón and Rota bases for American flights to the Middle East.
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This consolidation of the Washington-Rabat axis is accompanied by an assumed military marginalization of traditional European actors. Morocco’s preventive control of the Strait of Gibraltar, backed by the hegemony of the Port of Tangier Med whose traffic already far surpasses that of Algeciras, fits into this logic of naval supremacy. In parallel, weapons imports illustrate this geopolitical pivot: the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute indicates that Israel has become the kingdom’s second weapons supplier (24%), far surpassing France relegated to 10%, and complementing the dominance of the American ally (60%). If the House of Representatives validates this Senate plan, Morocco will undoubtedly become Washington’s principal relay in Africa.
