HOHENFELS, Germany -- Nestled in rolling green hills and densely wooded forests lies a track of scraped brown earth, evenly punctuated with olive drab tents, and teaming with helicopters, vehicles and uniforms from Afghanistan, the Republic of Georgia, and the United States. Forward Operating Base West, a major hub within Hohenfel's Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC), is buzzing with activity; a mission rehearsal exercise (MRE) is underway, and soldiers with the Republic of Georgia's 32nd Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) are preparing for a joint Afghan-Georgia patrol through the nearby Kittensee combat town. Their skill sets, particularly their interactions with role-players who represent Afghan villagers, will be monitored closely by a team of U.S. soldiers and Marine Observer/Controllers (O/Cs).
"We are helping them train in key exercises to enable their integration with Marines in Afghanistan," said U.S. Marine 1st Lt. Benjamin Baker, an intelligence officer with the Georgia Liaison Team (GLT). "Once they arrive in-country, they'll be treated like any other Marine battalion engaged in Counter-Insurgency Operations (COIN) - they'll be given their own area of operations."
The Georgian battalion, which underwent an intensive six-month immersion in Marine Corps warfighting doctrine and techniques prior to the MRE, arrived at the JMRC here Aug. 1. They are the second of four battalions to undergo training through the Georgia Deployment Program (GDP), a Marine Corps-led initiative designed to prepare the troops to operate alongside U.S., NATO and other multinational forces as part of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. The GDP-ISAF is a two-year training program, which began August 2009.
Hundreds of Marines were involved in training the battalion during the past six months, according to Baker. Teams were flown into Georgia to provided specialized workshops that lasted for days, weeks, or months at a time.
Baker’s role, along with other members of the GLT, is to embed with the Georgian 32nd LIB, deploy with them, and help them integrate as part of a Marine regimental combat team. The GLT arrived in Georgia late June, and has been with the battalion since.
"The relative learning curve has been pretty steep," said Baker. "They went from zero to 60 in six months as far as Marine Corps doctrine; it's pretty impressive."
The MRE serves as a final opportunity for the troops to practice and fine tune their newly learned skills before their upcoming deployment.
"My primary mission here is to evaluate the Georgians," said U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Craig Wilcox, infantry unit leader with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, and MRE O/C. "I'm also here to offer lessons learned in Afghanistan during this past year. It's important that we give (the Georgians) a fair and honest assessment of their skills so we can bring as much firepower as possible to the fight."
During the entirety of the MRE, Wilcox and his team will follow the Georgian battalion, watching as they interact with role-playing Afghan locals through key leader engagement, and noting their performance at the small unit and higher company level.
"We emphasize the importance of small unit leadership being able to make a difference when it comes to innocent Afghan people in a COIN environment," said Wilcox. "Overall, the Georgians have a very solid background as far as basic soldiering; their ability to hunt the enemy is what Marines are used to seeing - it's what comes naturally to anyone in combat arms. But COIN is not as natural, so adapting and understanding that process has been a challenge. However, after every challenge, we're seeing quick adaptations."
The Georgians are applying what they've been taught during simulated attacks on their bases, IED threats, and counter IED controls, all the while working closely with their Afghan National Army (ANA) counterparts, Wilcox said.
"Every patrol has been a full partnership between the Georgians and Afghans," Wilcox said. "The ANA or the Afghan National Police lead the way with assistance from the Georgians. The battalion has learned the importance of putting a local face - an Afghan face - on everything they do. The Georgian command is definitely adapting, and learning to take things slowly. You have to make the relationship (between ISAF/Afghan forces and locals) and take small steps forward instead of trying to fix it all at once."
Success is a result of adaptation, Wilcox said.
"They get the benefit of using our lessons learned," he said. "I'm confident they will have the same results as any other NATO forces, particularly with their strong partnership with ANA and ISAF forces."
Georgian Sgt. Givi Tsivtsivadze, a scout team member with 32nd LIB, agrees.
"During the first phase (of training), it was very challenging," Tsivtsivadze said. "But success comes through experience, and we have been sharing our experiences."
Initially, the Georgians were simply performing the motions they’d been taught, according to Tsivtsivadze. However, with practice and the resulting familiarity, that approach has changed, he said.
“Now, we plan the mission thoroughly,” Tsivtsivadze said. “We think about the consequences differently. We try to get the mission done, but at the same time we are very much aware of the concerns of the Afghan people – the innocent population.”
Tsivtsivadze noted the importance of studying, being detail oriented, and as focused as possible during the MRE.
“I know very well the history of Afghanistan,” he said. “For the past 30 years they have been at war, and so they view almost everyone as an enemy. So I’m very concentrated on working with the Afghan forces and people.”
Language plays an important role in the success of the mission, according to Wilcox.
“Everything has to be translated from Georgian to English, then from English to Pashtu, and back again,” he said.
Georgian and Afghan-supplied military linguists ease the process, but they are often aided by unconventional means, according to Baker.
Some Georgian soldiers know English, and several ANA soldiers share their Russian-speaking skills with Georgian soldiers. Additionally, four of the eight GLT members are learning Kartuli, the official language of Georgia.
“It’s interesting to see how you can communicate through that,” Baker said. “Our interactions have been great.”
The GDP-ISAF is not the first time the U.S. Marines have trained with Georgian Forces. Georgia was one of the first countries to offer its full, unconditional support to the U.S. in the fight against terrorism. As a result of the partnership, on Dec. 15, 2002, U.S. Marine Forces Europe assumed control of the Georgia Train and Equip Program (GTEP) from Special Operations Command, Europe.
Georgia Train and Equip Program, too, was a time-phased training program focused on enhancing the capabilities of the Georgian military. In essence, the GTEP, which also lasted two years, was designed to protect the Georgian force’s homeland from terrorist threats while promoting peace, security and stability in Georgia and the Caucasus region.
Then, in 2005, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili offered to send troops to Iraq. Thus, the Georgia Sustainment and Stability Operation Program (GSSOP) was born. The GSSOP was, also, a time-phased, two-year training program. While GTEP was geared toward providing Georgia the capability of meeting an internal terrorist threat, the GSSOP was focused on training the Georgian military to prepare and execute stability operations in Iraq.
Many of the Georgian Soldiers who are preparing to deploy to Afghanistan are veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom.