Military exercises Didgori 2018 kick off with NATO, US involvement

The Didgori 2018 Command and Staff Exercise, supported by the NATO-Georgian Joint Training and Evaluation Center (JTEC), launched today.

The exercise aims to improve military coordination and organisation skills during critical situations, and will last for five days.

The opening ceremony was attended by Georgian PM Mamuka Bakhtadze, US Chargé d'affaires ad interim Ross Wilson, the Minister of Defence Levan Izoria, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Davit Zalkaniani, Chief of General Staff Major General Vladimer Chachibaia and other state officials.

Georgian PM Mamuka Bakhtadze at the opening ceremony. Photo: Prime Minister's Press Office

Bakhtadze noted during his speech that Georgia's defence policy is based on principles of deterrence and defence, and the successful implementation of this policy largely depends on the creation of a high-grade defence system.

Prime Minister Bakhtadze thanked the troops and staff of defence structures for organising the exercises, in addition to the US as Georgia's main strategic partner and other NATO member and partner states, for their support for Georgia “which grows year by year”.

"Such exercises are important to strengthen our country's resilience. Didgori 2018 will prepare us for coordinated interagency action, which is tied to the country's security, stability and, importantly, peace-building. Given the requirements of national defence, and especially the principle of total defence, it is important to advance interagency cooperation and coordinated action to a higher qualitative level”, Bakhtadze added.

The five-day Interagency Didgori Command and Staff Exercise has been annually held since 2012. In 2014 Commander of the United States Army Europe, Lieutenant-General Ben Hodges visited Georgia during the exercise.