US trainers say Georgian troops weren't ready

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

TBILISI, Georgia - U.S. military trainers — the only American boots on the ground — say the Georgian soldiers they knew who were sent to battle the Russians had fighting spirit but were not ready for war.

The Georgians were "beginning to walk, but by no means were they running," said Army Capt. Jeff Barta, who helped train a Georgian brigade for peacekeeping service in Iraq. "If that was a U.S. brigade it would not have gone into combat."

Now on standby at the Sheraton Hotel, unarmed and in civilian clothes, six of the American trainers offered a glimpse at the 5-year-old U.S. mission and at the performance of the outnumbered and outgunned Georgian military in its defeat by Russia.

The Americans arrived for work Aug. 7 to unexpectedly find training was over for the unit they had been assigned to for three weeks, the 4th Brigade: The Georgian soldiers were sitting on their rucksacks and singing folk songs as an Orthodox priest walked among them chanting and waving incense.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080818/ap_on_re_eu/georgia_military_tested

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— the only American boots on the ground — So I guess the US troops on the ground from the military excersise are out of Georgia now?

International Large-Scale Military Exercise ‘Immediate Response 2008’
August 1, 2008
Tea Kerdzevadze, Georgia Today

The International Training “Immediate Response 2008” conducted with the joint efforts of the USA and Georgian Armed Forces was held at Vaziani Military Base on July 15-31. The mission of the training was to improve combined capabilities and strengthen regional cooperation.

The exercise involved the conduction of a combined brigade-level CPX exercise with Georgian Armed Forces to develop a common understanding of coalition staff planning procedures; combined live-fire FTX/STX to train on tactics, techniques and procedures for the conduct of coalition security and stability operations and to deploy the 21st TSC EECP and exercise limited theater opening capabilities.

In total, 1,630 servicemen participated, including representatives of the Joint Staff, Land Forces Staff, IV Brigade, the 41st and 42nd Battalions and Engineer Battalion Company from Georgia. From the USA, 1,000 military servicemen took part in the exercise including the United States Army Europe, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Expeditionary Unit, 1st Battalion 121 Infantry Regiment Georgian National Guard (Atlanta, Georgia) and 5045th General Support Unit. As well as Georgian and American participants, 10 servicemen each from Azerbaijan, Armenia and the Ukraine took part.


http://georgiandaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4981&Itemid=65

[atreides1]

1. Training should be done by one army not 3 or 4

Officially their job is to get the Georgians ready to serve in Iraq, where the country has maintained a 2,000-man contingent.

:So the Georgians were being trained to fight insurgents, not an organized military force like the Russian army:



Unofficially, some of the trainers acknowledge, the program hopes to give the U.S. a more robust ally on Russia's border in a country that houses a vital oil pipeline.

:Translation-A speed bump for NATO:




The Americans aren't the only ones here. Georgian corporals and sergeants train with Germans, alpine units and the navy work with French instructors, and special operations and urban warfare troops are taught by Israelis, said Georgia's deputy defense minister, Batu Kutelia.


:This can be the biggest problem, to many chefs in the kitchen:

[frankieT]

2. Did you notice that almost NO ONE spoke of the military exercises

held one week before the attack ? How bizarre :D

[peace13]

4. Every time we have an exercise someone gets attacked.

Works like a charm!

[frankieT]

5. Russia hold in response also military maneuvers in North Caucasus

at the same time. I guess they knew something big was coming and were waiting for this dumb chicken-hawk Saakachvili to make his first move.

[Igel]

6. Because it was a two-edged sword.

Some mentioned it loudly in the first few days, but quieted up fairly quickly.

1. The claim was, before the drawdown of the US troops was obvious, that US troops were there in serious numbers. The US troops were reduced to fewer than 200 by the time of the skirmishes on 8/5 and 8/6 that killed some Georgian troops. (First blood went to Ossetians, not Georgians, unless you choose to start the clock with Georgian troop movements.)

2. There were much larger, parallel Russian troop buildup for a specific exercise just north of the tunnel leading to N. Ossetia, which were also, presumably, temporary. Those troops were kept on active status and not withdrawn at the conclusion of the troop exercises. There was no noticeable exceptional troop buildup on the Russian side for the Georgian incursion because it happened for a planned, known reason; the lack of drawdown wasn't as noticeable.

We have an idea, we think, of what the US troop exercises and training were. The Russians were general in nature: attacking front lines and taking villages. They practiced for what the S. Ossetians triggered.

[frankieT]

7. wow this is a lot of speculation my friend

1. who started.
Skirmishes between south ossetians and georgians were FREQUENT. They usually flare up during summer in Caucasus.
There is NO WAY a small ambush can justify such a large military offensive (9000 georgian troops and dozens of GRAD MRLS rocket systems, heavy artillery and aviation). So my answer (with all the military experts) is that Georgia started the war (and lost it).

2. i mentioned it in another reply, RUssia held also military exercises preparing obviously for this war. And I must add, they were right, because if they didn't South Ossetia would be a region without Ossetians right now.

I wasn't saying that US prepared Georgia for this attack, when you read insider reports from DC it's pretty obvious that US establishment (except hardcore neocons like Cheney) tried to stop Tsakaachvili from doing something stupid. But hey he's a natural born gambler and a big time chickenhawk, obviously with serious psychological flaws. Maybe it's okay to rule internal georgian politics with this kind of mindset but not to draw your country into war against a much powerful neighbor. I think that the exercises held with US military emboldened the georgians to launch their offensive despite US precautions.

[KoKo]

3. Interesting....more of our meddling...and look at what happens. K&R!

[ret5hd]

8. I wasn't ready! DO-OVERS!!!

[mikeytherat]

9. "US trainers say Georgian troops weren't ready ," Captain Obvious, US Trainer

"I mean, just look at the results," Captain Obvious continued. The overwhelming evidence of the initial statement was later confirmed by two more US trainers - Major Disaster and Private Dealmaker.

mikey_the_rat

[bemildred]

11. A definite "No shit Sherlock!" award.

Darwin Award candidate too.

[AndyTiedye]

13. Do They All Report to General Failure?

[bvar22]

10. They weren't ready because....

...they weren't supplied with modern shoulder fired anti-tank or anti-aircraft weapons.

[izquierdista]

12. An Army of One

From all the TV ads, I thought that an Army of One was all it took to face down the Red Army. :nopity: