The 22nd edition of African Lion, a major joint military exercise between the United States and Morocco, officially commenced on May 8, 2026. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth addressed participants via video conference, thanking Morocco for its continued partnership.
βToday, African Lion is at its 22nd edition. I want to extend special thanks to our host, the Kingdom of Morocco, for its exceptional and enduring commitment to this exercise,β Hegseth stated.
The exercise, which runs through late May, involves thousands of troops from multiple nations and focuses on regional security, interoperability, and crisis response. Specific details on troop numbers and participating countries were not immediately confirmed by official sources.
