REME Overseas
The Other Russian Border Capt Mike Harrison recently deployed to Georgia, South Caucasus. We sat down to discuss what life is like, a stone’s throw away from the Russian border… What is your role in Georgia?
I
am deployed as a NATO Advisor to the Georgian Armed Forces working within the Joint Training and Evaluation Centre (JTEC) HQ, located just outside the capital of Tbilisi. JTEC focuses on: Readiness, Staff and Basic Training, as well as hosting larger multinational exercises. Recently established in 2016, the JTEC is a relatively junior organisation with the long-term goal of hosting quality local training and NATO courses. My daily routine is varied. One day I could be visiting a readiness exercise to evaluate training; then I could be working on long term
projects or staff development of the HQ. The team I am a part of is diverse, made up of other NATO and partner nations including: Norway, Denmark, Lithuania, the USA and Sweden.
How is it working in Georgia?
The Joint Training and Evaluation Centre is part of the Substantial NATO-Georgia Package
22 craftsmaneditor@reme-rhq.org.uk
Georgia is a fantastic country with lots of rich history and culture. I had never previously visited the region, but my deployment has given me a better understanding of the country and an insight into the complexities of the postSoviet space. The terrain is very mountainous and the weather can be bitterly cold, so not one I am used to, primarily exercising in the UK/BATUS. It was interesting to see how the Georgian Defence Forces adapt to the harsh conditions. The 2008 Russia/Georgia war is still a recent memory, with two regions of Georgia (Abkhazia and South Ossetia) under Russian occupation. Meeting Soldiers who fought in this war, and hearing stories of the battles, brings to life what a conflict with Russia could be like. During my time here, the latent Nagorno-Karabakh (Armenia/Azerbaijan) war also reignited in dramatic fashion and has dominated headlines throughout my deployment here. Despite this not being a conflict Georgia has been directly involved with, it has attracted somewhat of a spotlight to the region. In particular, there are potential implications for Black Sea security. The new ‘character of warfare’ that is dominated by drones has been a hot topic of conversation and lively debate. The British Army’s LWC have already issued a lessons learnt document for the conflict, which I would highly recommend reading.
