New Georgian Army Battalion, U.S. Marine partners take over in Afghanistan, continue unique mission

By Vanessa Villarreal (USFOR-A)April 14, 2015

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6 / 12 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Col. Douglas Crissman, U.S. Forces Afghanistan Deputy, Deputy Commander -- Support and leadership from Task Force Solid hosted Bagram District Govenor Abdul Qadusi and Maliks from the Parwan Province at a shura to discuss security in the local area. ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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9 / 12 Show Caption + Hide Caption – U.S. Marines, part of the Georgia Deployment Program, conduct foot patrols as part of the Bagram defense security mission. A new rotation of Marines and Georgian Soldiers recently arrived as their predecessors get ready to depart after a seven month ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, April 13, 2015 -- After nearly seven months of defending Bagram Airfield (BAF), the 51st Georgian Light Infantry Battalion (51st GLIB) officially transferred responsibility to the 43rd Georgian Light Infantry Battalion (43rd GLIB) in a transfer of authority (TOA) ceremony today.

"Americans and Georgians working shoulder to shoulder has proven successful because the Soldiers of both nations have exhibited the principles necessary for successful partnership -- respect, rapport, mission focus, patience, and trust," Lt. Col. Zachary Miller, Task Force Solid commander, said. "I want to especially recognize the efforts of Lt. Col. Grigolia for making sure this remained true during the transition from Task Force Sabre to Task Force Solid. And he has done the same as we transitioned from the 51st to the 43rd battalions."

The 51st GLIB, responsible for base defense at BAF, is commanded by Lt. Col. Koba Grigolia. The 43d GLIB is commanded by Lt. Col. Vitali Tskhadadze.

"Today is an important day in the history of the 43rd Battalion," Tskhadadze said. "We are faced with the challenge of participating in the Resolute Support Mission in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. It is our small contribution that will help to develop this country and create a strong Afghan government."

"Today we also bid farewell to the Marines of the Georgian Liaison Team, led by Lt. Col. Pete Lang," Miller said. "Whether on patrol in Parwan Province, manning positions in the sector command posts, or advising Georgian staff, our Marines have enabled and supported this team in every way imaginable. Thank you, also, for your hard work, dedication to a complicated and difficult mission, and support for this coalition. I have no doubt that the Soldiers of the 43rd Battalion are prepared to accept responsibility for the security of Bagram, and I look forward to the continued partnership between our great militaries."

The partnership that the Marines and Georgians have is unique because they train together. The Marines traveled to Georgia under the Georgian Deployment Program (GDP) where they trained together for three months before traveling as a team to Germany for an exercise, which validated their training. Once in Afghanistan, their primary duty is to facilitate the GLIB's operation in support of the base defense at Bagram. Duties include patrolling BAF's ground defense area, manning the exit control points, and serving as internal response forces.

The GDP's purpose is to provide advisors and enablers to Georgian Expeditionary Battalion -- Afghanistan (GEB-A) to prepare them for mission execution in country. The advisors, from key areas, include an infantry advisor team for each line Infantry Company; and staff advisors to support the battalion in the areas of intelligence, operations, logistics, communications, and medical.

"The Marine Corps has a long standing relationship and history of serving alongside soldiers from the Republic of Georgia," Miller said. "And that includes combat operations in Iraq."

The team of advisors, formed at home station, performs a robust pre-deployment prior to deploying to the Republic of Georgia where they embed with the Georgian Light Infantry Battalion. The U.S. Marines, here with the 51st GLIB, make up this unique advisory team that is currently the only U.S. Marine unit conducting patrols left in Afghanistan.

The Marines began partnered patrols with the Afghan National Army (ANA) six months ago. Training and joint patrols are currently conducted with ANA partners of the 2d Kandak 1st Brigade Military Police Guard Command (2/1 MPGC).

"The idea is to keep this training plan in place as long as we, and our replacements, are partnered with ANA forces," U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Peter Lang, officer in charge of the Georgian Liasion Team, said. "It is an honor for us to have the opportunity to work alongside both our Afghan and Georgian counterparts on patrols. The training we conduct with the ANA helps build their capabilities and helps foster a relationship between our units that carries over to our joint patrols. The training has been very well received by the motivated soldiers of 2/1 MPGC."

"We try to come over to the MPGC headquarters once a week to work with them," Capt. Dylan Baker, operations officer of the Georgian Liaison Team said. "They have a different foundation training pipeline since they started as military policemen. They don't have the same equipment set or basic training that a standard infantry unit has. We try to get to know these guys and train them outside of a combat environment."

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