AUGUST 2007 ISSUE #2

2000 Georgian Servicemen

Participate in Peacekeeping
Mission in Iraq
An increased number of Ge-
orgian servicemen now make up
the nation’s peacekeeping mis-
sion in Iraq as the 3rd Infantry
Brigade of the Georgian Armed
Forces departed for Wasit Prov-
ince in July.
The 1,500 servicemen first
arrived in Kuwait, where they
Iraq. According to Major Shav-
lego Tabatadze: “The mission
will be rather difficult. In fact,
the Georgian contingent has nev-
er put into practice such kinds of
tasks as we have to implement
this time. The brigade is ready
for this and they have already un-
dergone the appropriate training.
Georgia to Join ASDE System
Georgia will join the NATO
Air Situation Data Exchange
(ASDE) system by the end of
this year. The process of Geor-
gia’s integration into the NATO
radar system was accelerated by
the frequent violations of Geor-
gia’s state borders and incursions
into Georgian airspace from the
Russian side.
“Recent incidents prompted
discussions at NATO HQ in
Brussels to speed up these pro-
cedures so that Georgia becomes
incorporated into that system as
soon as possible,” explained
Georgian Deputy Defence Min-
ister Batu Kutelia.
After the finalization of Geor-
gia’s integration into the ASDE
system, special systems and
equipment will be installed on
Georgian territory and will be
prepared for testing.
“The integration of Georgia’s
radar into the NATO system will
give NATO controllers real-time
information about any incursions gia and Republic of Turkey re- ner nations resulted in the devel- eration model between NC3A
into Georgian airspace,” Kutelia garding ASDE joining is drafted opment of the Air Situation Data (NATO Consultation, Command
explains. “Everything will be and the final review process of Exchange (ASDE) system. This and Control Agency) and NPC
displayed at NATO HQ, at the the Memorandum of Under- system manages the controlled (NATO Programming Center).
central command point.” standing is underway. exchange of air picture data by In 2003, NATO agreed to a
Georgia will join the ASDE The NATO requirements for filtering the NATO picture in plan to share radar data with
through the Republic of Turkey. a bi-directional RAP (Recog- such manner that it is releasable Georgia, Albania, Finland,
The Memorandum of Under- nized Air Picture) exchange be- to partner nations. The ASDE Macedonia and Ukraine.
standing between NATO, Geor- tween NATO nations and part- system is developed via a coop- by Thea Chonishvili

