VAZIANI TRAINING AREA, Georgia —
More than 3,000 participants from 13 allied and partner nations gathered here yesterday for the opening ceremony of this year's Exercise Noble Partner.
Noble Partner 2018, which runs until Aug. 15, is a Georgian armed forces and U.S. Army Europe-led exercise in its fourth iteration. It's intended to support and enhance readiness and interoperability among forces of the United States and Georgia, and other participating nations and regional partners during a multinational training operation.
Countries involved in this year's exercise include the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Norway, Turkey, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Senior officials and leaders addressed the importance of the multinational exercise and partnership during the opening ceremony.
“Your participation in these exercises is a guarantee of stability and peace,” Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili said. “Today our unity, friendship and common aims are to protect peace, well-being and good health of our citizens. Your contribution to the strength of our states is colossal.”
He went on to say that through these exercises, the partnerships will advance Georgia's defense capabilities and ensure security in the region.
This year the exercise supports the training of the Georgian armed…
