Georgia-U.S. Defense Cooperation in 2017
Georgia and the United States continue the exceptionally close partnership in defense and security which has been outlined in the Georgia-U.S. Strategic Partnership Charter and in a new “Deepening the Defense and Security Partnership” cooperation project for 2016–2019. The two sides took significant steps in 2017 via high-level meetings and major bilateral agreements.
Bilateral Meetings
In 2017, multiple delegations of Senators, Congressmen and State Department officials visited Georgia. On New Year’s Eve of 2017, a bipartisan delegation of the Senate Armed Services Committee composed of the Chairman Senator John McCain, Senator Lindsay Graham and Senator Amy Klobuchar toured the Joint Training and Evaluation Center (JTEC) and visited the occupation line in Georgia. Later, in the spring, a delegation of the U.S. Congress led by Congressman Peter Roskam toured the Krtsanisi National Training Center in Georgia and met with the high officials from the Ministry of Defense and General Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces. The U.S. Senators and Representatives, once again, voiced their unwavering support towards Georgia’s territorial integrity and the country’s Euro-Atlantic aspiration.
The visit of the U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence was a significant event in U.S.-Georgia relations as the visit further reassured that the United States remains committed to Georgia’s European and Euro Atlantic integration. During his visit, Vice-President Mike Pence attended joint military exercise “Noble Partner,” speaking directly to Georgian and U.S. soldiers on the training field.
The Georgian side first met with then-newly appointed U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Kenneth B. Handelman at Munich Security Conference in March 2017. At the same conference, Georgian Minister of Defense Levan Izoria also discussed defense cooperation issues with Laura Cooper, the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia.
Later in November of 2017, Minister Izoria paid his first official visit to the United States and had a bilateral meeting with the Secretary of Defense General Mattis and the National Security Adviser to the President H.R. McMaster. The sides discussed bilateral cooperation in security and defense affairs.
Within the framework of the U.S.-Georgia Strategic Partnership Charter, the two sides held Defense and Security Working Group meeting in Washington DC, followed by bilateral consultations in security affairs in Batumi, Georgia. In addition, throughout 2017, there were multiple visits to the U.S. by the First Deputy Minister of Defense and the Chief of General Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces. The meetings confirmed that the United States is expanding its political as well as practical support to Georgia.
Joint Exercises and Projects
The decision of the U.S. Department of State, approved by the U.S. Congress, to allow selling of USD 75 million worth of Javelin anti-tank missiles to Georgia, is a remarkable achievement in the Georgia-U.S. military cooperation. This is the result of the deep trust and long-standing partnership between our countries, and is aimed at enhancing Georgia’s defense capability in order to secure the peace and stability of our country.
Two annual Georgia-U.S. joint military exercises took place in 2017 as well. The two countries have been organizing drills, “Agile Spirit” since 2011 and “Noble Partner” since 2015. Each year, the exercises attract more regional states to participate.
Another milestone of 2017 was the initiation “Georgia Defense and Readiness Program” (GDRP), which aims to boost readiness of Georgian armed forces, and develop the strategic and institutional mechanisms within the Georgian military. The first part of GDRP development will start in Spring 2018 and end in 2021. The United States plays a crucial role in developing the GDRP initiative, which will include the training, and equipment and service improvement.