Georgian President of
INSIDE

Peacekeepers Put on Georgia at the

Defence Ministry
Training Display
Georgian Peacekeepers Leaving for Iraq

underwent special training for
twenty days, after which the 3rd
Infantry Brigade personnel start-
ed its peacekeeping mission in
the city of Al Kut.
The deployment of these
Georgian peacekeepers was car-
ried out stage by stage, but the
transfer of their cargo to Iraq
started in the middle of July.
The personnel of the 3rd In-
fantry Brigade departed Georgia
from the Alekseevka Military
Aerodrome. The soldiers seemed
to be motivated and enthusias-
tic, as each of them fully realiz-
es the complexity of the task and
the accompanying responsibili-
ty of the implementation of the
mission.
“I am leaving for Iraq with
high spirits,” declared Senior
Lieutenant Ilia Mumladze. “It is
my desire to serve there and I am
sure I will carry out the peace-
keeping mission perfectly.”
“I have been serving in the
Armed Forces for 15 years and I
made the decision to accompa-
ny my brigade to Iraq,” ex-
plained soldier Zeinab Chadune-
li. “I know in advance the con-
ditions and circumstances under
which I will have to serve in Iraq,
but nothing scares me.”
The brigade commander also
travelled with his personnel to
The most important is that they
are psychologically prepared.”
After arrival in Al Kut, the
3rd Infantry Brigade was joined
by the two Georgian battalions
which had already been serving
in Iraq for several months. After
stationing the troops in Al Kut,
the 31st Battalion will return to
Georgia as the term of their ser-
vice will expire by that time. The
2,000 remaining servicemen will
conduct patrols, searches and
raids, set-up checkpoints and
guard the base and strategic fa-
cilities. The mission of the Geor-
gian servicemen will also in-
volve controlling the traffic and
smuggled goods from the Irani-
an border.
After fulfilling its peacekeep-
ing mission, the 3rd Infantry Bri-
gade will be replaced by the 1st
Infantry Brigade, currently sta-
tioned at the Vaziani military
base.
by Rusudan Tsimakuridze
Georgian Peacekeepers re-
cently demonstrated a display of
exercises for the first time. The
exercise was held at the peace-
Defence Minister Greeting with the Georgian Peacekeepers
keeping battalion’s base in Up-
per Nikozi. Along with the Geor-
gian Minister of Defence David
Kezerashvili, the exercise was
attended by the Chief of the Joint
Staff of the Georgian Armed
Forces Col. Zaza Gogava, the
Minister of Internal Affairs Vano
Merabishvili, and the State Min-
ister on Conflict Resolution Dav-
id Bakradze. The exercises were
also conducted under the obser-
vation of OSCE representatives.
The Georgian Peacekeepers held
an information briefing before
the practical part of the event
during which, through use of
special fliers, the peacekeepers
introduced the crimes recently
perpetrated by illegal formations
and the counter actions imple-
mented by the Georgian peace-
keepers.
The practical exercise lasted
for an hour during which two
companies of the First Infantry
Brigade’s 11th battalion demon-
strated three types of the peace
support operations.
Continued on p.2
P.2
Bombing in the Conflict Zone
Report of the International Group of Experts
investigating possible violations of Georgian
airspace and the missile recovered near Tsitelubani,
Georgia, on August 6, 2007 P.3
Second Independent Inter-governmental Expert
Group (IIEG-2) Report investigating possible
violations of Georgian airspace and the recovered
missile near Tsitelubani, Georgia, 6 August 2007 P.4
US Deputy
Assistant Defense
Secretary Visits
Georgia
P.5
Interview with Col. Matthew Brand,
Defence Attache of the United
States of America in Georgia P.5
TV Project “Kazarma” Finishes as
Many Participants Elect to
Continue Military Careers P.5
2 MONTHLY SUPPLEMENT OF GEORGIA TODAY
Continued from p.1
The first operation was the incinera-
tion of an attack on a checkpoint. In the
second operation the peacekeepers neu-
tralized a group of terrorists and evacu-
ated civilians. At the end of the event,
the peacekeepers set up a checkpoint and
demonstrated search activities.
A group of medics was also involved
in the simulated peacekeeping operation.
Their role was to treat injured soldiers
and move them to a safe transport point.
At the end of the event, the guests con-
gratulated the peacekeepers on the suc-
cessful completion of the exercise. The
Minister of Defence of Georgia said he
was very satisfied with the exercise: “The
peacekeeping battalion held an exercise
in this region for the first time today. This
exercise had been agreed upon with the
Peacekeeping Commission and I am very
satisfied with the results. The Peacekeep-
ers successfully fulfilled their task. The
exercise was conducted under difficult
conditions, because in parallel peace-
keepers were fulfilling their primary ob-
ligations in the conflict zones.” Col. Zaza
Gogava also expressed his satisfaction
with the operations: “The Peacekeepers
performed their duties very well. There
were minor mistakes, but the exercise can
not be performed without slight mistakes.
I am satisfied with the result and in the
future these results will be improved. As
you know, here our peacekeepers are re-
sponsible for the checkpoints and today
just two companies participated because
we did not want to leave the dislocation
areas without attention.”
President of Georgia at the
Defence Ministry
“When the nation awakens, the best
representatives of society are ready to
fight for freedom, strength and unity of
their homeland at the price of their en-
ergy, wit, time and even life,” the Pres-
ident of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili
told representatives during his recent
address to the Georgian Armed Forces
as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief
was visiting the new Defence Ministry
building. The President addressed those
Georgian officers who had successfully
finished the new Officers’ Program. In
his speech, the President stressed the
importance of the Officers’ and Reserve
Programs and the future prospects of the
Georgian Armed Forces development.
“Today, as Georgia faces historical chal-
lenges, the Georgian armed forces have
become as important a part of our na-
tional dignity, statehood and identity as
