US turns to Africa with new drone academy amid rift with NATO allies and North Africa’s $35 billion military build-up
Amid growing tensions with some NATO allies and a $35 billion military build-up across North Africa, the United States is deepening its military engagement in Africa with plans to establish a drone academy and advanced training centre in Morocco. | Business Insider Africa
Amid growing tensions with some NATO allies and a $35 billion military build-up across North Africa, the United States is deepening its military engagement in Africa with plans to establish a drone academy and advanced training centre in Morocco. US Africa Command and the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces signed a memorandum of understanding on July 13 to establish the Africa Multidomain Training and Experimentation Center in Tan-Tan by 2030. The proposed facility will include a drone academy, a multidomain training area and an innovation hub where military personnel, academics and defence companies can test emerging technologies. It will train African forces to integrate drones into counterterrorism operations, surveillance and military planning. More broadly, the academy will cement Morocco’s position as one of Washington’s closest military partners in North Africa. Although AFRICOM has not designated the proposed centre as a permanent American military base, it will establish a long-term US training and experimentation presence near the Sahel, the Atlantic and key routes linking Africa to Europe. The centre will therefore give Washington a more durable platform on the continent following a broader reduction in its permanent military presence, including the 2024 withdrawal from two air bases in Niger. North Africa accelerates military build-upThe planned centre also comes amid a rapid military build-up in North Africa, where defence spending reached $35 billion in 2025, driven largely by Algeria and Morocco. Algeria spent $25. 4 billion on its military, an 11% increase from the previous year, supported by purchases of advanced weapons from Russia. Morocco, meanwhile, raised its expenditure by 6. 6% to $6. 3 billion, making it Africa’s second-largest military spender. Elsewhere in the region, Egypt is pursuing a separate military modernisation programme as it responds to insecurity in Libya and Sudan, disruption in the Red Sea and shifting threats in the Middle East. Washington reassesses overseas basesBeyond Africa, the Moroccan project comes as the United States reviews its wider network of military bases and access agreements following disputes with European allies over the war with Iran. President Donald Trump has criticised Germany, Italy and Spain for failing to provide what he considered adequate support for US military operations against Iran. Washington announced the withdrawal of 5,000 troops from Germany after Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticised its handling of the war, while Trump said he would “probably” consider removing American forces from Italy and Spain. “Italy has not been of any help to us and Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible,” Trump said. Against this backdrop, analysts have suggested that Washington could seek greater access in Morocco if restrictions in southern Europe disrupt American operations. Rafa Martínez, a political science professor at the University of Barcelona, toldReutersthat the US would "surely opt to use bases in Morocco or reach an agreement with Morocco so that it could carry out the operations it is currently conducting in Spain. "African Lion to test the modelAfrican Lion 2027 will serve as a proof of concept for the proposed centre, building on the 2026 exercise, which trained personnel from Morocco, Ghana, Nigeria and the US in drone operations, reconnaissance and target identification. “The Africa Multidomain Training and Experimentation Center will increase readiness and advance capabilities of both nations,” Gen. Dagvin Anderson said. “This partnership represents a great opportunity for U. S. and African defense industrial bases as well as academic institutions to experiment, innovate and develop scalable, adaptable solutions across emerging technologies. ”