10 Jul 24. Pentagon Cancels U.S. Army Exercise in Georgia.
The Pentagon has indefinitely postponed a major U.S. Army exercise in Georgia, originally slated to begin on July 25, 2024. This decision follows accusations that the Georgian government has been conducting an anti-American misinformation campaign, raising concerns about future cooperation between the two countries.
The exercise, named Noble Partner 2024, was to involve approximately 3,000 U.S. and allied troops and take place at the Vaziani and Camp Norio Training Areas outside Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. This annual drill has been a significant event, with previous iterations involving thousands of troops from numerous countries. However, the Pentagon cited “false accusations” by leaders of the ruling Georgian Dream party, who alleged that the U.S. and its allies were pressuring Georgia to open a second front against Russia in the Ukraine conflict and accused U.S. officials of attempting coups against the Georgian government.
The indefinite postponement of Noble Partner 2024 reflects growing friction between the U.S. and Georgia, once a steadfast ally in the U.S. war in Afghanistan. Georgia was the largest per-capita contributor of troops to Afghanistan, deploying over 20,000 soldiers since 2010, many of whom saw combat. The current strain in relations marks a significant shift from this period of close cooperation.
The decision to cancel the exercise comes as Georgia faces accusations of shifting towards authoritarianism and strengthening its ties with Russia. The Georgian parliament recently passed a controversial “foreign agents” bill, which critics say mimics Russian laws and targets media and NGOs receiving significant foreign funding. This move has been met with widespread protests in Tbilisi and has raised concerns about Georgia’s democratic trajectory and its aspirations to join NATO and the European Union.
Retired Gen. Philip Breedlove, former commander of U.S. European Command, criticized the decision, suggesting it signals a retreat from supporting Georgia. “Our Georgia policy is being written by our actions and we are backing away from Georgia,” Breedlove said. “That’s a bad message. I believe that our administration is nearly fully deterred by Russia.”
The Pentagon’s announcement also comes ahead of the 2024 NATO Summit in Washington, D.C., where officials are expected to discuss support for Ukraine amidst its ongoing war with Russia. The cancellation of Noble Partner 2024 underscores the complex geopolitical dynamics at play, with the U.S. balancing its response to Russia’s aggression and its alliances in the region.
Despite the postponement of Noble Partner 2024, the Pentagon expressed its commitment to future cooperation with allies, looking forward to the Agile Spirit 2025 exercise, which traditionally includes participation from both Turkey and Georgia.
09 Jul 24. Australian Navy nuclear submarine engineers complete training with Royal Navy under AUKUS.
- Three Royal Australian Navy officers among the first in their Service’s history to qualify as nuclear engineers.
- After nine months of intensive training at HMS Sultan in Gosport they will now serve alongside their Royal Navy counterparts in UK submarines.
- They will go on to help develop Australia’s nuclear submarine capability as part of the AUKUS agreement between the UK, USA and Australia.
The Royal Navy has helped lay the foundation for its Australian ally to acquire a nuclear-powered submarine capability, including through the country’s first UK trained nuclear submarine engineers.
Three Royal Australian Navy officers graduated alongside their British counterparts after nine intensive months of training at HMS Sultan in Gosport.
Lieutenant Commander James, Lieutenant Isabella and Lieutenant Steve will now go on to serve in Astute-class submarines side-by-side with Royal Navy crews, adding practical experience to all they have learned on the Nuclear Operator Course.
Their success marks a significant milestone in developing the skilled workforce to operate Australia’s future nuclear-powered submarine capability.
The three officers are part of a pioneering cohort who will be among the first to operate Australia’s future conventionally-armed, nuclear-powered submarines, having gained education, experience and training in both UK and US shipyards, facilities and warships.
Passing out, they were watched by Vice Admiral Mark Hammond, the Chief of the Royal Australian Navy – and a submariner – and Vice Admiral Jonathan Mead, Director General of the Australian Submarine Agency, while the Royal Navy’s Second Sea Lord Vice Admiral Martin Connell took the salute.
Vice Admiral Hammond praised the “exceptional dedication” of the trailblazing trio of officers for their success – and the Royal Navy for the “world-class training” it has provided.
He continued: “This demonstrates the exceptional skillset and knowledge of our people undertaking this unique training from the Royal Navy – a long-standing partner and friend to the Royal Australian Navy.
“The graduation marks another significant step forward for the Royal Australian Navy’s ability to operate, maintain and support Australia’s future nuclear-powered submarine capability.”
As the first nuclear engineers to go through the UK training programme in their navy’s history, the Australian trio have been under the spotlight, with regular visits from senior officers to check on their progress.
“It’s been great that they’ve continually shown interest in what we’re doing,” said 29-year-old Lieutenant Steve.
