More than 2,400 servicemembers from 21 countries will be involved in this year’s Noble Partner defence drills in Georgia, with the exercise set to feature troops from Japan and Sweden for the first time, the Ministry of Defence of Georgia announced on Tuesday.
The manoeuvres will aim to “increase readiness and interoperability” between Georgia, the United States, regional partners and allied countries, in a bid to “ensure a stable and secure environment in the Black Sea region”, the Ministry said.
In the sixth edition of the drills, servicemembers from Georgia, the United States, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Greece, the United Kingdom, Türkiye, Slovakia, Norway, Lithuania, Azerbaijan, Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estonia, Poland, Japan, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine and Sweden will be involved.
Brigadier General Roland Dzneladze, Commander of the Eastern Command of the Georgian Defence Forces tasked with directing the exercise, stressed the importance of participation in multinational drills and strengthening of capabilities for the Georgian Defence Forces.
Dzneladze was addressing an audience involving Major General Giorgi Matiashvili, the Commander of the Georgian Defence Forces, as well as defence attachés of the participant nations and NATO experts.
