The U.S.-Moroccan Agreement and Its Implications for U.S. Rapid Deployment Forces
Abstract
The importance of access to air bases in Morocco to planning for use of U.S. Rapid Deployment Forces in Southwest Asia depends heavily on the availability of other en route bases and on the outcome of current negotiations with Portugal concerning the use of Lajes Field in the Azores. Today, the Morocco air bases provide an important backup to facilities in Lajes and in Spain and might also be useful for aircraft returning from Southwest Asia. Thus, they give RDF planners increased flexibility and offer a degree of redundancy for force deployments. Such redundancy can be a major asset in deployment planning. The U.S.-Moroccan agreement reached in 1982 does not provide for explicit payments to Morocco in exchange for the use of their air bases. However, improvements to the airfields would be needed. In fiscal year 1984, the Administration has requested $28 million for such improvements. The Administration also has requested $60 million in Foreign Military Sales aid for Morocco for 1984 and $92 million in other security and economic assistance, though none of these funds are tied directly to the agreement. The usefulness of the Moroccan air bases may have some limitations. Scenarios under which the United States would be denied use of Spanish or Portuguese bases that also figure prominently in RDF planning might also lead to denial of the Moroccan airfields. Moreover, if the Lajes agreement now under negotiation is favorably concluded, and if the program to improve Lajes Field to achieve an aircraft sortie capability of 200 aircraft per day is funded, then the importance of the Moroccan air bases would be greatly diminished. Moroccan bases would still, however, provide a measure of flexibility and redundancy to deployment planning. Further, they could be a useful complement to other bases -- notably, those of NATO allies in Europe -- for RDF aircraft returning from a Southwest Asian engagement.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1983
- Accession Number
- ADA452639
Entities
People
- John D. Mayer Jr.
Organizations
- Congressional Budget Office