it has been throughout the centuries.
From the very first days of my presi-
dency, I set the goal of building a mod-
ern, efficient and highly professional
armed forces. We are creating an offic-
ers’ corps that differs from the Soviet
officers’ system. You are the officers of
the armed forces of a democratic state.
You are the contingent which has been
selected from our institutes of higher
education. We are preparing 1,000 of-
ficers who have graduated from Geor-
gia’s educational institutes. We need of-
President of Georgia addresses Georgian Officers
Georgian
Peacekeepers
Put on Training
Display
Peacekeeping Operation
ficers who have a general education,
speak foreign languages and are capa-
ble of receiving information… Our
strength is in unity, but this is unity
among persons, among the intellectuals.
You should be well prepared not only
physically, but intellectually as well. The
protection of homeland is a science, a
great science. This is the result of en-
thusiasm… We have established a new
reserve system and you can see how
successfully the reservists are being
trained. My initial goal was to train
100,000 reservists. I think Georgia has
the potential of having 200,000 reserv-
ists, and several tens of cadre brigades
manned by reservists. Everyone should
know that each person has capability,
talent and motivation. Georgia is a very
reliable ally for the democratic world. I
made a decision to increase the salaries
of the personnel of the reconnaissance
companies of the first, second, third and
fourth Infantry Brigades by 300 GEL
from August 1st. From September 1st,
the salaries of tank battalion personnel
from the first, second, third, and fourth
Infantry Brigades, artillery divisions,
communications companies and the en-
gineering-chemical company will be
increased by 115 GEL. The main rea-
son for my decision is that this is a pro-
fession which requires professionalism,
a high level of education and intellect.
Each soldier will receive special bene-
fits for command of a foreign language.
From January 1st, 2008 the average sal-
ary of officers in the Georgian Armed
Forces will be 1000 GEL.”
The President of Georgia presented
translated books on military strategy to
the Georgian officers who will be study-
ing at the National Defence Academy.
After the speech, the Defence Minis-
ter and the President of Georgia viewed
the new Defence Ministry building.
by Rusudan Tsimakuridze
Graduation of Officers’
Training Course
A solemn ceremony for those gradu-
ating from the Officers’ Training Course
was held at the National Defence Acad-
emy on August 3.
Navy and Air Force officers under-
went a three-month training course. Six
officers were prepared for the Navy,
becoming specialists of vessel commu-
nication and in the management of com-
bat and electro-mechanical means. Jun-
ior Officers attended the theoretical part
of the course on the base of Navy Forc-
es in Batumi, but practical training was
conducted on Georgian Navy vessels.
Eleven pilots underwent a training
course as well; six specialists were
trained for combat aircraft flight exploi-
tation and the technical and radio elec-
tronic exploitation of aircraft engines.
The students were trained at the Alek-
seevka military airdrome.
High ranking representatives of the
Ministry of Defence and the Armed
Forces attended the ceremony. Students
of the National Defence Academy were
awarded diplomas for the successful
graduation of the Officers’ Courses and
were granted the rank of Junior Officer.
After the ceremony, the graduates
Granting Diplomas
AUGUST 2007 ISSUE #2
The State Minister for Conflict Res-
olution David Bakradze gave his esti-
mation on the demonstration of the ex-
ercise: “High level trainings were held.
Such type of training is stipulated by the
peacekeeping forces’ mandate and is
held regularly in the conflict zone. Thus,
this was the first occasion that the Geor-
gian peacekeeping battalion performed
the exercises.
“I want to highlight that this display
training was done in compliance with
all international agreements. OSCE mil-
itary observers as well the representa-
tives of the Russian peacekeeping forc-
es were informed about this and attend-
ed the trainings.”
The Peacekeeping Forces’ Chief
Military Commander Col. Mamuka
Kurashvili gave a high evaluation to the
display exercises performed by the per-
sonnel: “The scenario was composed of
peace support elements and components
that can occur in the conflict zone daily.
Subsequently, the most important and
actual task is to protect the civilian pop-
ulation. This was a very complicated and
crucial task for the personnel and to my
mind, they carried out it excellently.”
The Commander of the 11th Peace-
keeping Battalion HQ Alexander Ma-
khatadze, who was a participant in the
training display, talked about the duty
and morale of his colleagues: “The duty
of each commander, of each military
head, is to care about how to overcome
obstacles. The personnel are motivated
and there are no unfavorable facts for
overcoming these obstacles.”
by Rusudan Tsimakuridze
and invited guests commented for the
mass media. “Today the solemn gradu-
ation ceremony of the Junior Officers’
Courses of Air Forces was held. I want
to mention that the graduates underwent
training for 10 months. They had theo-
retical knowledge, but they deepened
their practical experience in the Nation-
al Defence Academy. All of them are
graduates of different higher institutions
of Georgia with appropriate specialities.
They have already become profession-
al military servicemen and will make
their contribution to the reconstruction
of the Georgian Air Force,” commented
Defence Academy Deputy Comman-
dant, Colonel Roin Pailodze.
“I graduated from Kobuleti Aviation
Institute. The institution was partly mil-
itary, so I had to live and study in the
barracks. I have been wearing a mili-
tary uniform for six years. I continued
my schooling at the Faculty of Aviation
in the National Defence Academy. I am
very glad as I have made great efforts to
become an officer. This aim is not
achievable for everybody. But I reached
it and currently I am a lieutenant,” stat-
ed Junior Lieutenant Izo Putkaradze.
AUGUST 2007 ISSUE #2 MONTHLY SUPPLEMENT OF GEORGIA TODAY
3

