On Monday, May 20, Rabat hosted the 13th session of the Morocco-United States Defense Advisory Committee. The Biden administration was represented by Celeste Wallander, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. In the Moroccan capital, she held talks with General of the Army Corps, Inspector General of the FAR, and Commander of the Southern Zone, Mohammed Berrid. The Committee meeting «constitutes a platform for strategic dialogue where crucial regional security issues are discussed, and where the main lines of the future action plan with AFRICOM and the Utah State National Guard, as well as capacity development projects managed by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), are outlined», said a statement from the General Staff of the FAR. Wallander also met with the Minister Delegate in charge of the National Defense Administration, Abdellatif Loudyi. The 13th session of the Morocco-United States Defense Advisory Committee coincided with the start of the «African Lion 2024» exercise. In October 2020, Rabat and Washington signed a 10-year military cooperation agreement.
