Morocco: Two US Soldiers Missing During African Lion Exercise
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
The disappearance of two U.S. service members during African Lion 26 is a serious and concerning incident, but it does not change the exercise’s broader purpose. The drills bring together over 5,600 personnel from 40 nations to counter threats, including Islamist militant groups, while testing advanced capabilities like AI-enabled systems and counter-drone platforms and strengthening coalition networks. This is peace through strength in practice.
Establishment-critical narrative
The disappearance of two U.S. service members during African Lion 26 raises serious questions about the risks and transparency of these operations. The U.S. military’s presence in Africa is built on secrecy, cooperation with authoritarian governments, and a record of destabilizing interventions, with Libya as the clearest example. Exercises like African Lion obscure more than they reveal, while counterterrorism goals remain vague and unresolved.