State Partnership

State Partnership task force trains Georgians for Iraq

Above: 48th Brigade soliders prepare nation of Georgia troops for deployment.

By Pfc. Adam Dean
Georgia National Guard
Public Affairs Office

May 31, 2007 - A brigade of Georgians is preparing for deployment to Iraq in support of the Global War on Terror. But this time, it’s a unit from the nation of Georgia. And helping them prepare is a task force of more than 30 Georgia National Guardsmen from the 48th Infantry Brigade and other Army and Air Guard units in the state.

The project is the latest in a series of ongoing training, humanitarian and familiarization missions that are part of the State Partnership Program. The relationship between the Georgia National Guard and the nation of Georgia dates back to the mid-1990’s.

Officially known as “Task Force Georgian Sustainment and Support Program II,” the training team arrived in Tiblisi, the nation’s capitol, in April. The mission is expected to last through mid-summer.

The Georgian 3rd Infantry Brigade, the unit the Guardsmen are training, numbers more than 2,000 soldiers and is expected to deploy to Iraq later this year. It will make the country of Georgia one of the largest contributors to the Coalition Forces in Iraq, behind the U.S. and the United Kingdom.

“2,000 soldiers is significant, considering that the total population of the country is only 4.6 million people,” said Maj. Matthew Saxton, manager of the State Partnership Program at the Joint Operations Directorate. “That is a large percentage of the population and represents a major commitment on behalf of the country.”

Much of the training is held at KTA National Training Center, a 5,400 acre installation about 10 miles south of Tiblisi. The larger Vaziani Training Area to the southeast of the capitol is used for urban operations and live fire, and the Kodjori Training Area to the west is used for force-on-force and land navigation.

“The Georgians have been very receptive and appreciative of all of the training we have given them.” Said Major Anthony Fournier, the task force commander. “The Georgia Guard task force is comprised largely of recent veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom, some of whom served in the area the Georgians will soon control.”

The 12-week schedule includes individual soldier skills and small unit tactics such as land navigation, first aid, rifle marksmanship and team and squad movement techniques. Later the training will include company and battalion operations.

Situated in the Caucasus region along the east coast of the Black Sea, Georgia is bordered to the north by Russia, to the south by Turkey and Armenia, and to the east by Azerbaijan.