1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr., an Air Defense Artillery officer assigned to U.S. Army Europe and Africa, was recovered after a multinational nine-day search spanning thousands of square kilometers
CASABLANCA, Morocco | The remains of a U.S. Army soldier who disappeared during military exercises in Morocco have been recovered following a large-scale multinational search-and-rescue operation tied to African Lion 26, the Pentagon’s largest annual military exercise on the African continent.
U.S. Army Europe and Africa confirmed Sunday that the remains recovered along Morocco’s Atlantic coastline were identified as 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr., a 27-year-old Air Defense Artillery officer assigned to Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command.
Key and another U.S. soldier reportedly fell from a cliff into the Atlantic Ocean during an off-duty recreational hike near the Cap Draa Training Area outside Tan-Tan, Morocco, on May 2. The second soldier remains missing as search operations continue.
According to military officials, Moroccan search teams discovered Key’s remains approximately one mile from where the soldiers reportedly entered the water. The recovery came after a nine-day search involving more than 600 personnel from the United States, Morocco, and allied partner nations.
The extensive operation has utilized military helicopters, unmanned aerial systems, naval vessels, frigates, and coordinated coastal search efforts across more than 12,000 square kilometers of sea and littoral terrain. Officials say the search zone continues expanding by nearly 3,000 square kilometers daily as rescue teams intensify efforts to locate the second missing soldier.
A U.S. defense official confirmed that American personnel remain deployed in Morocco following the conclusion of African Lion 26 to maintain command-and-control support and continue search-and-rescue operations.
The tragedy has cast a somber shadow over African Lion 26, a U.S.-led multinational military exercise involving more than 7,000 personnel from over 30 nations across Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana, and Senegal. Since its launch in 2004, African Lion has evolved into the largest joint military exercise conducted by the United States in Africa, designed to strengthen interoperability, regional security cooperation, and multinational readiness amid rising geopolitical competition across the continent.
Key represented a new generation of Army air defense officers entering service during a period of growing global emphasis on integrated missile defense and multinational force coordination. Before entering military service, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in marketing from Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina, while also studying international business, entrepreneurship, and business administration.
The incident also serves as a reminder of the operational and environmental risks associated with large multinational exercises in challenging terrain. The Cap Draa region, located near Morocco’s southern Atlantic coast, is known for rugged cliffs, mountainous areas, and harsh desert conditions that complicate both military maneuver operations and emergency response efforts.
African Lion exercises have previously experienced tragedy. In 2012, two U.S. Marines were killed and two others injured when a military helicopter crashed near Agadir during training operations.
Military officials say recovery efforts for the second missing soldier remain ongoing.
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-- By Andre Leday
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