Georgian Coast Guard Officers Take Part in U.S.-Led Multinational Maritime Drills

2026-01-27 - 14:42

Georgian Coast Guard officers participated in the U.S.-led multinational Phoenix Express maritime security exercise held in Tunisia on January 20–23, joining partners from Europe and North Africa in drills aimed at countering illicit activities at sea. Participating nations in Phoenix Express included Algeria, Belgium, Egypt, Georgia, Italy, Morocco, Tunisia, and the United States. Georgia is “one of 8 partner nations chosen to participate in this prestigious exercise,” the U.S. Embassy in Georgia said in a January 26 X post. Georgian Interior Ministry’s Border Police said on January 25 that the sea drills were organized by the United States Africa Command (U.S. AFRICOM) and coordinated by the Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) of the U.S. Embassy. “During the exercise, officers of the Coast Guard Department of the Georgian Border Police carried out the tasks assigned to them at the training management center,” the agency said, noting that special attention was given to mastering NATO procedures, terminology, and the management model in the field of maritime security. According to the U.S. Navy, the drills are designed to “strengthen combined warfighting readiness and lethality in maritime security operations by improving regional cooperation, maritime domain awareness, information-sharing practices, and tactical interdiction expertise.” This year’s exercise focused on improving maritime domain awareness and conducting Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) missions through a tabletop format simulating human trafficking, narcotics smuggling, and weapons proliferation across the Southern Mediterranean. Also Read: 16/01/2026 – U.S. Donates Firefighting, Communication Equipment to Georgia 24/12/2025 – Kobakhidze Approves USD 10.4 Mln American Grant for Georgia’s Defense Ministry 25/07/2025 – Georgia Hosts Agile Spirit 2025 Multinational Exercise 29/06/2021 – Georgia Participates in Sea Breeze 2021 Exercise