Plans underway for African Lion, Africa's biggest military exercise

Scott McWhorter, center, coordinates logistics Jan. 20, 2021, for U.S. and Moroccan forces participating in African Lion 21. McWhorter, a Department of Army civilian, has dozens of exercises and training activities in Africa as part of the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa, G7 exercises team. McWhorter joined two dozen U.S. military planners in Morocco to establish plans for the African Lion 21 exercise, scheduled for June. African Lion, U.S. Africa Command's largest exercise, has increased interoperability among U.S. partners and allies since 2003. Plans for AL21 involve more than 10,000 troops from the United States, Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal and elsewhere. The global COVID-19 pandemic curtailed the previous year's exercise. Plans for AL21 include COVID-19 mitigations and flexible options to ensure maximum participation and value for participating countries.