Colonel Norbert Hess is the Core Team Leader of the Substantial NATO-Georgia Package (SNGP) – the key instrument for Georgia’s NATO integration and practical cooperation with the Alliance to enhance Georgia’s defensibility and resilience. As Col. Hess completes his term in this role, Civil.ge asked for his views on the successes and challenges of the SNGP, the role of NATO’s assistance to the country, and whether the political stalemate has affected Georgia’s practical cooperation with the Alliance.
Col. Hess has served as the SNGP Core Team Leader since 2020. Previously, he served as the German Defense Attache to Ukraine, Kiyv from 2016 to 2019. Before that, he held various positions in the German Air Force.
Civil.ge: Colonel Hess, you have held the key position in NATO-Georgia practical cooperation, which is at the heart of the NATO-Georgia Substantive Package. As you are about to complete your term, how would you assess the implementation of the Package initiatives? Which initiative would you consider particularly successful in terms of the results achieved?
The Substantial NATO-Georgia Package (SNGP) is the main tool for practical cooperation between NATO and Georgia. It was created in September 2014 and since then almost 20 areas of security and defense cooperation have been covered. Over the past 10 years, more than 20 NATO nations contributed to the package, appointing resident and non-resident advisors. During the years I was heading SNGP Allies have repeatedly reaffirmed their continued and strong commitment to SNGP, and I am proud we could add targeted new initiatives and resources.
I believe we have, with the absolutely fundamental support, knowledge and experience of our Georgian colleagues and friends, achieved success in almost all of the SNGP Initiatives. Clearly, there have been and continue to be challenges, but we, along with our Georgian colleagues, remain committed to driving towards completion and success.
I would make special note of those initiatives for which we have established new structures: the Joint Training and Evaluation Centre, the Defense Institution Building School (DIBS), Military Engineering, Special Operation Forces, and Military Police. Furthermore, the maritime security initiative has allowed Georgia to become a Partner Nation within NATO’s Operation Sea Guardian, and contribute on a number of occasions a Georgian Coast Guard Boarding Team.
The SNGP has been considered a success story for years, with annual conferences organized with the participation of Allies and Partner nations to share lessons learned. However, this practice has ceased in recent years. Do you think it would be beneficial to continue to share lessons learned from the SNGP with Partner and Alliance nations?
I agree that the practice of sharing lessons learned is very important, and the way we do so is scalable – sometimes it happens on a higher level, sometimes at a working level. Indeed, during COVID, our ability to conduct conferences, meetings, course and seminars in person was limited, but we conducted activity ‘virtually’; I believe that today we are almost back to pre-COVID levels of engagement and participation. In 2022, NATO Representatives of the Partnership and Cooperative Security Committee (PCSC) visited Georgia. In 2023, high-level representative of the NATO Military Committee travelled to Tbilisi for a conference. Both events demonstrated not only the strong commitment of NATO Allies to Georgia, but the desire to share information and lessons learned.
There are other regular platforms like the NATO committees in Brussels and the annual meeting of the national “Points of Contact” for Defense Capacity Building where Georgian and SNGP representatives are invited to brief about practical cooperation and to exchange views with NATO Allies and partners.
Yes, I strongly believe that we should continue to share lessons learned and indeed maybe it is time for a further lessons learned conference in Georgia soon.
The SNGP was adopted at the NATO Summit in Wales in 2014 to promote practical cooperation and to prepare Georgia for eventual NATO membership. How has the current standstill in Georgia-NATO political relations and Georgia’s integration process affected practical cooperation between Georgia and the Alliance?
As I have stated before, SNGP is the main tool for practical cooperation between NATO and Georgia. Of course the SNGP is implemented within a certain political context. Euro-Atlantic Integration has been recently reaffirmed by Georgia’s Minister of Defense, during his speech to the 10th Anniversary of SNGP.
However, recent activities and rhetoric from the Georgian government have raised concerns amongst NATO Allies. That has an effect on a few initiatives, but SNGP will continue to be instrumental in Georgia’s journey towards Euro-Atlantic integration, striving to ensure a strong, capable, and resilient partner in the years ahead.
Could you comment on NATO’s SNGP strategic communication initiative, which was reportedly terminated in March this year? What was the reason for its termination at a time when Georgia is more than ever the target of anti-Western propaganda?
Indeed, the UK as the NATO Lead Nation for Strategic Communication Initiative decided in March this year to pause, not to terminate its support. In concrete terms, it means that there are no more joint activities ongoing until further notice. In all our initiatives, NATO advisors work side by side with Georgian stakeholders. The Georgian experts will continue their work to implement this initiative.
NATO and individual Allies have invested in Georgia’s defense capabilities, including infrastructure, for years. This includes the Combat Training Center (CTC) at the important Vasiani base near Tbilisi. Earlier this year, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced plans to open an international airport on the territory of the strategic Vaziani military base. Georgian military and security analysts say the controversial project would undermine Tbilisi’s defenses, reduce the army’s combat readiness, and undermine NATO-Georgia projects. What is your assessment of the practical aspects of such a move, as far as CTC and SNGP are concerned?
In regard to NATO-Georgia Joint Training and Evaluation Centre, NATO has invested a great deal, and that’s why JTEC became one of SNGP flagship initiatives; and there is more to achieve. The Combat Training Center located in Vaziani is a bilateral cooperation with the United States and not part of SNGP. The further development of CTC is out of SNGP’s scope, therefore opening an international airport at Vaziani military base would not have any effect to NATO-Georgia projects. Meanwhile preparations for the next NATO-Georgia exercise in 2025 have started.
How do you assess Georgia’s progress in recent years in terms of resilience and defensibility, and the role of the SNGP in this?
Over the 10 years of its existence the SNGP has been the foundation for good progress and developments, to strengthen the Georgian Defence and Security Forces, to make the GDF more interoperable with NATO and prepare its units and formations for future NATO membership. Over time, the SNGP has become more and more of an interagency package, having involved several Georgian ministries, agencies and authorities.
With that, but also in learning the lessons from the war in Ukraine, resilience has become more important. Resilience is essential for Georgian society. Subsequently, the enhancement of resilience could become a more substantial element in SNGP.
What advice would you give to your successor?
My successor is very experienced in NATO and NATO-led operations. He will find a good and efficient way to make SNGP great. There is no need for advice. I will share some experiences and observations I have made like being a good leader, not to limit, but let them develop, delegate authority and responsibilities to keep up motivation and engagement, lead by good example, communicate most frequently with all internal and external stakeholders, have persistence and patience and emphasize the Georgian ownership of the solution!