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NY National Guardsmen Strengthen Bond with Allies in Morocco

By Maj. Avery SchneiderJune 11, 2024

US Marines lead demolitions training with joint forces and Moroccan military
1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – A Moroccan Royal Armed Forces Soldier and Spc. Vanessa Nanevie, a combat medic specialist assigned to Charlie Company, 427th Brigade Support Battalion, 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New York National Guard learn to safely assemble explosives as part of demolition training provided by 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Marine Logistics Group, Marine Corps Forces during exercise African Lion in Tantan, Morocco, May 28, 2024. African Lion 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of U.S. Africa Command’s premier joint exercise led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), running from April 19 to May 31 across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia, with over 9,100 participants from 27 nations and NATO contingents. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Avery Schneider) (Photo Credit: Avery Schneider) VIEW ORIGINAL
NY National Guard and USMC Execute Combined Arms Live Fire with Moroccan Military
2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Maj. Alexander Brennan (right), an infantry officer assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New York Army National Guard, speaks with a Moroccan Royal Armed Forces officer at a joint, combined live fire exercise during exercise African Lion in Tantan, Morocco, May 31, 2024. African Lion 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of U.S. Africa Command’s premier joint exercise led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), running from April 19 to May 31 across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia, with over 9,100 participants from 27 nations and NATO contingents. (U.S. Army photo by Avery Schneider) (Photo Credit: Avery Schneider) VIEW ORIGINAL
27th IBCT and Joint Units Meet Moroccan Royal Armed Forces
3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Maj. Joseph Moeller, an armor officer assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New York Army National Guard, speaks with Royal Moroccan Armed Forces Soldiers at a synchronization meeting during Exercise African Lion in Tan-Tan, Morocco, May 23, 2024. African Lion 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of U.S. Africa Command’s premier joint exercise led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), running from April 19 to May 31 across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia, with over 9,100 participants from 27 nations and NATO contingents. (U.S. Army photo by Avery Schneider) (Photo Credit: Avery Schneider) VIEW ORIGINAL
Moroccan and US joint forces conduct combined live fire exercise
4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Kyle King, an infantry senior sergeant assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New York Army National Guard, speaks to a member of the Moroccan media following a U.S.-Moroccan joint, combined live fire exercise during exercise African Lion in Tantan, Morocco, May 27, 2024. African Lion 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of U.S. Africa Command’s premier joint exercise led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), running from April 19 to May 31 across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia, with over 9,100 participants from 27 nations and NATO contingents. (U.S. Army photo by Avery Schneider) (Photo Credit: Avery Schneider) VIEW ORIGINAL
More than 480 New York National Guard Soldiers trained alongside other U.S. troops and allies in the Moroccan desert from May 21 through 31, strengthening one of America’s oldest international bonds.
The Guardsmen – assigned to 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team – played critical roles in the 20th edition of African Lion, U.S. Africa Command’s premier exercise and the largest U.S. military training event conducted on the African continent.
27th IBCT participates in exercise African Lion in Morocco
U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New York Army National Guard, stand together and display the brigade’s colors outside the Cap Draa Observatory during exercise African Lion in Tantan, Morocco, May 27, 2024. African Lion 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of U.S. Africa Command’s premier joint exercise led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), running from April 19 to May 31 across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia, with over 9,100 participants from 27 nations and NATO contingents. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Avery Schneider) (Photo Credit: Avery Schneider) VIEW ORIGINAL

This year’s exercise integrated more than 8,100 participants across 27 nations and NATO, with live training events in Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana, and Senegal. The exercise is designed to enhance regional cooperation and security in North and West Africa while countering strategic competitors.

“African Lion presented a distinct opportunity for our citizen Soldiers to test their readiness to deploy, fight, and win alongside members of the joint force and our partners and allies,” said Col. Bradley Frank, commander of the 27th brigade. “Our team's success during African Lion is a testament to the essential role the National Guard plays in national defense.”

The 27th’s presence in Morocco included an infantry battalion, a medical company, a combat engineer platoon, and a portion of the brigade’s headquarters.

