9 Georgian battalions to undergo 3-year training with US instructors

Nine Georgian infantry battalions will undergo 3-year exercises together with American instructors starting in March of 2018, says Georgian Defence Minister Levan Izoria.

Izoria spoke at the Ambassadorial 2017 in Tbilisi, where he summed up threats coming from Russia and NATO’s response to them.

"When it comes to Russian threats, NATO has adequately responded to this threat with its renewed policy of restraint. The cornerstone of this policy is that NATO member and partner states should do their best to strengthen their defence capabilities, meaning they should maximally equip their armed forces with modern equipment and conduct exercises”, Izoria said.

He added that within this policy, this year Georgia is building "important infrastructure”, in particular, a combat training centre in Vaziani, near Tbilisi.

Izoria said that from March of 2018, nine Georgian infantry battalions will undergo permanent training for three years together with American instructors.

Georgians have been trained by Americans before but in Izoria’s words, these trainings will be unique in a particular way.

"If in the past the goal of such trainings was to carry out international missions, from March of 2018 these trainings will focus on the task to ensure the defence of our territory and sovereignty. Thus, this is an important component in terms of strengthening our military combat readiness”, Izoria said.

• Read more about the Ambassadorial 2017 here.