Allied and partner nations from around the world gathered at Vaziani Training Area, Georgia, for the opening ceremony of Noble Partner 20 September 7, 2020.
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Georgian Defense Forces Col. Irodi Kadagishvili, Deputy Commander of East Command, and Georgia Army National Guardsmen Col. Jason Fryman, U.S. Exercise Director of Noble Partner 20, participate in the opening ceremony at Vaziani Training Area, Georgia, Sept. 7, 2020 (Picture source: U.S. Army/Sgt. Jordan Trent)

Noble Partner 20 is a Georgian Defense Force and U.S. Army Europe cooperatively-led exercise hosted at Vaziani and Camp Norio training areas designed to enhance Georgian, regional partner, and U.S. force readiness and interoperability in a realistic, multinational training environment. Noble Partner is a recurring, biannual exercise in its fifth iteration. This year also marks the 26th year of the partnership agreement between the Georgia National Guard and country of Georgia under the National Guard’s State Partnership Program.

“This exercise is an incredible display of commitment of cooperation between the United States and Georgia and between Georgia and NATO,” said U.S. Army Col. Stephanie Bagley, Defense Attaché to Georgia. “It is an opportunity to hone our skills to work together as a coalition, to enhance interoperability, as well as to show our future cooperation.”

Countries participating in this year’s exercise include France, Georgia, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Active duty U.S. Army units training in the exercise include the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, 12th and 101st Combat Aviation Brigades, and 18th Military Police Brigade during Noble Partner. Components from the Georgia National Guard in the exercise include the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 78th Troop Command, 78th Aviation Troop Command, and 165th Airlift Wing. This year’s training will include mechanized infantry maneuvers, helicopter attack and medical evacuation operations with rotor-wing aircraft, and a culminating combined arms live-fire exercise that integrates all participating forces.

Senior leaders and exercise coordinators spoke about the importance of partnership and training with allied and partnered countries.

The Georgia National Guard and country of Georgia became partners under the State Partnership Program in October 1994. The program’s first partnerships began in 1993, and the agreement between both Georgias is the 17th agreement in the program’s history.

Safety precautions are in place to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 exposure during and after the exercise. The Georgian Ministry of Defense implemented a 14-day restriction of movement and required COVID-19 testing before entering Georgia, and COVID-19 screening will occur during the exercise to enable continued training in a safe environment.

Georgia National Guardsmen detonate a demolition charge to clear a wire obstacle at a live demolition training range during Noble Partner 20, Sept. 14, 2020 (Picture source: U.S. Army National Guard/Sgt. 1st Class R.J. Lannom Jr)