United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) General Dagvin Anderson proposed establishing battle labs in Africa's open terrain to test modern warfighting capabilities and signal competitors like China and Russia. These labs would accelerate joint force experimentation, foster partner relationships, and incentivize new supply chains, demonstrating the U.S. military's global multi-domain strike package deployment ability.
Existing U.S. ranges are inadequate for long-range drones, unrestricted electronic warfare, and next-generation systems due to spatial limits, GPS jamming restrictions, and FAA coordination. Ghana, Senegal, Kenya, and Morocco are potential hosts. Morocco is a strong candidate, offering geography, stability, strategic credibility, and a developing defense industrial base, supported by Law No. 10-20 and an investment charter. Its Atlantic Initiative and the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline enhance its strategic relevance, connecting Africa's interior to transatlantic markets. Morocco's experience hosting exercises like African Lion 26, integrating B-52H bombers and Moroccan F-16s, demonstrates its capacity for joint effects. Such battle labs would reinforce deterrence against China's system-based warfare and support the Pentagon's $54.6 billion Defense Autonomous Working Group (DAWG) investment by providing venues to integrate unmanned systems with Joint All-Domain Operations (JADO) concepts.
No comments:
Post a Comment