Georgia, Tbilisi, May 6 / Trend , N. Kirtskhalia/ Cooperative Lancer and Cooperative Longbow exercises will take place in Georgia today as a part of the NATO Partnership for Peace Program. The exercises will be officially opened on May 11, Georgian Defense Ministry said. Cooperative Lancer and Cooperative Longbow exercises are standard integral part of the Partnership for Peace Program and have been held in Georgia since 2001. The exercises aim to deepen cooperation in crisis response and peacekeeping operations.
Cooperative Longbow-2009 is staff trainings aimed to study staff skills and NATO procedures and cooperation of partner countries in crisis management on the level of multi-national brigades. The exercises will be held on May 6-19 2009. They will be attended by 347 foreign rank-and-file military men and officers from 19 countries.
Cooperative Longbow scenario is based crisis management operations implemented under UN and NATO mandate. The exercises will be led by Madrid Land Forces Commander Lieutenant-General Gaetano Miro Vals from Spain.
Cooperative Longbow is also field exercises aimed to train staff for peacekeeping operations involving battalions. The exercises will take place on May 21 to June 3. As many as 739 military men and officers from 19 countries will attend. About 1,100 military men including Georgians will attend the exercises in total.
The exercises will take place in Vaziani military base in Tbilisi.
The exercises will be attended by Albania, Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Moldova, Spain, Macedonia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States.
Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at [email protected]