Over 800 US troops participate in Agile Spirit 2025 exercise in Georgia

US military personnel are participating in the NATO multinational military exercises Agile Spirit 2025 in Georgia despite Washington's revision of its strategic relations with Tbilisi. The exercises at a training ground near Tbilisi will last until August 8.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", the joint multinational exercises Agile Spirit are conducted jointly by the Georgian Armed Forces and the US Army in Europe and Africa every two years. The previous Agile Spirit exercises ended in early September 2023. Then the US Embassy announced the start of the Agile Spirit 2023 exercises. The Georgian side did not announce their conduct, trying to irritate Russia as little as possible, noted Georgian political scientists interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot".

The Agile Spirit 2025 exercises involve military personnel from 13 countries (Georgia, the United States, Turkey, Germany, Italy, Greece, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Lithuania, Ukraine and Poland), with two more countries - Armenia and Japan - participating as observers. The exercises are jointly led by the commander of the Western Command of the Georgian Defense Forces, Brigadier General Koba Grigolia and Colonel William Cox from the US National Guard in the state of Georgia.

In 2025, the exercises are being held at two sites, in Georgia and Turkey. They began in Turkey on July 21, and the opening ceremony in Georgia took place on July 25. The exercise, which runs until August 8, aims to enhance readiness, improve interoperability, and strengthen the operational capabilities of allied and partner forces. “Notably, the U.S. Army National Guard will co-lead the Georgian portion of the exercise alongside their Georgian Army counterparts, leveraging the decade-long National Partnership Program,” the U.S. European and African Command said in a press release.

The exercise involves more than 2,000 troops, including more than 800 U.S. troops, as well as armor and aircraft from the Georgian Defense Forces, U.S. Army, and Turkish Armed Forces. The events will take place at the NATO-Georgia Joint Training and Evaluation Center (JTEC) in Krtsanisi, the Vaziani Combat Training Center and Firing Range, the Norio Firing Range, Mukhrovani, and the 2nd Infantry Brigade in Senaki. The exercises in Georgia are also expected to include live-fire exercises and a joint operation with the Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian brigade. German and Romanian troops will provide support to the higher headquarters, while Bulgarian and Moldovan soldiers will take part in field exercises with Georgian troops.

The Georgian Defense Ministry, unlike in 2023, also issued a press release about the start of the exercises. It says that a command-and-staff interaction operation, a tactical escort along the Senaki-Vaziani highway, joint live-fire exercises, joint special operations activities, and an inspection of the Combat Training Center (CTC) of the Georgian Armed Forces will be conducted. At the same time, the American side’s statement emphasized that participation in Agile Spirit 2025 “underscores the United States’ commitment to security and stability in the Black Sea region” and “the importance of strong alliances and partnerships in addressing shared security challenges.”

This year, Agile Spirit is taking place against the backdrop of continuing deterioration in relations between the United States and Georgia. Tbilisi stated that they are “part of a broader series of joint exercises,” although the country’s government is at the same time facing growing accusations of moving away from its pro-Western course and moving closer to Russia, Euronews notes.

"Caucasian Knot" also wrote that in early July, the US Department of Defense indefinitely postponed the Noble Partner military exercises, which have been held in Georgia since 2015, due to a review of strategic relations. At the same time, the Pentagon emphasized that cooperation with the Georgian armed forces is not ending. The cancellation of these exercises poses a major threat to Georgia's defense capability and threatens the country with isolation, said fifth President Salome Zurabishvili.

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