U.S. and Georgia-led sixth Noble Partner 2022 military exercise started on 29 August at the 4th Infantry Brigade training ground in Vaziani, south of Tbilisi, the country’s capital. Notably, none of Georgia’s Ministers or Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili were in attendance in a marked departure from previous Noble Partner exercises.
The Georgian Ministry of Defense (MoD) stated that Major General Giorgi Matiashvili, the Commander of the Defense Forces, congratulated the military personnel of Georgia, the U.S., and NATO members, and partner countries on the start of the exercise at the opening.
The Major General emphasized the importance of cooperating with partners and ensuring a stable environment in the region.
Per the Georgian MoD, the purpose of the exercise, which is taking place for the first time since 2020, is to increase the readiness and interoperability between Georgia, the U.S., regional partners, and allied countries to work towards a secure environment in the Black Sea region.
To that end, Noble Partner 2022 will be taking place until 9 September with participants involved in situational training exercises, live-fire exercises, and combined mechanized maneuvers.
The exercise is led by the Georgia Defense Forces Eastern Command and U.S. Europe and Africa Command (USAREUR). It is supported by the Joint Training and Evaluation Center (JTEC) of the Training and Military Education Command.
Significantly, this is the first year that representatives of the Japanese and Swedish armed forces are taking part. In total, more than 2,400 military personnel are involved in the exercise from 18 countries, and 1 multinational brigade, including Georgia, the U.S., Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Great Britain, Japan, Sweden, and others.
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