Morocco's Enhanced Maritime Surveillance Initiative
In a significant move to bolster its coastal security and maritime sovereignty, the new Moroccan government has unveiled an ambitious plan aimed at deploying a sophisticated network of civil and military radars, modeled after the Spanish SIVE system but produced in the United States. This initiative is set to unfold along the southern Atlantic coast by the end of 2027, extending from Mauritania to the Strait of Gibraltar, encompassing the airspace over the Canary Islands, which is also critical for managing the waters of the disputed Western Sahara. With an investment close to €40 million, this project will establish a continuous coastal surveillance network coupled with a vessel traffic control center between Tarfaya and El Aaiún, in direct coordination with the Royal Navy of Morocco. Additionally, France has recently announced a credit extension to Morocco amounting to €100 million, aimed at enhancing its coastal infrastructure, including developments in Western Sahara.
This robust infrastructure effectively consolidates Moroccan control over the international channel separating the Canary Islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura. At a recent High-Level Meeting (RAN) in Madrid, Moroccan Foreign Minister Naser Bourita emphasized the unprecedented moment in Moroccan-Spanish relations and advocated for innovative solutions to outstanding issues, including Morocco's request for management rights over the airspace of Western Sahara and ongoing discussions regarding maritime border delineation southwest of the Canary Islands and west of the Sahara. Bourita pointed out the anachronism of having an aircraft traveling from Marrakech to El Aaiún or Dakhla monitored by a control tower in the Canary Islands, especially given that the aircraft's safety is under Morocco's jurisdiction.
Advanced Radar Network and Technical Integration
The radar system budgeted for the Atlantic facade aims to establish 13 coastal radar stations, with a primary headquarters in El Aaiún and a secondary node in Tarfaya, where a Russian fishing vessel has set up a permanent operational base. This system will enable real-time monitoring of the position, course, and speed of merchant, fishing, and energy traffic moving from South Africa and America towards European waters, particularly as it passes through the historically rich fishing banks off the Canary Islands and Western Sahara.
The command architecture is supported by the American defense contractor Lyntris, owned by a Texas fund, which has been selling the Royal Navy the Garda C2 command platform since April 2026. This platform is designed to rectify data dispersion along the coast, where overlapping naval traces previously generated duplicate readings on independent screens. Lyntris states that the platform integrates radars, AIS receivers, and electro-optical sensors across infrastructure deployed in containers, linking 65 sensor sites, three regional operations centers, the headquarters, and six fleet vessels.
Garda C2 facilitates the correlation of data, synchronization between sensors and command posts, meteorological and oceanographic calculations, and secure tactical chat channels. The software operates with NATO tactical links and messaging under US-MIL-STD standards, designed for a load of 150 to 200 simultaneous operators. Daniel Gelyana, the executive vice president of C2 Global at Lyntris, asserts that the system consolidates dispersed signals into a single operational environment, connecting regional centers with the national headquarters to expedite decision-making processes.
In April 2026, operators from the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces underwent intensive two-week training at Lyntris facilities in San Diego to gain official certification in managing and operating the Garda C2 system. The training program covered both the technical administration of the software architecture and the tactical management of the control center, preparing personnel to intercept patterns of smuggling, human trafficking, and tracking small vessels through scenarios based on multinational exercises such as Phoenix Express and African Lion. This doctrinal transfer aligns Moroccan procedures with the standards of the US Navy, allowing operational feedback from units in Rabat to directly inform updates to the C4ISR software used by American armed forces.
According to documents accessed by Vozpópuli, Lyntris positions its operations in Morocco within a framework of risk factors associated with international activities in allied countries, alongside equivalent contracts in Egypt and Taiwan. The company specifies that approximately 15% of its annual revenue comes from foreign clients and acknowledges that its deliveries in Morocco are subject to strict US export licensing regulations and directives from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury. The combined footprint of the architecture between the Moroccan Armed Forces and the Egyptian Navy exceeds 110 sites across sensors, operations centers (MOC), headquarters, and vessels.
The deployment of the sensor network between Tan-Tan and Dakhla introduces a technological asymmetry against the Spanish coverage based on the Integrated External Surveillance System (SIVE). While the SIVE, operated by the Civil Guard, was initially designed as an optronic and radar detection network focused on controlling irregular vessels and illicit trafficking at a local tactical level, the Moroccan network structured around Garda C2 incorporates command and control standards typically associated with a first-order navy. The capability to merge commercial, military, and non-cooperative tracks into a common operational picture (COP) provides the Royal Navy with both quantitative and qualitative advantages over the maritime strip separating the Canary Islands from the African coast, allowing precise monitoring of gas carriers, fishing vessels, and warships, including those of the Spanish Navy.
The establishment of the thirteen radar stations and VTS centers along the coast of Western Sahara is perceived by the Polisario and Algeria as yet another maneuver to consolidate de facto sovereignty through dual-use infrastructure. By articulating the management of international maritime traffic under the legal cover of navigation safety and environmental protection, Rabat projects effective jurisdiction over waters subject to international dispute. The integration of these civil nodes into the military defensive network operated by Lyntris technology effectively bridges the gap between civil transportation administration and national defense architecture, extending continuous electronic supervision to the border with Mauritania.
As reported by vozpopuli.com.
