Agile Spirit multinational exercise kicks off this week in Georgia, with 14 NATO members, allies
Georgia to host most-large scale Agile Spirit exercise this month.Photo: Defence Ministry press office.
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Georgia will host the Agile Spirit 2019 multinational exercise this week, involving more than 3,000 soldiers from 14 NATO members and allies, Georgian Defence Ministry reports.
The exercise will officially begin at the 2nd Infantry Brigade of Senaki, in western Georgia, on July 27.
This is the ninth time Georgia is hosting the exercise with the goal of strengthening interoperability, training and improving operational capabilities of participants during planning and execution of operations in real time, as well as helping to ensure a stable and secure environment across the Black Sea region, the ministry says.
That is why the main message of the Agile Spirit 2019 is - Strength through Partnership,” the Defence Ministry said.
Defense Minister Levan Izoria says that the number of participating countries and soldiers have been almost doubled compared to last year. Photo: Defence Ministry press office.
The exercise will be held at three locations – 2nd Infantry Brigade in Senaki, Orpolo and Vaziani fire ranges.
The 14 countries taking party in the exercise are: Georgia, US, UK, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Norway, Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine.
The scenario of the combined multinational exercise includes command, staff and field trainings with live fire, engagement of maneuver and combat support elements in defensive and offensive operations,” the ministry says.
The exercise will take place through August 9.
Agile Spirit has increased in scope and numbers since it was first held in 2011. The exercise is one of two multinational drills held in Georgia annually, with Noble Partner being the other.
The exercise will be led by the Ministry of Defence of Georgia and the United States European Command.
Georgia will host the largest yet edition of the Agile Spirit multinational defence drills with over 3,000 service members from NATO member states and partner countries this summer.
Georgian service members are among over 9,000 troops from over a dozen states involved in the Spring Storm defence drills organised by the Ministry of Defence of Estonia that launched on Monday.
Fresh from the conclusion of the Noble Partner multinational drills, Georgia will be hosting this year’s Agile Spirit — a command- and staff-level defence exercise in the country’s west.
Georgian service members carried out joint drills alongside their partner forces from the United States, United Kingdom and Ukraine earlier today, within the Noble Partner defence exercise ongoing outside capital Tbilisi.
US Navy P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft made a historic first visit for that type of aircraft to Georgia, the US Embassy to Georgia posted on its official Facebook page today. The US Embassy reported the aircraft conducted training with the Georgian Coast Guard in the eastern Black Sea.
Georgia will be hosting the military drills for two weeks starting today, which involves more than 3,000 soldiers from 14 NATO members and allies, including: Georgia, US, UK, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Norway, Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine.
Georgia's progress on path to NATO partnership and the alliance's involvement in the Black Sea regional stability were lauded by the Minister of Defence of Georgia Levan Izoria in an address at the closing of the Agile Spirit defence drills in Georgia earlier today.
Georgia will be involved in the US-led exercise Defender Europe 2020 in April and May of the next year, the largest exercise of its kind in Europe in 25 years with the participation of about 20,000 soldiers and 18 participating states, the New York Times reports. The Defender Europe 20 exercise will support NATO objectives "to build readiness within the alliance and deter potential adversaries."
Georgia will host the Agile Spirit 2021 multinational exercise next week involving 2,500 troops from 15 NATO allied and partner countries in Georgia between July 26 and August 6. Agile Spirit is a Georgian Defence Forces and US Army Europe and Africa cooperatively-led, joint multinational brigade-level exercise, incorporating a simulated command post exercise, field training, and joint multinational, battalion-level combined arms live-fire exercises.