The Georgian Ministry of Defense (MoD) said on September 12 that a “group of experts” from the United States launched studying air defense capabilities of Georgia with a purpose to develop a doctrine based on which the U.S. would help the country in strengthening its air defense capabilities.

MoD said in a press release that the move was marking the launch of “implementation of 6-point agreement between the U.S. and Georgian Presidents” reached during a meeting in Washington in January to bring defense cooperation between the two countries “to the next phase”.

“After inspecting the situation on the ground, the U.S. experts will elaborate the Doctrine which will foster the further development and improvement of the Georgian air defence potential,” the Georgian MoD said. “At the next phase, the American experts will start implementation of the Doctrine.”

MoD also listed components of “6-point cooperation plan” in the defense sphere, including “operational air surveillance/air defense training and education; defensive combat engineer training and education; utility helicopter aviation training; coastal surveillance training and education; tactical level train-the trainer instruction for NCOs and junior officers; brigade command and staff training.”

It said that also in September another team of experts would arrive in Georgia from the U.S. “to prepare the Georgian military engineers in combat engineering capabilities.”

Georgia and the United States said in a joint statement in June after a meeting in frames of strategic partnership charter that the two countries were discussing “options to help Georgia develop its air surveillance and air defense and coastal surveillance capabilities as well as defensive combat engineer capabilities, improve leadership and training skills of its non-commissioned officers, advance the command and control abilities of its brigade headquarters, and prepare to upgrade its utility helicopter fleet.”