Royal Moroccan Army The Royal Moroccan Army , officially The Royal Army ( , , ) is the branch of the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces responsible for land - based military operations . The army is about 175 , 000 troops strong . In case of war or state of siege , an additional force of 150 , 000 Reservists , and paramilitary forces , including 20 , 000 regulars of the Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie , 25 , 000 Auxiliary Forces and 5 , 000 mobile intervention corps regulars come under the Ministry of Defence command . Army forces from Morocco have taken part in different wars and battles during the twentieth century , from World War I , to the recent Operation Scorched Earth in Yemen . History . The Moroccan army has existed continuously since the rising of Almoravid Empire in the 11th - century . During Colonisation and protectorates period ( 1912 – 1976 ) , large numbers of Moroccans were recruited for service in the Spahi and Tirailleur regiments of the French Army of Africa . Many served during World War I . During World War II more than 300 , 000 Moroccan troops ( including goumier auxiliaries ) served with the Free French forces in North Africa , Italy , France and Austria . The two world conflicts saw Moroccan units earning the nickname of " Todesschwalben " ( death swallows ) by German soldiers as they showed particular toughness on the battlefield . After the end of World War II , Moroccan troops formed part of the French Far East Expeditionary Corps engaged in the First Indochina War from 1946 to 1954 . The Spanish Army also made extensive use of Moroccan troops recruited in the Spanish Protectorate , during both the Rif War of 1921 - 26 and the Spanish Civil War of 1936 - 39 . Moroccan " Regulares " , together with the Spanish Legion , made up Spain ' s elite Spanish Army of Africa . A para - military gendarmerie , known as the " Mehal - la Jalifianas " and modelled on the French goumieres , was employed within the Spanish Zone . The Royal Armed Forces were created on 14 May 1956 , after the French Protectorate was dissolved . Fourteen thousand Moroccan personnel from the French Army and ten thousand from the Spanish Armed Forces transferred into the newly formed armed forces . This number was augmented by approximately 5 , 000 former guerrillas from the " Army of Liberation " . About 2 , 000 French officers and NCOs remained in Morocco on short term contracts , until crash training programs at the military academies of St - Cyr , Toledo and Dar al Bayda produced sufficient numbers of Moroccan commissioned officers . The first wars that Moroccan troops have taken part in the 20th - century as an independent country were the Ifni War and Sand War . The Royal Moroccan Army fought during the Six - Day War and on the Golan front during the Yom Kippur War of 1973 ( mostly in the battle for Quneitra ) and intervened decisively in the 1977 conflict known as Shaba I to save Zaire ' s regime . The Armed Forces also took part in the Gulf War with a Mechanized Battalion and an infantry battalion in the Omar and Tariq Task Forces . But the Moroccan Armed Forces were mostly notable in fighting a 25 - year asymmetric war against the POLISARIO , an Algerian backed rebel national liberation movement seeking the independence of Western Sahara from Morocco . ( Western Sahara War ) Algeria , Morocco , and other Maghreb states affected by the GSPC insurgency have been assisted in fighting Islamist militants by the United States and the United Kingdom since 2007 , when Operation Enduring Freedom – Trans Sahara began . Forces today . Situation and Equipment . From the beginning of 21st - century , the Moroccan army began a modernisation program that included the purchase of modern equipment and the transformation into a more professional army performing multiple exercises with allied ' s armies , as a Major non - NATO ally , member of the initiative 5 + 5 and other cooperation agreements . The army ' s modernisation program took shape with the acquisitions of weapons such as the Chinese VT - 1A and MRLS AR2 , American M1A1 Abrams , the HAWK air defense system or the M109A5 Self - Propelled Howitzer . the organisation and structure of command remained the same : Armored diviones are mostly deployed in eastern and southern provinces , all along Algerian border and Moroccan wall . More than 600 tanks are in service : 48 VT - 1A , 148 T - 72B and 427 M60A3 / A3TTS Patton . Some M48 Patton s were retired from active service and stored as reserve with the 1991 cease - fire , the SK - 105 Kürassier s had the same fate . In Addition , 200 ex - US refurbished and enhanced M1A1 Abrams are