Morocco and the UK have agreed to strengthen military cooperation after senior defence officials from both countries met in Rabat on Tuesday.
Abdeltif Loudyi, Morocco’s Minister Delegate in charge of the National Defence Administration, met Vice Admiral Edward Ahlgren OBE, the UK’s Senior Military Adviser for the Middle East and North Africa. The British ambassador to Morocco also attended the meeting, which took place under the High Instructions of King Mohammed VI, Supreme Commander and Chief of General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces.
The two sides reviewed ongoing military cooperation and agreed to build on existing work. They discussed regular meetings of the Joint Military Commission, exchanges of senior military officers, training programmes and joint exercises to improve coordination between their armed forces.
Military ties between the two countries are based on the 1993 Framework Agreement on Military and Technical Cooperation and the 2013 Status of Forces and Reciprocal Support Agreement (SOFA). Several technical arrangements have since expanded cooperation to meet new security challenges.
Loudyi said Morocco’s South-South cooperation and regional integration initiatives had made the country “a dynamic actor for stability and shared prosperity for the benefit of the African continent.”
Ahlgren said King Mohammed VI’s leadership had made Morocco “an actor of peace and stability, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.”
Both countries ended the meeting by reaffirming their commitment to deepen military cooperation.
Morocco and the UK have maintained diplomatic relations for more than 800 years. Defence has become one of the main pillars of the relationship, especially after the two countries signed an Enhanced Strategic Partnership during the fifth Morocco-UK Strategic Dialogue in Rabat in June 2025.
The partnership now covers defence industry, technology and security. The UK has pledged to support the development of Morocco’s defence manufacturing sector. ADS Group, the UK’s defence trade association, has also signed a memorandum of understanding with Morocco’s Agency for Investment and Export Development.
BAE Systems is working with Morocco’s National Defence Administration and investment agencies on defence capability projects. The cooperation focuses on maritime security, counter-terrorism, cybersecurity and defence industry development.
Military cooperation also includes annual Joint Military Commission meetings that alternate between Rabat and London, exchanges of senior officers and joint exercises such as Jbel Sahara, Toubkal and African Lion.
Recent talks have widened cooperation to include intelligence sharing, border surveillance, electronic warfare, cyber defence and scientific and technical work, including explosives detection.
The closer partnership comes as security challenges continue to grow across North Africa and the Sahel. Morocco’s location between Europe and Africa, its role in regional counter-terrorism efforts and its support for the African Union’s peace and security work have made it an increasingly important security partner.
The June 2025 strategic partnership also included a £5bn commitment from UK Export Finance to support new business opportunities, including defence-related projects. The UK was also among the first Western countries to formalise industrial defence cooperation with Morocco.
