Utah National Guard, Royal Moroccan Armed Forces strengthen drone capabilities through joint training

AGADIR, Morocco — As unmanned aircraft systems continue to shape modern military operations, U.S. and Moroccan service members are working together to develop the skills, knowledge and shared understanding needed to integrate the technology into future missions.

In September, U.S. Africa Command, the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces and the Utah National Guard partnered to conduct an small unmanned aircraft system (SUAS) cadre course in Agadir, Morocco. The training brought together U.S. military organizations, including the Combined Arms Training Center, 7th Army Training Command, from U.S. Army Garrison Vilseck, Germany, to develop UAS operators and instructors while strengthening interoperability and information sharing between U.S. and Moroccan military forces.

"Joint training with UAS is important because these systems must be integrated into how we plan and operate, not treated as a separate capability, said Col. Zouhar Hamdani, a planning officer assigned to the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces. “Training together gives our forces the opportunity to develop common procedures, understand how each other employs the systems and then bring that capability into larger joint exercises. That is how we turn drone technology into a real operational advantage."

The course builds on the Utah National Guard's 23-year State Partnership Program with Morocco and a long history of cooperation between the United States and the North African nation. In 2027, the United States and Morocco will mark 250 years of diplomatic relations, dating back to Morocco's recognition of the United States as an independent nation in 1777, when Sultan Sidi Muhammad Ben Abdullah (Mohammed III) declared that vessels under the American flag could freely enter and dock in Moroccan ports. That long history continues today through military exchanges, professional development and combined training, with Utah and Moroccan forces working together to share knowledge and celebrate each respective culture.

"Events like this give us an opportunity to take an emerging capability and turn it into something our forces can actually use, " said Lt Col Corbett Baxter, Southern European Task Force - Africa. “By training together with our Moroccan partners, we're building interoperability while learning how to integrate unmanned systems into larger operations and make the force more capable and lethal."

For the Utah National Guard, the engagement also supports the development of an emerging drone program designed to build capability for homeland defense, as well as an opportunity to work together with active-duty counterparts and Moroccan partners.

Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Santiago, an active-duty master instructor assigned to the Combined Arms Training Center (CATC) and an infantryman by trade, said the course first focuses on developing operators then graduating instructors while creating a shared operational understanding between the United States and Morocco.

"When we integrate for joint exercises, we'll be able to have the same operator knowledge and planning structure," Santiago said. "So that way we can leverage both forces."

The course extends beyond learning how to operate an unmanned aircraft. Participants, both American and Moroccan, work through the planning, doctrine and practical considerations involved in incorporating UAS into military operations, helping establish a foundation for future combined training.

Santiago said participants have shown a strong interest in the instruction and equipment while working to develop their understanding of UAS operations.

"The Guardsmen and Moroccans have been really eager to learn the information," Santiago said. "They understand the importance of advanced training in this domain, where we're building a shared understanding and knowledge."

Building Utah's drone program

For Utah National Guard 1st Lt. Jake Sorenson, who is helping establish Utah's drone program, the course offers an opportunity to learn from the Moroccan military while developing a comprehensive approach to unmanned aircraft operations in Utah.

Sorenson, who recently moved from the Utah National Guard's operations planning section to a logistics manager position at the Utah Training Center, is working to identify the capabilities the state will need, explore industry partnerships and determine how UAS can be integrated to support homeland defense from within the U.S. and abroad.

"We are in the initial phases of this joint drone program," Sorenson said.

The partnership with Morocco allows Utah personnel to observe different approaches to UAS training and integration while developing a program that can holistically support both domestic and international partners. Sorenson said the goal is to establish an end-to-end training program with an associated support structure rather than focus solely on producing individual drone operators.

"Our intention for this program is to create the start-to-finish multi-level program in Utah, and then eventually be able to share it with additional partner forces," he said.

That structure is expected to include operator training, maintenance, programming and specialized functions associated with unmanned aircraft systems. The objective is to develop a progression that takes personnel from basic familiarity with a drone to advanced proficiency and master trainer capabilities.

Sorenson said the increasing use of unmanned systems in global conflicts demonstrates the importance of developing those capabilities.

"Utah and the U.S. as a whole is realizing that this drone stuff's not going anywhere," Sorenson said. "And the faster we implement it, the more ahead of the curve we're going to be."

From counter-UAS to drone operator

For Technical Sgt. Michael Bennion, a member of the Utah Air National Guard's 151st Security Forces Squadron, the course provided an opportunity to develop hands-on skills in an area where he previously had limited experience. Bennion has served as his unit's counter-UAS representative but had never flown a drone before attending the course.