expected to be delivered in a period of 4 years , as the rest of Chinese tanks , to be delivered totally by 2012 - 13 . The mechanized brigades and Cavalries , equipped with Light Armored Carrier ( LAVs ) , armored personnel carriers ( APCs ) or infantry fighting vehicles ( IFVs ) for transport , combat and reccon missions , are equipped with : 1 , 200 M113 in different variants ( M113A1 / A1 - B / A2 APCs , M106A1 / A2 mortar carriers , M163 VADS , M981 FISTV , M901A1 , etc . ) , 60 Ratel 20 / 90 , 395 VAB VCI / VTT , 110 ex - Belgian AIFV , 175 AML 90 / 60 and 110 AMX 10 RC . Other APCs are part of other corps as the Auxiliary ' s UR - 416 , or the recent purchase of 88 Lenco BearCat for the Royal Moroccan Gendarmerie The Artillery , gouped in GARs , includes Self - Propelled Howitzers , towed Howitzers , MRLS and Air Defense Systems , mortar carriers are part of the RIMZ . The equipment includes : 248 155mm M109 SPH in different versions , 60 203mm M110A2 SPH , received as EDA from USA , and 100 155mm Mk F3 remain in service . Note that only 155mm towed howitzers are deployed all along the Moroccan Wall , that includes 140 155mm ( M198 , FH - 70 , M - 1950 , M114 ) , 18 130mm ( M1954 ) and 54 105mm ( M101 and L118 ) are deployed in different regions . 2 Battalions of MRLS are also listed as part of RMAs inventory , the first with 36 122mm BM - 21 and the second with 36 300mm AR2 . Moroccan Anti - Aircraft Warfare have been based basically on Self Propelled Air Defense Systems , waiting the arrival of MIM - 23 Hawk XXI HIMAD SAM . In its inventory we find 72 MIM - 72 Chaparral , 12 Tunguska M1 , 90 ZSU - 23 - 4 and 115 M163 VADS , in addition of the K32 Strela - 2 MANPADS . Other systems include AAG as M1939 ( 61 - K ) , ZU - 23 - 2 or M167 VADS , usually mounted on LUVs and CUCVs . International projection . the Kingdom of Morocco is part of multiple international organisations , is a Major non - NATO ally , part of the Arab League , and has established military cooperations with different countries such as USA , Russia , Portugal , Tunisia , China , Qatar , Italy , France , Spain , UAE or Turkey . As part of the UN , Moroccan Army participed in different Peacekeeping missions . Moroccan troops were sent as part of SFOR , KFOR , MINUSTAH or the more recent UNSMIS in Syria . It has also responded the call of its allies , taking part of conflicts such as Shaba I , Battle of Mogadishu ( 1993 ) , the Gulf War or the Operation Scorched Earth , among others . Morocco has dispatched several field hospital s to conflict zones and areas affected by natural disasters , the latest contributions were at Libyan civil war , the Syrian civil war . and in the Gaza strip after Operation Pillar of Defense The Royal Moroccan Army also performs annual training exercise called " African Lion " with the United States Marine Corps . The exercise is a regularly scheduled , combined U . S . - Moroccan military exercise designed to promote improved interoperability and mutual understanding of each nation ' s tactics , techniques , procedures , unit readiness and enhancing foreign relations . Morocco has also been the venue for Exercise " Jebel Sahara " since September 2002 , gathering elements from 33 Squadron , 230 Squadron , 18 Squadron , 27 Squadron , Joint Helicopter Force HQ from RAF Benson , 1st Battalion Royal Gibraltar Regiment and 2nd Brigade d ' Infanterie Parachutiste of the Royal Moroccan Army . The aim of the Exercise was to increase the Support Helicopter warfighting capability in desert ‘ hot and high ' conditions and foster good relations between the UK and Morocco . To achieve this , the scenario consisted of a joint counter insurgency operation in the desert and mountain foothills to re - establish control and authority within a troubled region of North Africa . The Royal Gibraltar Regiment ran an exercise with the Moroccan 2e Brigade d ' Infanterie Parachutiste ( 2e BIP ) in late 2008 . The Royal Armed Forces also take part of different international exercises as Leapfest , Flintlock , Blue Sand , and occasional military operations exercises with Belgium , U . A . E . , Spain , France and others . Ranks . Militaires du rang / " Enlisted " Sous - officiers / " non - commissioned officer " Officiers subalternes / " Junior officers " Officiers supérieurs / " Senior officers " Généraux / " General officers " Equipment . Sources are the INSS Israel ' s Middle East Military Balance , World Small Arms Inventory , SIPRI Trade registres and the The Military Balance in the Middle East by CSIS , Army - Guide . 49 . ^ http : / / www . alm - acmat . com / article - eurosatory - 2012 - acmat - etoffe - son - offre - 106684216 . html