Morocco’s multi-mission frigate Mohammed VI has joined French and European naval units in ORION 26, a major high-intensity combat preparation exercise led by France, the French embassy in Rabat said. The drills tested the participating navies’ ability to operate in harsh weather and under demanding combat scenarios. The deployment marked the ship’s participation in the second phase of ORION 26, a large-scale, multi-domain exercise designed to train French forces and their partners for high-intensity conflict and emerging security threats. France’s embassy said the involvement of the Mohammed VI Frigate at the same operational level as European partners reflected the “high degree of mutual confidence” between the two navies and underscored the strength of Franco-Moroccan military cooperation. ORION 26, conducted with several allies and partners, aims to evaluate France’s capacity to conduct complex joint and coalition operations across land, sea, air, cyber and space domains.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 25, 2026 01:29 UTC