To my knowledge, no such project has been officially announced to date. That is precisely why the subject deserves to be raised. In Morocco, the training of state engineers for the defense sector relies on several high-level military institutions. The Royal Air School (ERA) in Marrakech trains state engineers specialized in aeronautics and military systems, while the Royal Naval School (ERN) in Casablanca trains engineer officers with expertise in maritime engineering, energy, telecommunications and naval systems. For its part, although it focuses mainly on command and military science, the Royal Military Academy (ARM) in Meknes also offers advanced scientific and technical programs for the armed forces’ officer corps.
A context that is changing scale
For a long time, the Kingdom was a buyer of equipment. That model is changing. Law 10.20 on defense and security materiel and equipment was completed by an implementing decree adopted by the Council of Ministers on June 28, 2021. It opens the door to Moroccan operators and foreign investors in the military industry.
An industrial offset mechanism, provided for by decree 2.22.431 on public procurement, encourages companies that contract with the National Defense Administration to invest and transfer technology locally. Two industrial acceleration zones dedicated to defense are also under development, under decree 2.23.925. This was detailed by Minister Delegate Abdellatif Loudiyi when he presented the sector’s budget.
Funding is following. The 2026 finance bill provided for more than 157 billion dirhams for defense, roughly 15.7 billion dollars according to the African business press. The 2025 budget stood at 133 billion and the 2024 budget at 124 billion. Hespress is already reporting a budget of more than 190 billion dirhams in the 2027 finance bill. I was not able to verify the details, so that figure calls for caution.
What recent news reveals
In June 2026, on the sidelines of the Eurosatory trade show, the Royal Armed Forces signed a partnership with Harmattan AI, a company specializing in autonomous defense systems. Founded in 2024 by Franco-Moroccan entrepreneur Mouad M’Ghari, the company was valued at 1.4 billion dollars after raising 200 million dollars in January 2026, according to the specialized press.
According to the company’s press release, the agreement rests on three pillars: manufacturing capacity in Morocco, a research and development center for AI applied to defense, and partnerships with Moroccan higher-education and research institutions.
The third pillar is the one that interests me. A Moroccan executive at the company explained that, in its view, Morocco represents an immense pool of engineers. A local recruitment campaign has been launched, with 23 positions open at the time of the announcement, according to Médias24. Emirati manufacturers also traveled to Marrakech in early October to showcase their defense systems.
My conclusion is simple. Industry is arriving before the training programs. If nothing is structured, these companies will recruit elsewhere or train people in-house, and the added value will remain largely in their hands.
First reason, securing expertise rather than renting it
A technology transfer that does not come with a transfer of skills remains mere assembly. Manufacturing under license is not enough. You have to understand, adapt, repair and evolve the systems. That requires engineers trained in embedded electronics, autonomous systems, electronic warfare, cybersecurity, materials and propulsion.
Morocco has excellent general engineering schools. The Mohammadia School of Engineers, founded in 1959 in Rabat, remains the oldest in the country. But none of them offers, to my knowledge, a complete program dedicated to defense technologies, with secure laboratories and organic ties to the armed forces.
Second reason, retaining talent
A qualified Moroccan engineer in artificial intelligence or robotics receives offers from abroad. If the defense track offers neither an attractive path nor clear career prospects, the best profiles will leave or go to the private sector. A school backed by concrete programs, with research contracts and access to real projects, can reverse that logic.
Third reason, sovereignty has a human cost
Official rhetoric speaks of strategic autonomy. It cannot be decreed. It rests on teams capable of maintaining a system without depending on a foreign supplier for every software update. Industry analysts also point out that this dependence exposes states to the political decisions of their suppliers. Training is therefore a strategic issue in its own right, on a par with the acquisition of equipment.
Fourth reason, an economic and civilian lever
Defense technologies feed into the civilian sphere: aeronautics, space, telecommunications, cybersecurity, energy. Morocco has already invested in these sectors. A high-level school could supply this entire ecosystem. It would also attract joint research programs and start-ups. Plans for engineering schools devoted to digital technology and AI have, moreover, been mentioned in recent months by the specialized press, which shows that the idea of centers of excellence is gaining ground.
Key figures to remember
- 157 billion dirhams: planned defense budget for 2026, compared with 133 billion in 2025 and 124 billion in 2024 (finance bills, as reported by the Moroccan press).
- 10 projects, 260 million dollars: defense industrial investments presented by Minister Loudiyi in November 2025.
- 2 industrial acceleration zones dedicated to defense (decree 2.23.925).
- 3 pillars in the agreement with Harmattan AI: production, AI R&D, university partnerships.
The objections we need to hear
I would be dishonest to present only one side. Several arguments deserve to be weighed.
The first is duplication. Why not strengthen existing schools with specialized tracks and industry-sponsored chairs rather than create a new one? It is a defensible position, faster and cheaper. Yet it risks diluting specialization and limiting access to classified environments.
The second is the risk of dependence. If the school is built mainly around foreign partners, the content of its programs could follow their commercial priorities. Academic governance must remain national.
The third is ethical and diplomatic. Training engineers on armed autonomous systems raises questions that developed countries themselves have not resolved: regulation of use, accountability, human control. A school of this kind should, in my view, build these issues into its curricula.
Finally, the regional context weighs in. Several media outlets link rising budgets to tensions with Algeria. An institution of this nature would therefore also be read as a strategic signal, with the risks of escalation that this implies.
What this school could look like
Here is what I would propose, bearing in mind that this is a personal vision and not an official project. A public grande école status, under the joint supervision of Higher Education and the National Defense Administration. Admission by competitive examination, open to civilians and military personnel alike. Laboratories shared with industry, but an independent academic leadership. A common core in mathematics, embedded systems, AI and cybersecurity, followed by specializations. And a mandatory module on ethics and the law of armed conflict.
A question of timing…
Morocco is building its defense industrial base at great speed. The question is no longer whether engineers should be trained for this sector, but where, how and under what governance. Creating a grande école is one option among others, and I argue that it is the most coherent one in the long term. What remains to be seen is whether decision-makers will choose to build this expertise now, or discover its absence in five years.
FAQ
Has Morocco announced the creation of a defense engineering school?
Not to my knowledge. No official announcement has been recorded to date. Recent partnerships, such as the one with Harmattan AI, only mention ties with higher education.
Which schools currently train Moroccan engineers for this sector?
General engineering schools, such as the Mohammadia School of Engineers or the ENSAs, supply most of the profiles. No dedicated public defense program is clearly identified.
Why is training linked to sovereignty?
Because an industry that relies on foreign engineers to maintain and evolve its systems remains vulnerable to the decisions of its suppliers.
What are the risks of such a project?
Duplication of existing institutions, dependence on foreign partners, ethical questions about autonomous systems, and a political reading in a tense regional context.
