Photo By Sgt. Laurie Ellen Wash | Achil Talakvadze, Speaker of Parliament in Georgia, speaks during the closing ceremony...... read more read more
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The closing ceremony for Agile Spirit 19 kicked off with multinational live-fire ranges while spectators looked on in a public event to showcase the participating forces’ speed, accuracy and firepower capabilities
The culmination of weeks of joint and multinational training led to the large scale live-fire range at the Orpholo Training Area in the country of Georgia on August 9, 2019.
The biennial exercise, held July 27 through August 9, 2019, was co-led by the Georgian Defense Forces and U.S. Army Europe. Approximately 3,300 military personnel from 14 allied and partner nations participated in this theater security cooperation exercise. Agile Spirit occurred at three training locations in Georgia: Orpholo Training Areas, Senaki Air Base and Vaziani Training Areas.
After the live-fire demonstration, formations and static displays of military equipment were lined up in front of the stage, where the Georgian Prime Minister Mamuka Bakhtadze delivered closing remarks.
“The exercises promoted strengthening the interoperability between the United States and partner countries, as well as maintaining a stable and safe environment in the Black Sea Region,” Bakhtadze said.
Many high-ranking officials, including the president of Georgia, attended the ceremony and gave a speech about the importance of the exercise.
In addition to the prime minister, Levan Izoria, Minister of Defense of Georgia, spoke during the closing ceremony along with the U.S. Ambassador to Georgia, Chargé d’Affaires Elisabeth Rood. The GDF military band played the Georgian national anthem and provided traditional Georgian music throughout the ceremony.
Izoria said that this was one of the largest exercises in the history of the defense forces, working alongside so many different nations.
The ceremony was also a time for the GDF, dressed in traditional warrior uniforms, to recognize soldiers for their hard work during the exercise.
U.S. Army Col. Jason Baker, exercise co-director and deputy chief of staff personnel for the Georgian Army during the exercise was one of those soldiers recognized.
“It has been an honor to serve along the Georgian Defense Force. Our relationship is long and rooted in the State Partnership Program. This October will be the 25th anniversary of our partnership,” Baker said.
After the ceremony, guests had the opportunity to look at the static displays of mechanized military vehicles and weapon systems, such as the U.S. Marine Corps' 60mm mortar system. Agile Spirit is an exercise designed to improve the U.S., Georgian and allied and partner forces' lethality, interoperability and readiness in a realistic training environment. The exercise is currently planned for its next iteration in 2021.
| Date Taken: | 08.09.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 08.10.2019 14:05 |
| Story ID: | 335419 |
| Location: | GE |
| Web Views: | 329 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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