C-130H Hercules arrive in Georgia for Agile Spirit 2019

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C-130H Hercules and Airmen assigned to the 158th Airlift Squadron, 165th Airlift Wing, Savannah Air National Guard Base, Georgia, and Airmen assigned to the 146th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, 146th Airlift Wing, California Air National Guard, Channel Islands Air National Guard Station, California, arrived at Tbilisi Air Base, Georgia, to participate in Agile Spirit 2019. Agile Spirit is a Georgian Defense Forces and U.S. Army Europe cooperatively-led joint multinational exercise occurring July 27 through Aug 9, 2019.

The brigade-level exercise will incorporate a simulated command post exercise, field training and joint multinational battalion-level combined arms live-fire exercises. Agile Spirit 2019 enhances U.S., Georgian, allied and regional partner forces’ readiness and interoperability in a realistic training environment. The U.S. ANG C-130H Hercules will support aero-medical evacuation training with Georgian military medical personnel to increase interoperability and integration of allies and partners. The training taking place during Agile Spirit ensures that U.S., Allied and Partnered Nations maintain our conventional deterrence capability with a combination of combat-ready forward forces.

Approximately 3,300 military personnel from 14 allied and partner forces will participate from the following nations: Belgium, Bulgaria, Georgia (host nation), Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States. Of the military personnel, approximately 1,500 are U.S. service members, an estimated 1,500 are Georgian personnel, and about 350 are from the other participating nations.

First conducted in Georgia in 2013, Agile Spirit was an annual U.S. Marine Forces Europe & Africa exercise between U.S. and the Georgian military forces. Beginning in 2018, Agile Spirit transitioned to a biennial U.S. Army Europe exercise, part of U.S. European Command’s Joint Exercise Program executed in odd number years. Two major objectives have stayed consistent throughout each iteration: increasing interoperability among participating nation militaries and strengthening regional security cooperation. 

Agile Spirit enhances allies’ and partners’ ability to respond more effectively to regional crises, deter potential adversaries and meet national defense goals.

For Questions about support of exercise Agile Spirit, please email U.S. Army Europe at usarmyeurope.mediadesk@mail.mil.