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Concept ( OCC ) Programme . Other areas for cooperation include Headquarters Interactions and Lessons Identified and Lessons Learned ( LI / LL ). The Letter also proposed that , in order to plan future support to GDF , an annual staff meeting should be held .
The Invitation
The spirit of the staff talks was conveyed in the Georgian Chief of Defence , Lieutenant-General Vladimer Chachibaia personal invitation letter , stating “ discussions and open exchange of views among the participants will provide further guidance for future activities and identify specific focus areas of cooperation within the land domain ”. In his reply , LANDCOM ’ s former commander , Lieutenant General J . T . Thomson , said he viewed the talks as “ the perfect venue to build upon on our Letter of Cooperation and also set the conditions for future collaborations in events like the NATO-Georgia Exercise in 2022 .” The second iteration of meetings did not disappoint .
NATO Interoperability and Capability Building as a team effort The LANDCOM-GDF Land Staff Talks provided an opportunity for engagements with the GDF leadership in order to conduct the staff work needed to identify the best way to enhance cooperation . Representatives from International Military staff ( IMS ), SHAPE Policy Division , and JFTC were invited , but COVID travel restrictions hindered their ability to attend . Still , together with the NATO bodies already in Georgia , all parties have contributed and will contribute to LANDCOM ’ s interactions at all levels moving forward in the LANDCOM-Georgia partnership . In-country NATO bodies like the NATO Military Liaison Officer , NATO SNGP Core Team , and the NATO-Georgia Joint Training and Evaluation Centre ( JTEC ) Team will support going forward by establishing the atmospherics and developing the situational awareness for a better engagement with the Georgian counterparts . At the same time , the U . S . Office of Defence Cooperation will connect the GDF to U . S . supporting bi-lateral programs developed for GDF . The NATO-GEO Joint Training and Evaluation Centre ( JTEC ), as a SNGP initiative , already provides practical training opportunities for Allies and Partner countries , now and will continue to do so in the future . And the value of these opportunities will increase when a secure connectivity between the JTEC and NATO / Partners is established . JTEC is the main venue to conduct all Operational Capability Concept evaluations and plays an integral role in the planning and conduct of the NATO-GEO Exercise series .
Substantial NATO Georgia Package in the future The NAC has tasked the Partnership and Cooperative Security Committee to conduct a refresher of the SNGP by the end of 2020 . The Single Service Commands ( SSC ) can also support a more thorough assessment of the JTEC ’ s near and long-term capabilities as well the potential to provide more practical training opportunities at multiple echelons for Allies and Partners in the future . For this reason , LANDCOM has conducted an initial assessment on how additional support to the GDF , at both the operational and strategic levels related to the JTEC , could be provided through a long-term mentoring relationship between LANDCOM and the Georgian General Staff .
Recognising that available resources need to be balanced and that LANDCOM has an operational role versus other NATO entities with a more tactical focus , it is important that duplication of effort is avoided and that NATO achieves both synergy and efficiency in its engagements with Georgia . This is particularly true in noting that there already exisit significant bilateral activities between Georgia and some NATO allies . Thus , deconfliction and coordination with such programmes as the U . S . Georgian Defence Readiness Programme ( GDRP ) is also a key consideration . For an in-depth assessment , the Georgia Land Staff Talks , past , present , and in the future , provide an excellent opportunity for all relevant parties in Georgia . LC
For more news on the LANDCOM-Georgia Defence Talks , visit : https :// lc . nato . int / media-center / news
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