NATO is holding a major training exercise in Turkiye and Georgia under the name "agile spirit".
More than two thousand servicemen from seven NATO countries, including the United States and Turkiye, are participating in the maneuvers. Ukraine and Moldova are also participating in the exercises, along with Georgia.
Field, fire and special forces exercises are planned. The Agile Spirit exercises, which are taking place simultaneously in Turkiye and Georgia, are scheduled to end on August 8.
The purpose of the exercises is to increase the combat readiness of the armed forces of the participating countries, strengthen mutual compatibility and operational capabilities, the Georgian military department indicated.
The exercise began in Turkiye, near the Adana province, with a joint US-Turkish airborne operation on July 21.
In Georgia, the training was officially opened at the NATO-Georgia Joint Training and Evaluation Center (JTEC) in Krtsanisi on Fruday (25 July).
"At the training ground, First Deputy Minister of Defense Paata Patiashvili, Deputy Commander of the Defense Forces, Major General Irakli Chichinadze, and Commander of the US 7th Army Training Command in Europe and Africa, Brigadier General Terry Tillis addressed the military personnel of the countries participating in the international exercises."
In their speeches, they spoke about the importance of international education and wished the participants success.
The international exercises in Georgia are jointly led by the Commander of the Georgian Defense Forces West, Brigadier General Koba Grigolia, and the representative of the US Georgia National Guard, Colonel William Cox. The opening ceremony of the exercises was attended by representatives of the Georgian Defense Forces, defense attaches accredited to Georgia, representatives of the NATO Liaison Office, the NATO-Georgia Substantial Package (SNGP) Core Group, the Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) of the US Embassy, and the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM).
The representatives of Armenia and Japan will observe the exercise.
The exercise aims to increase the level of readiness, interoperability, and operational capabilities of the defense forces of the participating countries."
source: commonspace.eu with agencies
photo: US paratroops prepare for a jump at the start of AGILE SPIRIT exercises in Turkiye and Georgia (picture courtesy of US Army, Europe).
