Joint exercises involving about 2,500 military personnel from 15 allied and partner countries are due to get under way on July 26 in Georgia.
The multinational Agile Spirit exercises are led jointly by the Georgian Defense Forces and the U.S. Army Europe and Africa. The exercises will be held at five training locations in Georgia and will last through August 6, the U.S. Army Europe and Africa said in a statement.
The opening ceremony for Agile Spirit is scheduled to take place at Senaki Air Base on July 26. The war games will run through August 6, concluding with a ceremony at the Orpholo training area, the statement said.
It is the 10th Agile Spirit exercise, which aims to strengthen regional security cooperation and increase interoperability among the military forces participating.
“Agile Spirit 2021 enhances U.S., Georgian, allied, and regional partner forces’ readiness and interoperability in a realistic training environment,” the statement said.
The exercises were first conducted in Georgia in 2011 and took place annually between U.S. and Georgian military forces. Beginning in 2018, Agile Spirit transitioned from a U.S. Marine Forces Europe exercise to a U.S. Army Europe and Africa exercise taking place in odd numbered years.
About 1,600 of the 2,500 military personnel scheduled to participate are Georgian defense forces. About 700 are U.S. military personnel and about 250 are from the other participating countries: Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Canada, Italy, and Azerbaijan.
This year is the first in which a combined multinational airborne operation with participation from Georgia, the United Kingdom, and Poland will take place.
Also, for the first time, special operation forces from Georgia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Romania, and Poland will perform combined operations at the Sorta training area.
The other locations where the exercises will take place are the Vaziani training area, the Vaziani military airport, and the Orpholo training area, all in Georgia.
