United States European Command’s Deputy Director for Partnering, Security Cooperation, and Space Capabilities, Brigadier General Edward Vaugha met with Georgian counterparts to cap off the Georgia Defense Readiness Program (GDRP) and begin the transition to the Georgia Defense and Deterrence Enhancement Initiative (GDDEI).

According to the US Embassy in Georgia, GDRP, the first US security cooperation effort to focus specifically on Georgia’s territorial defence 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 United States and Georgia move to a new phase of cooperation and partnership in the Georgian Defense and Deterrence Enhancement Initiative, which we are calling GDDEI, said US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan at the Ministry of Defense GDRP closing meeting.

“I am here at the Ministry of Defense for the assessment by the Georgian Defense Forces and the Ministry of Defense on successes of the Georgian Defense Readiness Program, which is concluding after four years. This is an opportunity to look at all of the accomplishments that have been made in the course of the last four years – which are significant. It is also a chance to look at the areas for continued development and work as the United States and Georgia move to a new phase of cooperation and partnership in the Georgian Defense and Deterrence Enhancement Initiative, which we are calling GDDEI.

This was an excellent briefing by the Georgian Defense Forces and Ministry of Defense personnel, on everything from readiness, logistics, personnel, and recruiting for the Georgian Defense Forces, and truly an impressive accomplishment over the course of four years as a result of the partnership between Georgia and the United States. So, it was wonderful to see how far the Georgian Defense Forces have come in the last four years as a result of GDRP and I am looking forward to the coming years to continue our robust partnership with the Georgian Defense Forces and Ministry of Defense,” Kelly Degnan said.