Agile Spirit 2016: Drills improve Georgian, allied military cooperation

Georgian troops are rubbing shoulders and learning from their American and Eastern European allies in the annual military drills Agile Spirit 2016, currently taking place in Georgia.

Held at the Orpolo firing range near Akhaltsikhe in Georgia's south, the multinational exercise involves a wide range of offensive and defensive trainings and is one of the highlights of the annual calendar of events bringing together military personnel from Georgia and abroad.

The exercise launched on September 1 and involved service members from Georgia, the United States (US), Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania and Latvia cooperating in command post exercises and field drills.

Georgian troops photographed at the Orpolo firing range during the exercise. Photo from the Ministry of Defence of Georgia.

Led by the General Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces (GAF) and US Marine Corps, the Agile Spirit drills aimed to train and improve interoperability between participants, support regional security and improve operational skills.

Highlighting the significance of the occasion, NATO state ambassadors and the alliance's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg are scheduled to travel to Georgia to hold meetings in Tbilisi this week.

Commencing on Wednesday, the meetings are convened to demonstrate NATO’s support for Georgia through cooperation in defence exercises.

This year's Agile Spirit training includes infantry armoured vehicles and other hardware. Photo from the Ministry of Defence of Georgia.

This year's Agile Spirit utilises a range of military hardware including air force and artillery support with anti-armour training being one of the focus points of live-fire drills.

The Ministry of Defence of Georgia said four GAF units were involved in the training including IV Mechanised Brigade 42nd Battalion and platoon-sized units operating artillery, mortar, tank and engineer support.

Artillery support is part of the drills incorporating combined arms in action at Orpolo firing range. Photo from the Ministry of Defence of Georgia.

Within the Agile Spirit drills soldiers immerse themselves in a range of training scenarios that include direct and indirect fire, combined arms integration, offensive and exfiltration action.

The Agile Spirit drills were first held in 2011 and were held in a bilateral format between the GAF and US military until 2015. This year's exercises will conclude on September 9.