  • More than 240 Soldiers from the Utica-based 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry Regiment trained on individual skills and combined arms tactics, including the use of mortars, machine guns, Javelin anti-tank systems, TOW anti-tank missiles, and Carl Gustaf recoilless rifles.
  • More than 60 Soldiers from the Buffalo-based Charlie Company, 427th Brigade Support Battalion provided care and support for U.S. servicemembers and NATO allies with a fully operational Role II medical facility. The unit also conducted training and knowledge exchanges with joint forces and members of the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces.
  • More than 30 Soldiers from the Lockport-based Bravo Company, 152nd Brigade Engineer Battalion provided engineer support to the 2-108th Infantry, as well as training for the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces alongside the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve’s 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Marine Logistics Group.
NY National Guard’s 2-108th Infantry Battalion Completes African Lion 24
1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Soldiers assigned to 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New York Army National Guard, stand together in a battalion formation during exercise African Lion in Tantan, Morocco, May 30, 2024. African Lion 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of U.S. Africa Command’s premier joint exercise led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), running from April 19 to May 31 across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia, with over 9,100 participants from 27 nations and NATO contingents. (U.S. Army photo by Avery Schneider) (Photo Credit: Avery Schneider) VIEW ORIGINAL
NY National Guard Fires Mortars in Morocco
2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Soldiers assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New York Army National Guard, operate an M121 120 mm mortar system at a range where Soldiers from the battalion trained alongside Moroccan Royal Armed Forces soldiers during exercise African Lion in Tantan, Morocco, May 28, 2024. African Lion 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of U.S. Africa Command’s premier joint exercise led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), running from April 19 to May 31 across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia, with over 9,100 participants from 27 nations and NATO contingents. (U.S. Army photo by Avery Schneider) (Photo Credit: Avery Schneider) VIEW ORIGINAL
NY National Guard Medical Unit and USMC Train on Litter Carry Techniques
3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Spc. Bridget Miller, a combat medic specialist assigned to Charlie Company, 427th Brigade Support Battalion, 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New York Army National Guard, guides U.S. Marines assigned to 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Marine Logistics Group, Marine Corps Forces Reserve, in proper litter carry techniques during exercise African Lion in Tantan, Morocco, May 30, 2024. African Lion 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of U.S. Africa Command’s premier joint exercise led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), running from April 19 to May 31 across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia, with over 9,100 participants from 27 nations and NATO contingents. (U.S. Army photo by Avery Schneider) (Photo Credit: Avery Schneider) VIEW ORIGINAL
NY National Guard Fires Mortars in Morocco
4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Charles Haas, an indirect fire infantryman assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New York Army National Guard, shakes hands with a Moroccan Royal Armed Forces soldier at a mortar training range with Moroccan soldiers during exercise African Lion in Tantan, Morocco, May 28, 2024. African Lion 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of U.S. Africa Command’s premier joint exercise led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), running from April 19 to May 31 across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia, with over 9,100 participants from 27 nations and NATO contingents. (U.S. Army photo by Avery Schneider) (Photo Credit: Avery Schneider) VIEW ORIGINAL

In addition to overseeing its own Soldiers, the 27th IBCT headquarters served as the command-and-control element for more than 130 active duty and reserve members of U.S. joint forces, and more than 40 members of the Italian Armed Forces’ Joint Force Headquarters.

Additionally, from April into May, nearly 100 Soldiers from the brigade’s 1st Battalion, 258th Field Artillery Regiment fired their M119 105mm howitzers in Tunisia alongside Tunisian Armed Forces, and National Guard units from Maryland and Texas as part of African Lion.

After becoming one of the first countries to recognize the newly-independent United States, Morocco formally recognized the U.S. with a treaty of peace and friendship in 1786. It is the longest unbroken relationship in U.S. history.

Today, Morocco and the U.S. share common concerns and consult closely on security, political, and economic issues and sustainable development. The country was designated a “Major Non-NATO Ally” in 2004, the same year African Lion began.

And while 2024 marks the 20th year of African Lion, it also marks the first time New York National Guardsmen have participated in the exercise, adding to the U.S. and Morocco's longstanding security relationship.

“Morocco is one of our closest and oldest allies, with a friendship dating back to the founding of the United States,” said Lt. Col. Frank Engle, commander of the 2-108th Infantry. “Being part of this training gave every Soldier the opportunity to experience the depth and strength of that relationship, while playing a personal role in continuing to build it.”

For the New York National Guard, participation in African Lion is a welcome addition to its record of more than two decades of direct ties with allies and partners in Africa.

  • As part of the Department of Defense’s State Partnership Program, New York and South Africa developed the first state partnership relationship on the continent in 2003, and have sustained the relationship with annual exchanges and training opportunities in both countries.
  • 1,100 Soldiers from the 27th IBCT’s 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment – known as the “Fighting 69th” – conducted security operations at U.S. installations in Djibouti, Kenya and Somalia during a nine-month deployment from 2022 through 2023.

African Lion offered the kind of “Army life” experience some New Yorkers only get in the National Guard. For a select few, the mission to Morocco served as a celebration of their first time ever traveling overseas.