"I had no clue what flying a drone was all about," Bennion said.

Working alongside Moroccan counterparts, Bennion learned about stabilized and unstabilized flight, controller sensitivity and different operating modes of UAS platforms. The training also emphasized how to instruct others in operating the systems.

The course reinforced the importance of developing UAS proficiency as the technology becomes increasingly integrated into military operations.

"It's the future of warfare," Bennion said, pointing to the use of small unmanned systems in conflicts around the globe. "We've got to stay ahead of the curve and learn how to utilize these systems as well." Bennion plans to bring the training back to the 151st Security Forces Squadron and the Utah Air National Guard, with an emphasis on incorporating UAS into unit missions and developing cooperation between the Air and Army National Guard.

He also identified potential applications for the Guard's state mission, including support to law enforcement. Bennion said unmanned aircraft could assist local law enforcement during crowd-management operations by helping identify and track individuals involved in violent activity.

Expanding capability across the force

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Kenton Hemsley, the UAS manager for Camp Williams and a member of the Utah Army National Guard’s 65th Field Artillery Brigade, is focused on building universal drone operator capability within the force.

Rather than limiting UAS to specialized units, Hemsley said the Guard must consider how different military occupational specialties (MOS) can integrate the technology into their own missions. "We're building the program out so that each MOS, across each unit, can develop their own operating procedures and determine how they're going to integrate UAS," Hemsley said.

Hemsley explained that drones have almost universal utility across the military because their versatility allows them to adapt to a wide range of missions including both offensive and defensive considerations. As unmanned aircraft become a more common feature of the battlefield, he said servicemembers will need to understand how to recognize the threat, develop defensive plans and incorporate UAS into routine operations.

He said UAS knowledge will become an essential task-level skill for all Utah guardsmen, regardless of their military occupational specialty.

"Every Soldier is going to need to understand, not just for the operational side of it, but the defense side of it," Hemsley said.

The potential applications also extend to the Utah National Guard’s state mission. Hemsley described how unmanned aircraft could support emergency response efforts, including locating people swept downstream during floods or delivering essential supplies to individuals facing austere conditions.

"The basic Soldier on the ground has those eyes in the sky," Hemsley said. "They have the capability to deliver needed resources."

For Hemsley, those capabilities provide the Guard with additional options for supporting communities during emergencies, expanding access to technology traditionally associated with aviation assets.

Learning through partnership

Beyond the technical instruction, the course provides Utah and Moroccan servicemembers an opportunity to exchange experience and approaches to unmanned aircraft training. The event represents a collaborative effort involving U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), CATC, 7th Army Training Command and U.S. Army Garrison Vilseck, alongside the Utah National Guard and Moroccan Royal Armed Forces. Each organization contributes to the broader effort to develop UAS knowledge and training capabilities while supporting the long-standing partnership between the U.S. and Morocco. Hemsley, who previously worked with Moroccan forces during African Lion, said the current engagement has provided a deeper level of integration. "The wealth of knowledge that we've gained from the Moroccans — just how they've approached it from the hobbyist side, from the career side, and been able to bring that together," Hemsley said. "That alone has been worth this trip." The course also provided Moroccan participants with practical knowledge they can apply to future operations and training within their own force. "The SUAS training provided us with essential knowledge and practical skills including drone piloting, mission planning, meteorology, safety, and instruction," said Sergent-chef. Mohammed Idamr, a course participant assigned to the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces. "It strengthened our understanding of the role of SUAS in supporting military missions and enhancing situational awareness, while also helping us train qualified personnel and improve the tactical employment of drones within the Armed Forces. of how SUAS can support military missions and improve situational awareness. This training is also an opportunity to develop qualified personnel and improve the tactical employment of drones within the Royal Armed Forces.” Santiago said the value of UAS training is realized when operators and equipment are integrated into exercises and mission execution.

"It's great to have the training. It's great to have the equipment. Great to have the operators," Santiago said. "But actually integrating these aspects into large-scale training events and joint exercises is what makes the training valuable.”

For the Utah National Guard, the engagement serves as both an international training opportunity and a step toward building a more comprehensive unmanned aircraft capability at home—one supported by a 23-year partnership with Morocco and collaboration across the U.S. military. As the United States and Morocco approach 250 years of diplomatic relations in 2027, the continued exchange of military knowledge and emerging capabilities provides another chapter in a relationship built on generations of cooperation.

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