(Stars & Stripes) Georgia — Georgian Capt. Kakhaber Shpetishvili’s focus in recent years has been the fight in Afghanistan, where he has battled side by side with U.S. Marines. But on this old Soviet base pockmarked from bombs dropped by Russian jets seven years ago, a shift is now underway as multinational troops confront a new threat.
At this year’s Agile Spirit exercise, NATO’s new push toward rapid-response missions and countering a well-armed conventional force is front and center. Russia may not be named as an adversary in the training scenarios enacted here, but Moscow’s moves in the region are on everyone’s mind.
“Absolutely the purpose is to prepare our units for quick response,” said Shpetishvili, who served in Afghanistan’s Helmand province in 2013. “That’s why doing this training here is symbolic. You can look around anywhere and see the effects of Russian bombs.” […]
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