Summary: In Vaziani,
Georgia, an American M1A2 Abrams tank fired at targets as part of a series of NATO
training drills that have been taking place for over two decades in order to
turn Georgia’s old-fashioned, soviet-style military into a modern fighting
force.
This exercise is part of Exercise
Noble Partner, which is an attempt to better train a Georgian NATO Response
Force. This has already proven fruitful in NATO operations. For instance, in
Afghanistan a Georgian military force effectively supplemented American troops.
However, the Kremlin, as stated by the Russian Minister of Affairs, regards
“the ongoing ‘exploration’ of Georgia’s territory by NATO forces as a
provocative step aimed at escalating the military and political situation in
the South Caucasus.” This is not helped by the fact that the M1A2 Abrams tank
is the largest weapons system in the U.S. army.
Synopsis: Georgia is an
independent country, not part of Russia. It is not within the physical borders
of Russia. The NATO training has been going on for two decades so this seems to
be an over-reaction on the part of the Kremlin. It also appears to be
hypocritical in light of an apparent bombing pass made by Russian fighters as
they buzzed a U.S. destroyer. These are the most aggressive actions taken by
Russian forces in some time. The war games in Georgia, on the other hand, are
meant to simply increase cooperation between NATO forces and do not threaten
Russian military personnel in any way.
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