KRTSANISI, Georgia — Nineteen Georgian soldiers with the 31st Light Infantry Battalion graduated today from an comprehensive, three-week intelligence training course held here aimed at training junior officers in the basic skills necessary to operate on a military intelligence staff as part of the Georgia Deployment Program in support of International Security Assistance Forces (GDP-ISAF), Oct. 9.
The Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield course, taught by three U.S. Marine instructors from Navy and Marine Corps Intelligence Training Center (NMITC), was designed to help the Georgian soldiers hone their intelligence gathering skills and while allowing them to later share the knowledge with their comrades.
"The [Georgian] soldiers completed all of this training within three weeks and also participated in a culminating, comprehensive two day final exercise, where they came together as a team and excelled," said Sgt. Austin L. Bridgewater, intelligence instructor from NMITC.
Throughout the three-week course, the Georgian soldiers participated in 117 hours of lectures and more than 14 hours of practical application, covering the full spectrum of armed conflict. They were initially given foundational classes such as introduction to intelligence, map reading, war fighting, and then transitioned into urban and intelligence preparation of the battlefield process, collections, targeting, tactical questioning, and urban reconnaissance.
"We trained the Georgians in battalion-level intelligence operations," said Bridgewater. "We thought there were going to be issues with interpretation of the material and the transferring of concepts, but there were none."
Bridgewater credits much of the success of the training to the military interpreters who worked with them through all the classes.
"All of our interpreters do a great job on a daily basis and they are the bridge to every bit of success that we are able to achieve," commented Bridgewater.
"The Georgian soldiers had a few problems in the beginning, but were attentive and motivated to learn from the Marines," said a Georgian interpreter. "They constantly looked for an opportunity to ask questions. Their training and confidence levels have increased and these soldiers feel confident in their upcoming deployment."
Bridgewater said the Georgian soldiers improved tremendously and made remarkable progress in a short time span.
"Now that we have gone through this type of training, we can train our own soldiers and share the experience we received from the Marines," said one student with 31st battalion. "We're more skilled and better than before in our field, we are very grateful to the Marines for this training opportunity the battalion has received."
Much of the Georgians' new knowledge was tested in the last two days of the final exercise, which like any final exercise, was designed to test their platoon's ability to operate together and function proficiently in a combat environment.
Georgia is scheduled to provide an infantry battalion to serve along with U.S. Forces and other partner nations in Afghanistan. The Georgian Deployment Program is a two-year training program consisting of four 6-month rotations designed to train four Georgian infantry battalions in counter-insurgency tactics, techniques and procedures in preparation for their deployment to Afghanistan in support of International Security Assistance Forces.