Noble Partner: Military equipment for US-Georgia exercise bound for Batumi

American military equipment that will support the Georgian Armed Forces participate in a United States (US) joint exercise is on its way to Georgia.

Information released on the US Army website noted 14 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles and several wheeled-support vehicles were loaded onto a cargo ship in Varna, Bulgaria, bound for Georgia’s Black Sea coastal city Batumi.

The ship carrying the military equipment departed Varna on May 2, but it was not stated when the equipment will arrive on Georgian soil.

Equipment from Varna, Bulgaria to Vaziani Training Area, Georgia for Exercise Noble Partner: http://t.co/jkXdRxWTeVpic.twitter.com/ci7izep2CD

— US Mission to NATO (@USNATO) May 4, 2015

On May 11-25 Georgia will host the US-Georgia joint exercise, named Noble Partner. The training will be carried out at the Vaziani military air field and military firing ground near Tbilisi.

This will be the first time exercises of this nature will be conducted in Georgia.

The equipment will support the 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division Soldiers participating in the Noble Partner exercise, the US side said.

"Movement from Varna, across the Black Sea to the port of Batumi in Georgia opens new avenues for transport with partner nations,” said US Army official Mark Shawen.

"Expanding freedom of movement enables easier access to training with allies as well as responding quickly to contingency operations," Shawen was quoted as saying on the US Army webpage.

The goal of the Nobel Partner drills was the convergence of Georgian military with the NATO Rapid Reaction Force, as well as preparation for participation in future operations and drills of NATO.

Watch a short clip explaining a little bit about Noble Partner below: