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Exercise Noble Partner

The Republic of Georgia is strategically located east of the Black Sea and controls much of the Caucasus Mountains and the routes through them. A former member of the Soviet Union, the country gained its independence in 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed. From 1991 to 2003, a rather ineffectual and corrupt government was in place. An effort to manipulate the elections of 2003, lead to widespread protests that ultimately ousted then-President Eduard Shevarnadze. The movement became known as the Rose Revolution and the new country was solidified in 2004, when Mikheil Saakashvili came into power with the backing of his party, the United National Movement. Since that time the country has seen great progress, but efforts had been slowed by Russian aggression.

A Georgia-NATO partnership has the potential to stabilize the security environment in the Caucasus region. Despite what Russia may think, Georgia’s possible NATO membership offers an opportunity to strengthen the security of Russia’s southern border and help stabilize the North Caucasus.

Exercise Noble Partner 2015

Noble Partner was designed to further relations between the U.S. and Georgian armed forces, who contributed to the 2015 NATO Response Force. The exercise took place from May 11-25 at Vaziani Training Area.

Fourteen Bradley Infantry Fighting vehicles and several wheeled-support vehicles, roughly 748 metric tons of steel and rubber, cut across the Black Sea aboard a cargo ferry bound for the port in Batumi, Georgia, 02 May 2017. This was the first time that the U.S. Army has deployed a mechanized company worth of equipment across the Black Sea. The equipment will support the 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division Soldiers, participating in Exercise Noble Partner.

U.S. and Georgian Soldiers participate in close quarters battle drills, May 13, during Exercise Noble Partner 15. The two partner nations worked in teams to clear rooms and practice tactics, learning how to communicate while working together. One of the training tools used included white tape to simulate mock room. A two-man team of a U.S. and Georgian soldiers practiced clearing the objective. The U.S. Soldiers participating in the exercise are assigned to Company A, 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, and Troop C, 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Abn. Bde. The Georgian soldiers are assigned to Company A, 12th Battalion, 1st Infantry Brigade. Noble Partner is a field training and live-fire exercise between the U.S. Army and the Georgian military to support Georgia's participation in the NATO Response Force and build military ties between the two nations.

Exercise Noble Partner 2016

Exercise Noble Partner 16 kicked off 11 May 2016, beginning the 14-day training featuring Soldiers assigned to 3rd Infantry Division, paratroopers assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade, Georgian Soldiers assigned to 4th Armor Brigade and Soldiers from the United Kingdom 3rd Rifles.

Exercise Noble Partner includes approximately 500 Georgian, 150 British and 650 U.S. service members who are incorporating a full range of equipment, including U.S. M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tanks, Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, M119 Light Towed Howitzers and several wheeled support vehicles. Alongside U.S. forces, Georgian forces operated their T-72 Main Battle Tanks, BMP-2 Infantry Combat Vehicles and several wheeled-support vehicles.

The exercise emphasizes U.S. Army Europe's abilities to quickly move soldiers and equipment throughout Europe and operate together within a coalition in any potential future operation.

One of the Georgian companies participating in Noble Partner is part of the NATO Response Force, a highly ready and technologically advanced multinational force made up of land, air, maritime and special operations components. The two-week training event was a critical part of Georgia's training for its contribution of a light infantry company to the NATO Response Force and enhances Georgian territorial self-defense capability.

Exercise Noble Partner 2017

Noble Partner 2017 is one of the the largest exercises directed by U.S. Army Europe, in Georgia. Exercise Noble Partner 2017 is a U.S. Army Europe-led exercise hosted at the Vaziani and Camp Norio training areas in Georgia. Armenia, Germany, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom are also participating. The goal of Noble Partner 17 is to support the training, evaluation and eventual certification of Georgia’s second light infantry company contribution to the NATO Response Force (NRF) for 2017. Although Georgia is not a member of NATO, it and other NATO partners voluntarily contribute to the NRF.

The exercise affords participating nations an opportunity to train in a multinational environment while enhancing cooperation and interoperability. Leaders at all levels get the chance to exercise staffs in mission planning, command and control, movement and maneuver, and the execution of complex joint and combined operations.

There were six key training events during the exercise:

1. U.S. Naval Forces Europe equipment transfer from Burgas Port, Bulgaria, to Poti Port, Georgia
2. Tactical road march to Vaziani training area by U.S. and Slovenian forces
3. Combined arms live-fire exercise by U.S. 2nd Cavalry Regiment and Slovenian wheeled infantry carrier vehicles
4. Two Airborne operations led by the 173rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team
5. Joint live-fire with the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division and Georgia's 4th Mechanized Brigade
6. Combined arms live-fire exercise built around a defensive scenario.

The main focus of Noble Partner will center around defensive operations. One of the exercises forces will occupy semi prepared positions and defend against an attacking force, using live ammunition. Scenarios like this provide the opportunity to engage multiple systems and arrange multiple assets to achieve an objective. Multinational elements will coordinate together throughout the exercise as mixed forces operate as a single unit. The eight nations trained together throughout Noble Partner, providing field support.

Soldiers from the 1st Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, the 571st Movement Control Team, the 103rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command, and the 839th Transportation Battalion, Surface Deployment & Distribution Command, worked together to load a ship with vehicles belonging to the 1st Squadron, 2nd Cav. Regt. at Burgas, Bulgaria on July 25, 2017.

There were more than 2,000 U.S. Troops involved with Noble Partner, nearly a quarter of those Soldiers belong to 2nd Cavalry Regiment. Based in Vilseck, Germany, 2nd Cavalry Regiment has currently traveled approximately 2,200 kilometers in support of military exercises throughout Eastern Europe. The transportation of vehicles and movement of personnel is validation of the unit's ability to deploy rapidly across the Georgian infrastructure, said Col. Patrick Ellis, commander, 2nd Cavalry Regiment commander, Vilseck, Germany. The movement is also a demonstration of support for Georgia.