US Defence Secretary receives senior Moroccan delegation

Amid growing regional tensions in North Africa, a senior Moroccan delegation was received by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to discuss strengthening cooperation, according to the pro-Moroccan Yabiladi and agencies on April 18th.

Abdeltif Loudyi, Morocco’s Minister Delegate in charge of National Defence Administration, and the Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR), Mohammed Berrid, were received by Hegseth during the 14th meeting of the Morocco–US Defence Consultative Committee.

US ambassador to Rabat, Duke Buchan III, was also at the meeting, alongside his Moroccan counterpart, Youssef Amrani.

Bachan has signalled Washington’s intention to prioritise political stability and economic investment in North Africa since his appointment on January 14th.

Held in Washington between April 14th and 16th, the meeting featured in-depth discussions on strengthening bilateral relations, particularly in areas of defence and cybersecurity.

US-Moroccan ties have persisted for decades; Lockheed Martin, a US defence contractor, has supplied Morocco with military equipment since 1974.

While US policy historically restricted the sale of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 fighter jets in the Middle East to Israel, Morocco became the first Arab and African country to receive the aircraft in May 2025.

Earlier in April, Morocco received a second set of Apache attack helicopters from Boeing. Morocco initially received six helicopters in March 2025, as part of a $1.5 billion contract signed between the US and Morocco, under which Morocco purchased 24 helicopters.

The US-Moroccan alliance is often tied to US support for Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara, as outlined in the Moroccan Autonomy Plan.

Under this plan, the Western Sahara would be granted limited self-governance under Moroccan sovereignty; it is widely viewed as a credible solution to a territorial dispute that has persisted since the end of Spanish colonial rule in 1975.

Algeria has rejected Moroccan sovereignty and backs the Polisario Front. This Iranian-funded separatist militia claims to fight for self-determination for the Sahrawi people, who are indigenous to the Western Sahara.

In February, a bill to designate the Polisario Front as a terrorist organisation received bipartisan support at the US Congress, with Polisario’s alleged ties to extremist groups, such as Hezbollah, being cited as justifications for the designation.

Furthermore, the US has repeatedly rejected Algerian calls for an independence referendum to replace Resolution 2797, which analysts believe would be difficult to conduct because Sahrawis reside in various locations, making an unclear electoral roll.

Maghrebi contacted the US Department of War for comment regarding US-Moroccan ties, but has not received a response at the time of publication.

Yabiladi and agencies, Maghrebi.org