DRAPER, Utah –
Media Invite 24-006, Feb. 13, 2024
Contact: Lt. Col. Chris Kroeber, 801-716-9063
Invite for Media Embed
Utah National Guard to Participate in Humanitarian Medical Mission in Morocco – Media Invited
DRAPER, Utah – The Utah National Guard invites local media outlets to embed with its units as they support the U.S. Africa Commands largest coalition exercise, African Lion, hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco in May 2024. Media agencies desiring to attend this event will need to fund their own participation and RSVP by Mar. 18, 2024. The Utah National Guard will assist individual reporters with country clearance processes and other logistical coordination, and escort participating reporters during their visit.
African Lion is a joint and coalition military exercise hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco that brings together roughly 20 countries, and more than 7,000 participants in shared purpose to strengthen regional security and counter transnational threats.
In 2003 the Utah National Guard and the Kingdom of Morocco entered what has become a model partnership in the Department of Defense’s State Partnership Program. What began more than 20 years ago as a primarily military partnership has developed into a whole-of-state partnership that recently brought civilian and academic leaders from Morocco and Utah together to collaborate on common growth initiatives.
In addition to the military combined arms exercise, another key feature of exercise African Lion is the humanitarian civic assistance mission. Last year the HCA brought dozens of medical providers to underserved populations near the Moroccan town of Tiznit. The mission saw more than 10,000 patients during the exercise and performed more than 25,000 medical procedures ranging from family practice and pediatrics to optometry and dental.
This year the HCA will be held in a different location, but similar results are expected each year during this annual event.
The Utah National Guard is excited to offer media the chance to observe and record this monumental humanitarian effort, and to be a part of the Utah, Morocco partnership.
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