The Caucasus nation's NATO membership bid is enshrined in its constitution and was endorsed by the alliance in 2008, but in recent years, the country's perceived democratic backsliding has placed it increasingly at odds with the West.

The exercise, held near the capital Tbilisi, is part of a broader series of joint drills running from July 21 to August 8 across Georgia and Turkey, the defence ministry said in a statement.

Dubbed Agile Spirit, the biennial drills bring together over 2,000 troops from ten nations, including more than 800 US servicemen, as well as soldiers from Turkey, Germany, Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, Lithuania, Moldova, and Ukraine.

The exercise began with a joint airborne operation near Adana, Turkey, where US paratroopers jumped alongside Turkish troops, according to US Army Europe and Africa command.

It said the exercise "underscores the US commitment to security and stability in the Black Sea region and highlights the importance of strong alliances and partnerships in addressing shared security challenges."

In Georgia, the drills will include field training, live-fire exercises, a command post operation with the Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian Brigade, and special operations forces activities.

Despite the 2008 Bucharest summit declaration that Georgia would one day join the alliance, the country has yet to be placed on a formal path to membership.

Shortly after the summit, Georgia was invaded by its neighbor and former Soviet power Russia, which still occupies about 20 percent of its territory.