Bombing in the Conflict Zone

On August 6, the territory near Shash-
vebi, Tsitelubani village was hit with an
air to surface missile when two S-24 air-
craft violated Georgian airspace at ap-
proximately 18:30. These combat aircraft
entered Georgian airspace between 60-
70 km to the north of the bomb site and
the guided missile landed 150 meters
from a populated area. Fortunately the
incident caused no major damage. Geor-
gian Ministry of Defence radar and Geor-
gian Air Navigation “Sakaeronavigatsia”
have identified the trajectory of the flight.
A few minutes after the bombardment,
the aircraft left Georgian airspace in the
direction of the Kazbegi Region. A spe-
cial OSCE monitoring group, as well as
a team of Georgian experts, has been
working on the incident zone.
Georgian President Mikheil Saakash-
vili visited the bomb site accompanied
by the State Minister on Conflict Reso-
lution Issues David Bakradze. They were
met by Georgian Air Force Commander
Col. David Nairashvili, Chief Military
Commander of the Georgian Ministry of
Defence Peacekeeping Forces in the
Tskhinvali Region Col. Mamuka Kurash-
vili, local self-government representa-
tives, OSCE Mission observers, the dip-
lomatic corps and members of the local
population. Col. Nairashvili briefed the
President on the details of the violation
of Georgian airspace and then the Presi-
dent commented about the incident for
media representatives and members of in-
ternational organizations: “This incident,
as the bombing of Upper Abkhazia sev-
Air Force Commander Briefs the President on Violation of Air Space
eral months ago, aims to violate Geor-
gia’s peace, security, and stability. It aims
to sow panic in our society, and discor-
dance in the political sphere…”
Deputy Defence Minister Batu Kute-
lia made the following comment: “Be-
fore making our final conclusions and
evaluations we conducted our own in-
vestigation and, to verify the results of
our investigation, we requested that an
independent group of international ex-
perts conduct an extensive investigation
from their side as well. We have the con-
clusions from both our investigation and
the investigation conducted indepen-
dently. Both investigations confirmed
that Georgian airspace was violated
from Russian airspace to the north and
that the object which violated Georgian
airspace fired a guided, anti-radar, tac-
tical missile. This is the main fact that
we wanted to have confirmed – and it
was indeed confirmed. At that stage the
investigation is concluded. Concerning
the assessment according to internation-
al law, this act can be considered an act
of aggression by our neighboring coun-
try. Concerning the arrival of Russian
experts: we received an urgent request
from the Russian side asking for permis-
sion to send a special group to Georgia
to discuss this issue with Georgian au-
thorities, which we of course agreed to,
although I would like to clarify that these
Russian experts will not participate in
any kind of investigation. This is a bi-
lateral meeting to provide the Russian
side with the information we have gath-
ered, and we’ll have possibility to re-
ceive information from Russia. The
main thing is already being investigat-
ed separately by the international experts
and no joint investigation with Russian
experts is planned. From the internation-
al point of view the main fact is the vio-
lation of Georgian airspace and the mis-
sile that was fired. With regard to these
events, these three reports coincided
with each other.”
by Rusudan Tsimakuridze

