Morocco Celebrates 69th Anniversary of FAR Creation
Rabat – Morocco is celebrating today the 69th anniversary of the creation of its Royal Armed Forces (FAR).
King Mohammed VI addressed an order of the day to officers, non-commissioned officers, and privates, recognizing Morocco's military efforts and their contribution to the country's safety and stability.
The King, who is the Supreme Commander and Chief of General Staff of FAR, said that the celebration marks an opportunity to stress the country's pride of all men and women in all corps of the military and royal gendarmerie for the enormous sacrifices they constantly make in defense of Morocco and its territorial integrity.
'We would like to address Our greetings and the expression of Our esteem and pride to all the members of Our Royal Armed Forces, the Royal Gendarmerie, the National Security and Auxiliary Forces, who watch over our land, air and sea borders, day and night, as well as to the various units in our Moroccan Sahara, for their dedication in fulfilling their sacred duty to protect the unity of the Homeland and its security, giving full meaning to the values of solid cohesion that characterize all Moroccans in the defense of their first national cause,' the King said.
He added that the order of the day is an opportunity to welcome the achievements of military service and their contribution to risk management and post-natural disasters intervention, rescue and salvage operations as well as medical services.
The monarch also cited the challenges and unprecedented regional and international disruptions, calling for vigilance as well as in-depth knowledge to tackle them with fitness and professionalism.
To address similar challenges, the King recalled the importance of military training programs as well as the improvement of scientific training curriculum within higher institutions and military training centers.
Morocco's military has been engaged in several international training across the world. One of the major training is Africa's largest military maneuver known as the African Lion, which the country hosts annually for 21 years.
The 21st edition is now ongoing in Morocco, in the participation of many US military representatives as well as others from across the world.
Morocco has also been strengthening its military by acquiring state-of-the-art equipment, with the US being the major exporter of arms to the North African country.
As part of this military modernization campaign, Morocco received in March the first batch of AH-64 Apache helicopters.
According to the latest Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report, Morocco's military spending increased by 2.6% in 2024, reaching $5.5 billion.
In January, Global Firepower's latest report ranked Morocco as the 59th most powerful military worldwide in 2025, out of 145 countries assessed.
The country comes 7th on the African continent, following Egypt (19th globally), Algeria (26th), South Africa (40th), Nigeria (36th), Ethiopia (52th), and Angola (56th).
According to the report, FAR includes 200,000 active-duty personnel, 150,000 reservists, and 50,000 parliamentary forces.
Over 15 million individuals are eligible for military service, offering a significant pool for recruitment and mobilization, according to the report. Tags: 2018 Morocco military rankingAfrican Lion Military Exercise
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