U.S. Boosts Military Cooperation with Georgia

Georgian Defense Minister Giorgi Baramidze said on December 5, after the talks with visiting U.S. General Peter Pace, the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, that a new stage of military cooperation will be launched between Georgia and the United States, starting in early 2005.

Within the frames of the new Sustainment and Stability Operations Program, U.S. instructors will train four Georgian battalions, Baramidze said.

The U.S.-trained battalions will participate in peacekeeping operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Baramidze added.

The American side refrains from unveiling the exact amount of funding while the details of the assistance program are being developed; however, Georgian Defense Minister Giorgi Baramidze  announced that the U.S. Government will allocate approximately USD 60 million for the new assistance program.