F.P. Report
TBILISI: The tenth multinational military exercise “Agile Spirit” (“Agile spirit”) in 2021 opened in Georgia on Monday at three military training grounds at once: Senaki (in the west of the country), where the central ceremonies were held, Orfololo (in the south) and Vaziani (in the suburbs Tbilisi).
1.6 thousand Georgian and 700 American servicemen, as well as 250 military personnel from 13 states, NATO members and partners, including Ukraine, are taking part in the current exercise. The Ukrainian military arrived at the Georgian port of Poti on the Yuri Oliferenko landing ship and the Starobilsky patrol boat, after which they went to the Senak base 36 km from Poti.
Opening the exercise, Georgian Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze stressed that the exercise “will provide more NATO in Georgia.”
According to the Ministry of Defense of the Caucasian country, the goal of the Agile Spirit 2021 exercise is “to work out the compatibility of combat units of the armies of NATO member and partner countries, to improve and strengthen operational capabilities during the planning and execution of military operations in a multinational environment, and to develop security cooperation.”
The Minister of Defense of Georgia Juansher Burchuladze addressed the military servicemen of 12 NATO member and 3 partner countries participating in the training camp, noting that the joint exercises will further deepen the interoperability and combat capabilities between the military units of the participating countries. The Minister also stressed the importance of conducting multinational exercises in Georgia, saying that it increases NATO’s presence in Georgia and contributes to peace and stability in the region.
The Commander of the Defense Forces, Major General Giorgi Matiashvili also congratulated the servicemen of 15 countries on the official start of Agile Spirit 2021 and wished them success in the exercise. In his speech, the General spoke about strengthening partnership capabilities and maintaining readiness between the Georgian Defense Forces and military units of partner countries, which is served by multinational training.
The opening of Agile Spirit 2021 was attended by Defense Ministry officials, defense attachés of the participating countries, the Governor of Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Region and the Mayor of Senaki Municipality.
Agile Spirit 2021 is organized by the Western Command of the Georgian Defense Forces and the US Army Command in Europe and Africa, led by the Western Commander, Brigadier General Koba Grigolia. International exercises will continue in Georgia until August 6 and will be spread at five locations . The exercises are aimed at enhancing interoperability between NATO member and partner countries , enhancing and strengthening operational capabilities in the planning and execution of operations in a multinational environment, as well as developing multinational preparedness and security cooperation.
For the first time, Georgian-made armored vehicles “Didgori-Voyn” for a combat unit and “Didgori-Medic” designed to evacuate the wounded in a combat situation will take part in Agile Spirit 2021 for the first time.
