Rabat, Morocco -- Brig. Gen. Jacob Middleton, Commanding General of U.S. Space Forces Africa, conducted his first official engagement in Rabat, Morocco, from August 19–20, 2025. During the visit, he met with Abdellatif Loudiyi, Moroccan Minister Delegate to the Head of Government in charge of National Defense Administration, as well as several senior Moroccan defense leaders. These included Brig. Gen. Rafiq Akram, Director of the Royal Center for Remote Sensing; Brig. Gen. Naoufal Raissouni, Director of Staff of the National Defense Administration; Brig. Gen. Abdellah Boutrig, Deputy Inspector General of the Signal Directorate; and Mr. Zakaria Moudden, Director of the Royal Center for Space Studies and Research. In addition to bilateral meetings, the visit featured orientation tours of both the Royal Centre for Remote Sensing and the Royal Center for Space Studies and Research.
Discussions centered on enhancing U.S. and Moroccan space cooperation. Specific topics included leveraging space assets to support Moroccan economic and national defense goals, with an emphasis on disaster response, academic collaboration, importance of regional partnerships, and joint exercises. Building strong strategic partnership promotes regional stability, supports self-sustaining partner modernization efforts, and enables interoperability. Both sides affirmed their commitment to continued collaboration and to identifying actionable activities to advance shared goals in the space domain.