US Troops helping train the Georgians. No, the other Georgians

[bayonetbrant]

https://www.stripes.com/news/us-soldiers-help-georgians-develop-their-national-defense-1.569785

TBILISI, Georgia — High in the hills, surrounded by vineyards and sheep, soldiers brave the stinging winds as they peer out of their freshly dug foxholes and unleash a barrage of machine gun fire that echoes through the canyons of central Georgia.

This has become routine for Georgian soldiers being advised by U.S. troops in defensive tactics to protect the small, mountainous country that shares its northern border with Russia.

Last week, amid heightened tensions in the region, soldiers with the U.S. Army’s 1st Infantry Division began training the Georgians' part of the Georgia Defense Readiness Program, which is meant to bolster the country’s ability to defend itself against attack and modernize its military’s tactics.

“We have problems with our neighbor, Russia, and this gives our soldiers practice to increase their soldiering skills, and learn how to fight here in Georgia,” said Lt. Col. Vova Natenadze, commander of a battalion going through the training.

Several of the country’s northern provinces are still occupied by Russia, after a five-day war over the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions in 2008. Russian troops, which had been there as peacekeepers, remain there to this day, occupying roughly one-fifth of Georgian territory.

The training comes as Russian ships have been shadowing the destroyer USS Donald Cook on two recent deployments to the Black Sea, including during a port call in Batumi, Georgia, and an exercise with its coast guard.

This month, in the hills above Tblisi, U.S. troops have been mentoring and coaching a battalion of light infantrymen conducting war games.

The Americans are working closely with their counterparts to develop the defense program, with the hopes of building lasting improvements to the country’s military, said Maj. Jon-Paul Navarro, the officer in charge of the several dozen U.S. troops here.

more at the link

[besilarius]

Is there still a low level conflict between the Georgians and the Armenians over Ossetia?

[bayonetbrant]

Is there still a low level conflict between the Georgians and the Armenians over Ossetia?

It was with the Russians, not the Armenians

[Sir Slash]

I think the 'other' Georgia could use some help too, just not with their defence.