“I was a weapons engineer, but nuclear engineering is a completely different ball park. I wanted a challenge, something interesting. It’s been very challenging, but also fascinating and much more interesting than conventional engineering.”
At 33, Lieutenant Commander James is an experienced submarine and marine engineer. “I was doing staff work, but it could be a bit mundane, so when the advert went out for nuclear engineers, I volunteered – I wanted to keep myself busy and active. And it’s been very worthwhile.”
He will be assigned to the Royal Navy’s newest hunter-killer submarine, HMS Agamemnon, nearing completion in Barrow.
“The experience of bringing her out of construction, going through trials and training will be hugely important down the line for our programme,” Lieutenant Commander James added.
He and his fellow 16 students have undergone six months of academic training learning how a nuclear reactor works and how to control it, covering diverse, complex subjects including nuclear physics, metallurgy, advanced mathematics, thermodynamics and nuclear safety management.
That’s followed by three months of practice: learning the inner workings of nuclear systems and control room simulators to correctly respond to possible incidents and emergencies.
Instructor Lieutenant Joe Roberts said the course was one of the most demanding in the Navy – students frequently drop out.
“It’s a course which demands the best and the brightest – and the Australians have sent them, three outstanding students who will go far,” he continued.
“It’s been something of an honour because these are the AUKUS pioneers. They will go on to lead their country’s future nuclear submarine programme.”
Lieutenant Kris Waldram, aged 40, from Cornwall, was one of the 14 Royal Navy students who successfully completed the course alongside the Australian trailblazers.
“We have helped each other through the course. A submarine is regarded as being more complex than the Space Shuttle, so there’s an incredible amount of information to grasp,” he said.
“I’ve been able to share my experience of my 23 years on nuclear submarines, the Australians helped with maths and the academic side of things when necessary. I think we’ve all benefitted from being on the same course.
“The banter has been brilliant throughout – we’re very much on a similar wavelength – finishing with an Australian-themed end-of-course dinner, and the room filled with inflatable kangaroos.”
Lieutenant Steve added: “I think what’s been most surprising has been the parallels with the Brits – you can just jump in there, get started. Yes, we take the mickey and there’s banter, but at the end of the day we’re all best mates.”
Their success marks a significant milestone in developing the skilled workforce needed to operate Australia’s future conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine capability being developed under the AUKUS tri-lateral security partnership between the UK, Australia and the US.
It was a topic high on the agenda during the Prime Minister’s first conversation with his counterpart, Anthony Albanese over his inaugural weekend in office.
The leaders also discussed key challenges facing the region, including strategic competition, climate change and agreed to build on the already strong AUKUS partnership. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
08 Jul 24. US postpones Exercise Noble Partner following claims of political insurgency. The US postponed the exercise after Georgian Prime Minister claimed the US had attempted coups against the ruling party, and was pressing the Georgia to open second front with Russia.
As part of a dramatic reconsideration on the bilateral relationship between the US and Georgia, the US Department of Defence announced on 5 July 2024, that it would indefinitely postpone Exercise Noble Partner, following Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze’s allegations that the US is pressuring Georgia to open a second front against Ukraine, and that the US had participated in two coup attempts against the ruling party of Georgia.
The US Government has denied the allegations and cites the dispute as the motivating factor for postponing Exercise Noble Partner.
In statements to the state public broadcaster on 7 July, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, the ceremonial head of state for the nation and political opponent of Kobakhidze, described the postponement as a threat to Georgia’s defence capability.
Exercise Noble Partner is a cooperative exercise between Georgia, the US Army Europe and Africa. The exercise in 2022 involved 2,400 military members from the US and 19 other nations, involving situational training exercises, live-fire exercises and combined mechanised manoeuvres, with a significant contribution from combat aviation forces.
A May 3 tweet from Prime Minister Kobakhidze claimed that he had spoken to the Counsellor of the US State Department and “expressed my sincere disappointment with the two revolution attempts of 2020-2023 supported by the former US Ambassador and those carried out through NGOs financed from external sources.”
The allegations by Kobakhidze arose during a political crisis for his government, as widespread public protests sought to prevent the passing into law of a bill designed to drive sanctions down on civil-society organisation that receive foreign funding.
In January Kobakhidze spoke of attempts to pressure Georgia to open second front against Russia in a bid to alleviate pressure on Ukraine, again directly contradicted by the US Government. Kobakhidze described the pressure as stemming from “global war party”.
In June, Ukrainian lawmakers have accused Georgia as acting as vehicle for Russian people and companies to bypass sanctions, placed against Russia as a response to its illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Georgia has denied these claims, but the ruling party has suffered severe criticism for introducing policies that are seen as influenced by Russia. (Source: army-technology.com)