“I was a little scared at first just because I've never done it before. But it wasn't so bad,” said Spc. Frances Burnett, a unit supply specialist assigned to 2-108’s headquarters company and full-time health science student at the State University of New York at Binghamton. “I'm really happy the military let me experience this.”

NY National Guard Soldiers Explore Morocco After Training
U.S. Soldiers assigned to 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New York Army National Guard explore Morocco’s Atlantic coast following the conclusion of exercise African Lion in Agadir, Morocco, June 2, 2024. African Lion 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of U.S. Africa Command’s premier joint exercise led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), running from April 19 to May 31 across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia, with over 9,100 participants from 27 nations and NATO contingents. (U.S. Army photo by Avery Schneider) (Photo Credit: Avery Schneider) VIEW ORIGINAL

Burnett and her fellow Soldiers got firsthand exposure to training with all ranks of the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces in their desert camps, experienced the welcoming Moroccan culture, sampled local cuisine in and out of military settings, and explored life in the Atlantic beachside city of Agadir.

The culminating events of African Lion for the 27th were two brigade-level joint, combined live-fire exercises in front of senior officials from the U.S. and Moroccan militaries, as well as representatives from partner and allied nations across Europe and Africa.

US and Moroccan Militaries Execute Brigade-Level Live Fire Exercise During African Lion 24
1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Michael Langley, commander of United States Africa Command, Moroccan Royal Armed Forces Général de corps d'armée Mohammed Berrid, inspector general of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces and commander of its Southern Military Zone, U.S. Army Gen. Darryl Williams, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, and other U.S. and Moroccan military members pose for a photo with U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New York Army National Guard following a joint, combined live fire exercise with the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces during exercise African Lion in Tantan, Morocco, May 31, 2024. African Lion 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of U.S. Africa Command’s premier joint exercise led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), running from April 19 to May 31 across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia, with over 9,100 participants from 27 nations and NATO contingents. (U.S. Army illustration by Avery Schneider) (This image has been altered for security purposes by masking name tapes.) (Photo Credit: Avery Schneider) VIEW ORIGINAL
NY National Guard and USMC Execute Combined Arms Live Fire with Moroccan Military
2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Col. Bradley Frank, commander of the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New York Army National Guard, observes a joint, combined live fire exercise alongside Moroccan Royal Armed Forces officers during exercise African Lion in Tantan, Morocco, May 31, 2024. African Lion 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of U.S. Africa Command’s premier joint exercise led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), running from April 19 to May 31 across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia, with over 9,100 participants from 27 nations and NATO contingents. (U.S. Army photo by Avery Schneider) (This photo has been altered for security purposes by masking name tapes.) (Photo Credit: Avery Schneider) VIEW ORIGINAL
US and Moroccan Militaries Execute Brigade-Level Live Fire Exercise During African Lion 24
3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Gen. Darryl Williams, commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, speaks with U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New York Army National Guard following a joint, combined live fire exercise with the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces during exercise African Lion in Tantan, Morocco, May 31, 2024. African Lion 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of U.S. Africa Command’s premier joint exercise led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), running from April 19 to May 31 across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia, with over 9,100 participants from 27 nations and NATO contingents. (U.S. Army photo by Avery Schneider) (Photo Credit: Avery Schneider) VIEW ORIGINAL
Moroccan and US joint forces conduct combined live fire exercise
4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Army Col. Bradley Frank, commander of the 27th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, New York Army National Guard, presents a commemorative plaque to a senior officer from the Cameroon Armed Forces following a U.S.-Moroccan joint, combined live fire exercise during exercise African Lion in Tantan, Morocco, May 27, 2024. African Lion 2024 marks the 20th anniversary of U.S. Africa Command’s premier joint exercise led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), running from April 19 to May 31 across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Tunisia, with over 9,100 participants from 27 nations and NATO contingents. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Avery Schneider) (Photo Credit: Avery Schneider) VIEW ORIGINAL

The exercises incorporated air power demonstrations by Moroccan F-16 fighter jets and U.S. Apache helicopters, ground maneuver with Humvees, trucks, tanks, and tracked artillery firing machine guns and anti-tank missiles, a ground-to-air medical evacuation, heavy equipment recovery, and a finale launch of rockets from a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System.

“Training like this strengthens the bond between the U.S. and Morocco, giving each of our militaries and their Soldiers the repetitions and familiarity they need to fight and win together on the battlefield,” Frank said.

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Learn more about the New York Army National Guard at dmna.ny.gov.