Agile Spirit 2017: Multinational drills kick off in Georgia

Georgian troops and their American and Eastern European allies are participating in annual military drills Agile Spirit 2017 that has taken start today in Georgia.

The multinational exercise involves a wide range of offensive and defensive trainings and will be one of the highlights of the annual calendar of events bringing together military personnel from Georgia and abroad.

Today we are launching another major U.S.-Georgia exercise with multinational contributions "#AgileSpirit 2017” - DefMin #Izoriapic.twitter.com/lRTAOtHGEg

— MOD Georgia (@ModGovGe) September 3, 2017

The exercise involves service members from Georgia, the United States (US), Bulgaria, Latvia, Romania, Ukraine and Armenia.

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

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.

We welcome engagement of our regional countries in #AgileSpirit, which facilitates peace & stability in #BlackSea & #Caucasus regions pic.twitter.com/kr5QTGHbgH

— MOD Georgia (@ModGovGe) September 3, 2017

The training will be held at the Orpolo firing range near Akhaltsikhe in southern Georgia from September 3-11.

The Agile Spirit drills were first held in 2011 and were held in a bilateral format between the GAF and US military.