GEORGIA DEFENSE READINESS PROGRAM CENTER, Georgia -- Georgia Defense Force soldiers and U.S. Army soldiers from the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, participated in a course completion ceremony August 2, 2019, to celebrate the conclusion of another iteration of the Georgia Defense Readiness Program - Training (GDRP-T), August 2, 2019 at the Georgia Defense Readiness Program Center, Georgia.
Soldiers from the 1ABCT, designated as “Team Raven,” are serving in a mentorship role as part of Georgian Defense Readiness Program-Training at Vaziani Training Area, Georgia, to improve the interoperability between U.S. and Georgian forces.
“It’s exciting to graduate today from one of the biggest programs that we have,” said 1st Lt.Giorgi Shainidze, a platoon commander in the Georgian Defense Force. “We received lots of practical and theoretical knowledge during these trainings that improved our skills as soldiers. This training has allowed us to feel confident in conducting offensive and defensive operations in the future.”
The Georgia Defense Readiness Program - Training (GDRP-T) is a bilateral, United States-Georgian training program launched on May 1, 2018. U.S. Army Europe will support the Georgian Ministry of Defense's training of nine Georgian battalions over the next three years. The Georgian Armed Forces maintain a high-level of training for its international missions, and the GDRP training mission will complement and add to Georgia's interoperability as well as strengthen the country's territorial defense capabilities. U.S. and Georgian forces serve alongside each other in Afghanistan and around the world.
“I have had a good relationship and partnership with American Soldiers over the last several weeks,” said Shainidze. “The American Soldiers are here to help us and this was really good for us. They were giving us a lot of information and shared their experiences and advice. Working with other countries allows us to be exposed to different backgrounds and skills.”
As USAREUR's premier training command, 7th Army Training Command provides resources for the training readiness for all of USAREUR's assigned and allocated forces throughout the EUCOM area of operations. Leveraging its combat training center expertise.
7th ATC also oversees the Europe Command directed Combined Training Center's development efforts with partnered nations like the Georgian Defense Readiness Program-Training (GDRP-T).
“After graduating from the GDRP-T, we enhanced our standard operating procedures for the future,” said Shainidze. “We look forward to continuing to improve our skills and sharing the knowledge we learned here with our other battalions, who are next in line to come here and train.”