Recent revelations that Morocco is in receipt of at least 127 American M1A1 Abrams tanks, part of a US-Morocco procurement contract for 200 tanks, is fueling concerns that the northern flank of the continent may be brazing for an arms race.
“Satellite images show that Morocco already has at least 127 of the almost two hundred Abrams M1A1 tanks that the United States has authorized to sell to the North African country,” the Spanish outlet Infodefensa reported on August 9.
The satellites photographed tanks in the Central Establishment and Management of Material Storage (ECGCM) in Nouaceur, a town 20 kilometers south of Casablanca. One picture showed up to 65 of the tanks all together, the Spanish outlet added.
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Commenting on the tanks’ arrival, Mohammed Chakir, a Moroccan expert on military affairs, told Alyaoum24, “This is a reflection of the Spanish concern as an arming race exists between Rabat, Madrid and Algeria.”
“The many disagreements between Spain and Morocco, mainly the dispute over the occupied cities of Ceuta and Melilla, make decision makers in Spain closely follow any military deal concluded by Morocco, especially with the US, which is known for its most sophisticated industry weapons,” he added.
In April 2018, a research associate at the International Institute
for Strategic Studies (IISS) tweeted that “a pre-delivery of 48 Abrams tanks” from the US to Morocco was dispatched from Joint Systems Manufacturing Center in Lima, Ohio and was videoed cruising through La Grange, Kentucky.