Georgia Security & Stability Operations (Georgia SSOP)
EUCOM is conducting a program to train and equip Georgian forces and command staff to prepare for peace support operations in Iraq. The new mission builds on the Georgia Train and Equip (GTEP) training conducted by Special Operations Command Europe and Marine Forces Europe between May 2002 and April 2004. The new program involves sustaining the GTEP trained troops by training and equipping their parent unit, the 11th Brigade staff and equipping two additional Georgian infantry battalions, two logistics battalions, training some separate companies from the Georgian 11th Brigade and some command and control elements that plan, coordinate and execute Georgian deployments to Iraq.
The Georgia Sustainment and Stability Operations Program (SSOP) is a security assistance program designed to create an increased capability in the Georgian military to support Operation Iraqi Freedom stability missions. SSOP will also help solidify the progress made during the very successful Georgia Train and Equip Program and continue to assist in the implementation of western standards in the Georgian armed forces. This program, lasting about 18 months, will cost approximately $60 million. Funding for the program is provided under fiscal years 2005 and 2006: Title 10 - $27.1M, Title 22 - $17.33M, and other (i.e. Excess Defense Articles, Donor Nation Program) - $16.5M.
As a result of the Georgia Train and Equip Program (GTEP) the Georgian military has significantly increased its capability to execute combined operations in a multi-nation environment, enhanced their ability to protect their sovereignty, improved their ability to defeat transnational terrorists’ cells, and stabilize the region from potential terrorist activities. A remarkable aspect to this program is the impact that can be achieved at the small unit level.
GTEP training was conducted using U.S. Special Operations Forces and U. S. Marine Corps Forces, Europe from May 2002 to May 2004. During this time approximately 2,600 Georgian soldiers, including a headquarters staff element and 5 tactical units, received training. One benefit of GTEP came on 1 March 2005, when Georgia deployed the first full infantry battalion in support of operations in Iraq. Georgian troops have also supported operations in Afghanistan and Kosovo. EUCOM expected the rotation of Georgian forces in support of this critical mission to continue under the Sustainment and Stability Operations Program.
The Georgia Sustainment and Stability Operations Program (SSOP) is designed to train two Infantry Battalions for peacekeeping missions in Iraq; two Logistics Battalions; specialized units for the Georgian 1st Brigade; and staff training for the 1st and 2nd Georgian Brigade, the Land Forces Command Staff, and the Operations Cell of the Georgian General Staff. Additionally, SSOP will provide Georgia with a cadre of trainers and staff to support additional personnel and peacekeeping units.
In January 2005, Phase I of SSOP commenced as EUCOM conducted a Pre-Deployment Site Survey and assessment of the Georgian Army, focusing on the readiness of the infrastructure and the personnel manning of the first battalion to undergo training. On 1 March, a Georgian Battalion deployed to Iraq, a prerequisite for commencement of follow-on SSOP phases. Based on the readiness of the Georgians to conduct the training and availability of funding and equipment, EUCOM set a start date of mid-April 2005 to begin the training of the first infantry battalion.
EUCOM estimated in early 2005 that the program will be completed by summer 2006. EUCOM, in coordination with the Defense Department and the Department of State, planned to continue its military transformation support to this developing democracy. This effort is an example of a program in which a small investment can yield enormous dividends in our effort to promote peace, stability and democracy. It is also an example of how small unit training programs, operating at the tactical level, can produce a strategic result.
The Georgia Sustainment and Stability Operations Program [GSSOP] task force mission is to assist and enhance Georgia’s capability to sustain its contribution to the effort in Iraq. EUCOM is conducting a program to train and equip Georgian forces and command staff to prepare for peace support operations in Iraq. The new mission built on the Georgia Train and Equip (GTEP) training conducted by Special Operations Command Europe and Marine Forces Europe between May 2002 and April 2004.
Sworn enemies during the Cold War, the Republic of Georgia - part of the former Soviet Union -- and the United States are brothers in arms now, forming friendships and training side by side. Gone are the Cold War days of mistrust and suspicion, replaced by feelings of cooperation and mutual respect, as U.S. forces work to prepare their Georgian counterparts for operations in Iraq and boost regional security in the Caucasus during the Georgia Sustainment and Stability Operations Program.
Georgians are accustomed to Soviet-style training, a very centralized type of organization where commissioned officers give very little leadership responsibility to enlisted members. But the U.S. style is very different. The officers don't necessarily want to give up their responsibility and step aside and let the noncommissioned officers take care of the small items while the officers take care of the planning. The Soviet style of "spray and pray" in which weapons are fired in automatic mode at longer range, often from the hip, is giving way to the more controlled and precise, shorter range U.S. style of firing.
