Joint US-Georgia military exercises to begin on Monday

Global Security ^ | 10/24/2006 | RIA Novosti

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

The United States and Georgia will begin military exercises on October 26 in preparation for sending troops to Afghanistan, a foreign liaison officer in the US embassy in Tbilisi said on Saturday.

The US embassy on Friday said the exercises would begin on October 24.

"The program is specifically designed to enhance Georgia's ability to conduct joint counterinsurgency operations in Afghanistan together with US forces," the embassy statement said on Friday.

The two-week joint military exercise, code-named Immediate Response, will be held in Georgia and will include training in counterterrorist operations. US military instructors have already arrived at the Krtsanisi training center.

"We commend Georgia for its voluntary contribution of forces to the critical mission in Afghanistan," the US embassy said.

The Georgian Parliament in August approved President Mikheil Saakashvili's initiative to deploy one marine company and one marine battalion to Afghanistan to help in the peacekeeping mission. According to Georgia's Defense Ministry, the company will be commanded by US forces and the battalion by French forces in Afghanistan.

Georgia with US support has requested to become a NATO member, but at the NATO summit in April 2008, members refused to admit the post-Soviet country into the Membership Action Plan (MAP), a key step for membership.

Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Nalbandov said on Thursday that the country's Annual National Program is a copy of MAP, and may suffice for membership.

Georgian state minister on reintegration, Temur Yakobashvili, told reporters that the "instrument we have is a mirror copy of MAP, so if we are discussing implementing criteria, we have the opportunity, in the framework of this document, to fulfill all commitments, which will make us closer to NATO."

"The rest is just a political decision to be made by NATO member countries," he said.

[Thunder90]

Georgia and Ukraine will not be admitted to NATO, as it would cause too much controversy with the Russians. Obama would block any NATO admission of those two countries because of this.

[DoughtyOne]

For the life of me, I don’t understand why Obama would do this. I should clarify that, in that I don’t see any wholesome reason why. It’s sure to anger the Ruskies.

Obama’s not going to side with Georgia against Russia. Is he?

So about all I can figure is that he is trying to drive a wedge between our two nations. Either that or he eggs Russia into taking over Georgia, thus revealing the U.S. to be a powerless ally for nations in the region trying to ward off Russian adventurism.

Looks like it’s Object Lesson 101 time at the White House.

[blasater1960]

The Russians will get a belly laugh out of this...Obama is a joke to them.

[Thunder90]

The exercises were planned and the deployment planned at the end of the Bush Administration.

As far as Georgia’s membership to NATO (and Ukraine’s), they will not be admitted because of Obama, Russian oppisiton, and a NATO report blaming Georgia for starting the war with Russia (and Ukraine supporting them).

As far as Ukraine is concerned, they will not be admitted to NATO when 55% of their population is opposed to it. Also, they won’t be admitted until they are completely politically stable.

[DoughtyOne]

The exercises were planned and the deployment planned at the end of the Bush Administration.

I understand what Bush's motives were for these exersises.  At that time I thought they were ill advised, a thumb in Russia's eye.  We were never going to back Georgia up militarily against Russia.  Why the exercises then?

I still don't believe Obama's motives for them to be the same.  It's just an opportunity for something to cause problems between us and Russia.  I do think that would further his goals.

As far as Georgia’s membership to NATO (and Ukraine’s), they will not be admitted because of Obama, Russian oppisiton, and a NATO report blaming Georgia for starting the war with Russia (and Ukraine supporting them).

Which is good IMO.  How would we like it for Russia to have military exercises with Mexico, and join a military pact with Mexico?

As far as Ukraine is concerned, they will not be admitted to NATO when 55% of their population is opposed to it. Also, they won’t be admitted until they are completely politically stable.

I believe that it's unrealistic to desire or try to get nations on Russia's border to join NATO.