Morocco - Defense Policy

The mission of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) is to maintain national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and security; of paramount importance is preserving the monarchy. Up to sixty percent of Moroccan forces are deployed to Western Sahara. Many Moroccan officers have trained at U.S. schools, and are emulating this training domestically. The mission of the security forces under the Ministry of Interior is to maintain internal order.

Morocco faces little military threat from foreign nations because of its location along the Atlantic Ocean and generally good foreign relations. In the event of a regional war, Morocco would be pivotal geographically. Its main regional competitor is Algeria, although Algeria's army is absorbed in the Western Sahara.

Morocco's world view and external security interests from the time of Hassan's ascension to the throne in 1961 can be characterized by two main themes that have reflected the king's interests and point of view. Together and separately, these two sets of external security concerns — tempered by a generally nonideological, extremely pragmatic appreciation of domestic, regional, and international politics — shaped the monarchy's security policies since 1956.

First, as a traditional Arab and Islamic monarch in the twentieth century, Hassan regarded "socialist" and "revolutionary" states warily, particularly when it has appeared that they might undermine—by force, by subversion, or by example — Morocco's more conservative system. Based on this criterion as well as on their proximity in the Maghrib, Libya and Algeria had long been the most conspicuous foreign sources of concern to Hassan. The Soviet Union, although it generally had good bilateral political and economic relations with Morocco, had been regarded cautiously because of its ties with some of the king's most strident critics — notably Libya and Algeria — and because of its policies elsewhere in the world.

The second theme defining Moroccan security interests was defense of the country's territorial integrity. The Moroccan definition of its national territory, however, had been based on the maximum extent of territory considered to be under the control or influence of the central government at any time before the imposition of the French protectorate in 1912. Moroccan claims at independence thus included part of Algeria, part of Mali, all of Mauritania, and all of the current and former Spanish possessions in North Africa. This interpretation, almost universally accepted by Moroccans, had been modified by subsequent bilateral agreements, but it contributed to persistently uneasy relations with neighboring countries. It has also led directly to Morocco's military involvement in the Western Sahara.

Although primarily concerned with regional issues, Morocco has been a middle power whose political and material interests ranging beyond the Maghrib have also influenced national security policies. The kingdom has not faced a direct threat from outside the region, but it has been willing to commit security forces in defense of what Hassan regards as the broader national interest. The desire to make a gesture of solidarity with other Arab nations in their conflict with Israel induced Hassan to contribute Moroccan military forces in the October 1973 War in the Middle East.

Morocco’s military has not seen conventional combat since the 1991 ceasefire ended the long conflict in Western Sahara. Since that time, the bulk of Morocco’s forces have remained in Western Sahara, deployed on the berm. However, some FAR units have gained operational experience through their deployment to the Balkans or Africa in support of peacekeeping missions.

The POLISARIO has posed little threat to Moroccan forces in Western Sahara, as the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces (FAR) occupies most of the disputed territory, and are comparatively well trained, equipped, and experienced. A cease-fire has been in effect in the UN-administered area since 1991. However, there are thousands of unexploded mines in the Western Sahara.

There is little internal opposition to the King or the government from civilians. The threat of a military coup d'etat is possible, but past attempts have forced the King to restrict the powers of military officers.

The king is commander-in-chief of the FAR as well as chief of General Staff. The Royal Armed Forces are under the direct command of the monarch, not the cabinet (there is no minister of defense). A military cabinet is responsible to the king. The National Security Forces are also responsible to the King, while the Auxiliary Forces report to the minister of the interior.

Subordinate to the FAR are the Royal Moroccan Army and the Royal Air Force. The Navy and the National Gendarmerie are both administratively subordinate to the Army. There is no National Guard in Morocco. There is a National Security Council formed of political party leaders and a High Council for National Defense that includes key ministers, the heads of the Gendarmerie, Secret Service of the Interior Ministry (DST), Military Intelligence, and the Directorate General of Studies and Documentation (DGED), the chief quasi-civilian intelligence service.

The King of Morocco Mohammed VI prepared a roadmap for the development and upgrading of his army, in his message addressed to the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces on 14 May 2018 on the occasion of the 62nd anniversary of their creation. In his message to the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) , on 14 May 2018, on the occasion of the 62nd anniversary of the creation of the latter, the King of Morocco Mohammed VI, Supreme Chief and Chief of General Staff of the FAR , has put together a plan to modernize its army to meet the security challenges facing the country.

The Moroccan sovereign emphasized in his message "(...) the need for our armed forces to accompany the demands of the moment and the new scientific and military, in the control of the fields of security and defense". "We have been careful to ensure all necessary means and material resources and manpower necessary to upgrade your military equipment and improve your expertise and cognitive abilities "added the King of Morocco, saying that this was reflected and executed" following (...) an integrated and complementary vision in the development of his plans and its objectives in order to enable our army to maintain an increasing pace of life to enable it to strengthen its human resources and guarantee the modernization of its infrastructures and its equipment with the required technical equipment and services ".

To set in motion the plan for modernization and renewal of equipment of FAR, Mohammed VI said that "we gave our orders for the development and implementation of these plans and programs focusing on quality, which aims to adapt the training and training programs in all areas of security and defense and takes into consideration the total complementarity with our national specificities, our military traditions and the demands of current challenges, in terms of excellence and performance for the qualification of a human element attached to its national values (...) ".

In this Agenda, HM King Mohammed VI said: "We are all aware of the symbolism and scope of this event and its significance anchored in the national historical memory, which allow us to remember each year with consideration and pride, the memory of the late HM King Mohammed V and the late HM King Hassan II, may God have their souls, who had laid the first steps and solid foundations of the Moroccan army after independence and continued the process of building and developing its capabilities, to become the protective shield and the impassable rampart for the defense of the Nation and its sacred values ".

"Following this right path and starting from the certainty of Our Majesty in the necessity for Our Armed Forces to accompany the exigencies of the moment and the new scientific and military, in the control of the domains of the security and the defense, We made sure to guarantee all the required means and the material and human resources necessary to upgrade your military equipment and improve your expertise and cognitive abilities, following an integrated and complementary vision in the development of its plans and objectives in order to allow to our Army to maintain a growing pace to enable it to strengthen its human resources and ensure the modernization of its infrastructure and equipment required technical equipment and services," said the Sovereign.

In order to maintain the level of performance of the Moroccan army, the 15th session of the "African Lion" military maneuvers, organized by the United States and Morocco, with the participation of several countries, took place in the Cherifian kingdom between April 18 and 29. They brought together 16 countries: Germany, Canada, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Greece, Italy, Burkina Faso, Chad, Egypt, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, Tunisia as well as the United States and Morocco. Military training has brought together "ground, airborne and airborne formations including tactical simulations," according to a statement from the Moroccan military staff quoted by the Middle East Monitor online media.

The Algerian National People's Army (ANP) participated in large-scale exercises during the African Lion military maneuvers. The 2018 edition of these ANP exercises, which took place on May 6 in Oran, in the west of the country, and whose name is Toufane 2018 or Deluge 2018, has been described as the most important military maneuver. of the entire history of the Algerian army.