The Agile Spirit international military exercises, bringing together thousands of soldiers and observers from 15 countries, has begun in Georgia.
The exercises began on 25 July and will continue until 8 August — they coincide with another iteration occurring in Turkey.
Georgians lined up along the highway to greet some of the participating military vehicles, waving Georgian, Ukrainian, US, EU, and NATO flags.
‘Agile Spirit 2025 is designed to enhance readiness, interoperability, and combined operational capabilities among participating armed forces. The exercise will include a command post exercise, Georgia-US tactical convoy on Senaki-Vaziani highway, combined live fire exercises, joint activities with the participation of Special Operations Forces, and validation of Combat Training Center (CTC) of Georgian Defence Forces’, Georgia’s Defence Ministry said in a statement.
An accompanying statement issued by the US Army earlier in July, when the exercises kicked off in Turkey, said that ‘US, Georgia, Turkey, and other allied and partner nations’ militaries will meet to build combat readiness and increase lethality through a series of combined events that include an airborne operation, field training, and live-fire exercises in Turkey and Georgia’.
U.S. & Georgian Army Soldiers conduct convoy ops during #AgileSpirit 25, reinforcing our commitment to Black Sea region security. This exercise highlights the importance of strong alliances in addressing shared challenges! 📸: Sgt. Cameron Boyd, U.S. Army National Guard. pic.twitter.com/Jcnnqo7zGS
— U.S. Army Europe and Africa (@USArmyEURAF) July 28, 2025
The exercises, which include around 800 US soldiers, are being held in various locations across Georgia.
Agile Spirit 2025 comes amidst an ongoing deterioration of Georgia’s relations with the West, including with the US, which have resulted in the indefinite postponement in 2024 of the annual US-Georgia Noble Partner military training.
A statement by the US Defence Department at the time said the decision was part of a ‘comprehensive review of the United States–Georgia bilateral relationship’.
The Defence Department cited the Georgian government’s ‘false accusations against the US and other Western entities’, and rhetoric used by the ruling Georgian Dream party and their allies that the West was pressuring Georgia to ‘open a second front against Russia to alleviate pressure on Ukraine, and of participating in two coup attempts against the ruling party’.
‘As such, the US government has determined that this is an inappropriate time to hold a large-scale military exercise in Georgia’.
Fewer high-level Georgian officials attended the opening ceremony of Agile Spirit 2025, compared to previous years, which has fueled speculation that the discrepancy could be connected to the wider breakdown in Georgia-US relations.
Xandie (Alexandra) Kuenning
