- 12/03/10
In a series of US diplomatic cables leaked by wikileaks, a dispatch was made public. It was written by Former US Ambassador to Morocco
Thomas T. Riley, it was classified “SECRET”, and was sent August 4th 2008, titled :
" MOROCCO'S MILITARY: ADEQUATE, MODERNIZING, BUT
FACING BIG CHALLENGES".
"The Moroccan Royal Armed Forces (FAR) are modernizing but remain weighed down by long-standing problems. King Mohammed VI, who in 1999 inherited a military in need of professionalization, has implemented some needed reforms, but much remains to be done. Civilian control, if ascribed to the person of the King, is complete, but there is no real Defense Ministry. Outside the FAR, there is only a small administration. The military remains plagued by corruption,
an inefficient bureaucracy, low levels of education in the ranks, periodic threats of radicalization of some of its soldiers, political
Marginalization, and the deployment of most of its forces in the Western Sahara.
There have been some indications of pending changes in the leadership. In general, the U.S. and Morocco share a robust military relationship with prospects for even closer ties in the future. The health of the relationship is evident by increased U.S.-Moroccan military training exercises and Morocco's purchase of sophisticated weapons from the U.S. to include 24 F-16s this year. We anticipate that the U.S.-Moroccan military relationship will continue to flourish but Morocco's ability to absorb its new high-end military purchases and restrictions on high quality Moroccan
information sharing with our attaches represent two challenges ahead. This mission-coordinated report draws heavily on valuable reporting and analysis from the embassy's military components, the Defense Attache Office and the Office of Security Cooperation"
Lieutenant General Benanni cited
The note lists the subject of enrichment by senior officers "Credible reports indicate that Lt Gen Benanni is using his position as the Commander of the Southern Sector to ... influence business decisions..... Leadership positions in regional sectors are a significant source of extralegal income for military leaders. There are even reports of students at Morocco's military academy paying money to increase their class standings in order to obtain positions in lucrative military postings. "
The same note states that the Moroccan government tries to circumcise corruption within the military, "especially in the ranks of military training for the rank of colonel and below. But few actions are taken to counter corruption in the ranks of general officers. "
According to the secret memo talks of gerontocracy problem because the officers are close to retirement do not want to leave because they would lose their sources of income. This problem coupled with the centralization of military decisions at the Royal palace, would have a negative impact on the morale of the middle management of the army.
Cable Posted
"The Moroccan Royal Armed Forces (FAR) are modernizing but remain weighed down by long-standing problems. King Mohammed VI, who in 1999 inherited a military in need of professionalization, has implemented some needed reforms, but much remains to be done. Civilian control, if ascribed to the person of the King, is complete, but there is no real Defense Ministry. Outside the FAR, there is only a small administration. The military remains plagued by corruption,
an inefficient bureaucracy, low levels of education in the ranks, periodic threats of radicalization of some of its soldiers, political
Marginalization, and the deployment of most of its forces in the Western Sahara.
There have been some indications of pending changes in the leadership. In general, the U.S. and Morocco share a robust military relationship with prospects for even closer ties in the future. The health of the relationship is evident by increased U.S.-Moroccan military training exercises and Morocco's purchase of sophisticated weapons from the U.S. to include 24 F-16s this year. We anticipate that the U.S.-Moroccan military relationship will continue to flourish but Morocco's ability to absorb its new high-end military purchases and restrictions on high quality Moroccan
information sharing with our attaches represent two challenges ahead. This mission-coordinated report draws heavily on valuable reporting and analysis from the embassy's military components, the Defense Attache Office and the Office of Security Cooperation"
Lieutenant General Benanni cited
The note lists the subject of enrichment by senior officers "Credible reports indicate that Lt Gen Benanni is using his position as the Commander of the Southern Sector to ... influence business decisions..... Leadership positions in regional sectors are a significant source of extralegal income for military leaders. There are even reports of students at Morocco's military academy paying money to increase their class standings in order to obtain positions in lucrative military postings. "
The same note states that the Moroccan government tries to circumcise corruption within the military, "especially in the ranks of military training for the rank of colonel and below. But few actions are taken to counter corruption in the ranks of general officers. "
According to the secret memo talks of gerontocracy problem because the officers are close to retirement do not want to leave because they would lose their sources of income. This problem coupled with the centralization of military decisions at the Royal palace, would have a negative impact on the morale of the middle management of the army.
Cable Posted
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