Georgia Train and Equip Program

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10th Special Forces Group
soldier instructing Georgian troops on the dangers of conducting live-fire ambushes and maintaining muzzle control.

The Georgia Train and Equip Program (GTEP) was an American-sponsored 18-month,

armed forces by training and equipping four 600-man battalions with light weapons, vehicles and communications. The program enabled the US to expedite funding for the Georgian military for Operation Enduring Freedom.[1]

On 27 February 2002, the US media reported that the U.S. would send approximately two hundred

Pankisi Gorge. The program was planned to be a 20-month long, $64 million effort.[3]

The move drew protests from many Russians.[4] On 1 March 2002, in response to the domestic outcry, Russian president Vladimir Putin met with Georgian president Eduard Shevardnadze in Kazakhstan and pledged his support for the American military initiative.[5]

The program began in May 2002 when

anti-terrorism, disaster response.[7]

Responsibility for training Georgian forces was eventually handed off to the

War on Terrorism.[8] As part of the program Georgian troops were issued new uniforms, boots, weapons, and other articles of equipment.[9]

Although GTEP formally ended in April 2004, US military assistance to Georgia continued through the

Multinational Force Iraq
. That program ended in September 2007.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Helping Georgia?". Institute for the Study of Conflict, Ideology and Policy. Boston University. March–April 2002. Retrieved 14 February 2007.
  2. ^ Associated Press (20 May 2002). "Green Berets Land in Georgia For 2-Year Training Program". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  3. ^ "Georgia Train and Equip Program (GTEP)". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  4. ^ Near Abroad: Putin, the West and the Contest over Ukraine and the Caucasus - A Cause in the Caucasus- "Predictably the sight of U.S. soldiers (originally 10th Special Forces Group but later U.S. Marines tasked through European Command) training in Georgia caused an outcry in Russia among great power and revisionist factions"
  5. ^ Putin would back U.S.-led operation in Georgia - Associated Press via Topeka Central Journal Saturday, 2 March 2002 http://cjonline.com/stories/030202/ter_georgia.shtml#.WlZzN1SnHcs
  6. US Department of State
    . 29 April 2004. Retrieved 14 January 2007.
  7. ^ State.gov Georgia Train and Equip Program (GTEP) 1 February 2003 https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ei/pix/b/eur/18737.htm
  8. ^ Liklikadze, Koba (10 September 2007). "Iraq: As Third-Largest Contingent, Georgia Hopes To Show Its Worth". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
  9. ^ GTEP-Georgia Train and Equip, retrieved 26 March 2024

External links

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