The National Guard demonstrates power during the time of the African lion | Halek Hossain

 

TAN-TAN, Morocco - With the end of the multinational training exercise African Lion 22, leaders of the Idaho National Guard and other U.S. states joined partner countries in Morocco on June 30 to observe the work of troops from different countries working together in a live-fire of combined weapons. 

"The African Lion serves not only as a unique and adventurous training opportunity for our troops, but also as a strategic demonstration of our commitment to partner countries for regional stability in North Africa," said Maj. Gen. Michael Garshak, Idaho Adjutant General. "Building and maintaining multinational partnerships is the key to global security and stability."

Idaho Army National Guard soldiers from the 1st Battalion of the 148th Field Artillery Regiment and from California, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin trained for the African Lion 22 with the Royal Moroccan Army for most of June.

During the exercise, the Marines called for air strikes as the 1st Battalion M109A6 of the 148th Field Artillery Regiment in Idaho fired M795 high explosive rounds from Howitzer. Troops from the Oregon, Utah and Wisconsin Army National Guard, a Marine Corps reserve unit based in California, and active-duty soldiers from Fort Hood, Texas, used M825 white smoke rounds to provide preparatory and destructive fire and ammunition. 

About 80 members of the Idaho Battalion of the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team left the United States on June 18 for a two-week exercise. "One of the goals of the National Defense Strategy is to build good international relations and partnerships," said Major Ryan Bat, Operations Officer, FAR 1-148. "Building multinational relations, enhancing their strategic capabilities and understanding how to work together reduces deployment requirements for our military and our international partners and helps provide global security."

The African Lion is a multinational, joint exercise conducted in June in Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia. About 4,000 U.S. service members and 4,000 troops from Brazil, Canada, Ghana, Morocco, NATO, the Netherlands, Senegal, Tunisia and the United Kingdom took part in the largest annual exercise at U.S. AFRICOM.