Several Warsaw Pact nations - Bulgaria, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Romania - are contributing weapons and ammunition to GSSOP. The new program involved sustaining the GTEP trained troops by training and equipping their parent unit, the 11th Brigade staff and equipping two additional Georgian infantry battalions, two logistics battalions, training some separate companies from the Georgian 11th Brigade and some command and control elements that will plan, coordinate and execute Georgian deployments to Iraq.
A unique military training program is weaving a mosaic of understanding and teamwork for future coalition efforts in Iraq while boosting security in the Caucasus, an integral part of the former Soviet Union. The $64 million Georgia Sustainment and Stability Operations Program began a 15-month run and is the answer to Georgia's commitment to deploy troops to support Operation Iraqi Freedom. Two battalions of Georgian soldiers are receiving training that includes light infantry tactics; brigade-level engineer, logistics, reconnaissance and signal skills; and command and control training at the brigade level and above.
Marine Corps Forces Europe is leading the training and providing the largest U.S. contingent of trainers. No more than 70 U.S. servicemembers - from all military branches - will deploy to Georgia at any given time. The Krtsanisi National Training Center is the site of the program, which will train and equip more than 1,200 Georgian soldiers in ground combat skills and tactics, including marksmanship, first aid, urban drills and search techniques. Other phases include training the reconnaissance, engineer and signal companies as well as training and equipping the military staffs and logistics battalions of both brigades.
Georgia SSOP was part of the 23rd Infantry Battalion and other Georgian units' preparation for deployment to Iraq in support of the global war on terrorism and Iraqi stability. The training is being conducted by Marine Corps infantry and small arms trainers, a Navy emergency medical training team, Air Force communications technicians and Army contracting and visual communications experts. On April 23, 2005, a Navy medical staff sprang into action during an emergency evacuation exercise drill for the Georgia Sustainment and Stability Operations Program. The drill involved three "injured" troops at the grenade range here. The purpose of the drill was to test and evaluate the unit's ability to evacuate casualties by either helicopter or by ambulance to the Tbilisi Airport.
In May 2005, shortly after arriving in Georgia, the Georgia Sustainment and Stability Operation Program Logistics Section quickly went to work. Supported by civilian contractors, the section consists of only two Marines who are responsible for equipping over 500 Georgian soldiers. These Logistics Marines helped equip the Georgian 23rd Light Infantry Battalion. Some of the first things to be issued were boots, canteens and desert combat uniforms, which will prove useful when the unit deploys to replace Georgian units already serving in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Future supply issues will give the Georgians new flak jackets, sleeping bags and other gear they need for their upcoming deployment to Iraq in support of coalition stability efforts.
U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe showcased the U.S. European Command's Georgia Sustainment and Stability Operations Program Task Force training program in a "capstone" event Dec. 5-10, 2005 in the Republic of Georgia. The event aimed to prove the readiness of Georgia's 22nd Light Infantry Battalion prior to its deployment to Iraq. The trained 22nd Light Infantry Battalion troops will form part of the dedicated force called for in UN Security Council Resolution 1546 to protect UN peacekeeping forces in Iraq.
In February 2006 53-member U.S. task force, consisting mainly of veterans from conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan, trained the Georgian Soldiers to form part of the dedicated force called for in UN Security Council Resolution 1546 to protect UN peacekeeping forces in Iraq. U.S. European Command's Georgia Sustainment and Stability Operations Program assists the Georgian armed forces sustain those ongoing deployments.
The 7th Army Joint Multinational Training Command assumed responsibility for GSSOP from the U.S. Marine Corps in mid-2006, and oversees current classes being taught by U.S. defense contractors. JMTC Soldiers training the Georgians had plenty of experience in preparing troops for combat. They routinely prepare U.S. and other countries’ forces for combat and peacekeeping operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and other global trouble spots. At JMTC’s training platforms in Grafenwoehr and Hohenfels, Soldiers take advantage of force-on-force capabilities, as well as the multipurpose range complex located on the largest training area outside of the continental United States.
JMTC is able to export its training to any training area and create a fully instrumented force-on-force training experience. For example, the JMTC traveled to the Republic of Georgia to help prepare its 31st Light Infantry Battalion for its upcoming deployment to Iraq. An important tool used to train the Georgian Soldiers is the Modified Combined Obstacle Overlay, which is an intelligence preparation product. MCOO applies the battle space in regards to an area of operation. GSSOP trains select Georgian military units to continue scheduled deployments to support U.N. peacekeepers in Iraq. The program also includes light infantry tactics; brigade-level engineer, logistics, reconnaissance and signal skills; and command and control training at the brigade level and above.
