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U.S. and Georgia Bolster Defense Cooperation

Brig. Gen. Edward Vaughan meets with his Georgian counterpart Brig. Gen. Irakli Tchitchinadze

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Photo by: U.S. European Command Public Affairs 

EUCOM and Georgian military leaders met in Tbilisi, Georgia to further bolster defense cooperation today.

Brig. Gen. Edward Vaughan, EUCOM’s Deputy Director for Partnering, Security Cooperation, and Space Capabilities, met with his Georgian counterparts to cap off the Georgia Defense Readiness Program (GDRP) and begin the transition to the Georgia Defense and Deterrence Enhancement Initiative (GDDEI).

GDRP, the first U.S. security cooperation effort to focus specifically on Georgia’s territorial defense capacity, has served as EUCOM’s focal point for bilateral cooperation with Georgia since May 2018 and concludes at the end of this year. GDDEI will be a multi-year investment in DoD security cooperation with the Georgian Ministry of Defense and Georgian Defense Forces following the conclusion of GDRP. 

The participants reviewed GDRP achievements and discussed how they feed directly into GDDEI, which represents the evolution of the bilateral defense relationship. 

Announced in October by Secretary Austin and Georgian Minister of Defense Burchuladze, GDDEI is designed to enable further modernization and development of the Georgian Ministry of Defense and Georgian Defense Forces in support of shared security interests. It builds upon GDRP to focus on institutional reform through organizational change management and on strengthening key capabilities.

“The Georgia Defense Readiness Program is an exciting chapter in a long book the U.S. and Georgia are writing together,” said Vaughan.

GDDEI flows directly from the achievements of GDRP and demonstrates the continued commitment of the United States to Georgia and the importance of the U.S.-Georgia strategic partnership.