“Algeria Is Stronger Than Morocco, And The Ambitions Of The Alaouite Regime Are Greater Than It”

A study conducted by retired Spanish Admiral Juan Rodríguez Garat concluded that the Moroccan regime is a “cowardly and rogue system that only recognizes the language of power.” He stated that if it possessed a level of power greater than that of its neighbors Algeria and Spain, it would not hesitate for a minute to wage war on them, driven by its expansionist ambitions.

The Spanish admiral, who spent 47 years in the Spanish army, said that if it weren’t for the superiority of the Algerian army in terms of armament and equipment compared to its Moroccan counterpart, a war would have broken out in the region.
This interpretation is highly credible because the Moroccan regime practiced this hobby in 1963, in what is known as the “Sand War,” where it took advantage of the withdrawal of the Algerian National Liberation Army, which was still being formed after eight years of a devastating war with the French occupation, to attack it with the aim of seizing lands it unjustly claimed historically belonged to the Alaouite Kingdom.
In an opinion piece by Admiral Juan Rodríguez Garat, titled “Morocco…
“The Uncomfortable Neighbor,” published in the Spanish newspaper “El Independiente,” was followed by an extensive interview with the same newspaper, in which he downplayed the likelihood of a war with Algeria, saying that “Europe is not at all interested in such a war,” because it will not happen.
However, he warned against the hypocrisy of the Moroccan regime, which he described as the United States’ primary ally in the Maghreb region.
Juan Rodríguez Garat commanded three surface ships and various naval units for Spain, NATO, and the European Union.
He also served as the commander of the Spanish Maritime Headquarters (COMSPMARFOR), Fleet Admiral, and director of the Naval Museum and Institute of Naval History and Culture. He holds a General Staff diploma from the United Kingdom and a master’s degree in Defense Studies from King’s College, University of London.

The Spanish military officer wrote, commenting on his country’s view of its two southern neighbors, Algeria and the Moroccan regime: “Algeria, despite recent political and trade disputes due to the change in the national (Spanish) stance on the Western Sahara conflict, may pass unnoticed.”
However, regarding Morocco, the mention of “respecting mutual borders” seems somewhat ironic. Many Spaniards who have never read our main strategic document – and some who have – would place Morocco at the top of the list of the most dangerous countries.

In his analysis of the situation in the Maghreb region and the Algerian-Moroccan conflict that has escalated in the past four years, the Spanish admiral believes that the Algerian army is stronger than the Moroccan army:
“The Algerian army is superior to the Moroccan one, simply because the latter does not have submarines,” which he considers a qualitative superiority. This is a fact that the Moroccan regime tries to hide by escalating tensions through statements from its officials, as recently expressed by the Moroccan king, Mohammed VI, and his foreign minister, Nasser Bourita.

He added: “Algeria is very well armed.” “If Spain is not like that, why not take advantage of it?” He estimated that the Moroccan regime’s first priority is Western Sahara, followed by Algeria, and the Sahel region in third place.
However, Morocco might invoke considerations similar to those used by Putin in Ukraine—historical rights—to attack Spain, but it lacks the power that the Russian bear possesses, referring to nuclear weapons.

The Spanish admiral paused at the maneuvers that the Moroccan regime might resort to in order to divert its people’s attention from its internal problems, referring to poverty, unemployment, and the corruption of the royal family: “When the Moroccan government needs a smokescreen to cover its weaknesses, it does not hesitate to play the nationalism card and demand the autonomous regions in northern Morocco (Ceuta and Melilla).”

The Spanish military expert concludes that the Moroccan regime is not in a position to attack its neighbors because it lacks two specific things: the first is nuclear weapons, and the second is strategic independence.
This means it does not have the capabilities to sustain a war if it breaks out, as it lacks manufacturing expertise and is poor in natural resources like oil and gas, and vast territory, unlike Algeria. As for relying on its allies, it remains “a frightening gamble”, in his own words.