“I am pleased to announce that we’ve approved Georgia for the risk-assessed payment schedule. So Georgia will be able to request and acquire vital military capabilities more easily,” said US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, following the meeting with Georgian Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze at the Pentagon on February 9.

Austin noted that this announcement reflects the value of the US-Georgia bilateral defence relationship partnership. US support for Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity has lasted for three decades, Austin said.

“Georgia deepened its ties to the West and supported its path to Euro-Atlantic integration. And over that time, Georgia has made significant contributions to global security,” Austin added, emphasizing that Georgia was the largest per capita troop contributor to the NATO mission in Afghanistan.

“Georgia’s participation in the contact group helps us all strengthen Ukraine’s ability to defend itself and to bolster the rules-based international border that keeps us all secure. And that’s crucial as Ukraine continues to fight bravely against Russia’s unprovoked and unjust invasion,” Austin emphasized.

The US Secretary of Defense stressed that Georgia has an “outsized effect” on security and stability in the South Caucasus and globally and that the US and Georgia’s security partnership is expanding.

In January, the US Defense Department notified Congress of its intent to fund $33 million in security assistance for Georgia.