Report of the International Group of Experts investigating possible violations of

Georgian airspace and the missile recovered near Tsitelubani, Georgia, on August 6, 2007
The International Group of Experts
(IGE) investigating the possible viola-
tion of Georgian airspace and the mis-
sile recovered near Tsitelubani, Geor-
gia, on August 6, 2007, has developed
this report. The conclusions have been
agreed upon by IGE participants from
all four nations (Latvia, Lithuania,
Sweden, and the USA).
Background
On August 6, Georgian authorities
reported three violations of their air-
space. During the last violation, it was
reported that the violating aircraft
launched a missile that impacted in a
field near Tsitelubani, Georgia.
On August 7, a Joint Monitoring Team
(JMT) consisting of military observers
representing the Russian Federation, the
Republic of North Ossetia Alania and
Georgia together with an officer off the
Organization for Security and Co-opera-
tion in Europe (OSCE) Mission conduct-
ed interviews to verify the information
given by Georgian officials. The group
visited the missile impact site and two
observation posts in the area to interview
eye witnesses. The group released a re-
port (“The Report of the Joint Monitor-
ing Group”). Later the OSCE released a
report based on the monitoring (“Spot
Report: Tsitelubani missile incident”).
Georgia called for an independent in-
ternational investigation and four coun-
tries responded by sending eight techni-
cal and operational experts to form the
International Group of Experts (IGE).
The countries were Latvia (1), Lithuania
(2), Sweden (2) and the USA (3).
The Work
The IOE worked from August 12 to
14, 2007. The IGE reviewed the JMT
report, the OSCE report and the radar
information. On August 13, the IOE vis-
ited the missile impact site and the sur-
veillance radar in the vicinity of Gori.
The IOE inspected the missile debris at
the Ministry of the Interior. The IGE also
visited the Georgian Air Force (GAF)
Air Base to inspect the GAF’s Su-25
aircraft. Finally, the IGE visited the Joint
Forces Command to review recorded
radar information of the events.
Findings
Based on the facts found by the IGE
and the JMT and OSCE reports, the
IGE has made the following findings:
·An unidentified aircraft flew from
Russian airspace (close to the city of
Stepansminda) into Georgian airspace
and back again into Russian airspace
three times. Every pass was conduct-
ed by a single aircraft. The first pass
into Georgian airspace lasted less than
a minute. The final two passes into
Georgian airspace lasted significantly
longer and the unidentified aircraft
went deeper into Georgian airspace.
These two passes took place at approx-
imately 14.13 to 14.24 and 14.31 to
14.42 on 6 August 2007 (all times are
GMT). During the last pass into Geor-
gian airspace, the aircraft penetrated
as far south as approximately N 42°
04', E 44° 15'.
·A missile impacted in a field close
to the village of Tsitelubani at N 42°
02' 12.25", E 44° 15' 32.40". The war-
head did not explode and the missile
had burn marks on the rocket motor
nozzle. The IGE identified the missile
as a Russian designed Kh-58 (AS-II
KILTER) anti-radiation missile.
·Several eye witnesses saw an air-
craft in the area of the impact around
14.30-15.00 GMT. Some witnesses say
they saw an object leaving an aircraft
with a trail of smoke. Radar informa-
tion of the last pass into Georgian air-
space (around 14.36) indicates that an
object separated from the unidentified
aircraft.
·The IGE was unable to identify air-
craft type or origin.
·The Georgian Air Force (GAF)
does not possess aircraft equipped with
or able to launch Kh-58 missiles. The
GAF does not operate aircraft able to
fly the profile flown by the unidenti-
fied aircraft.
·The IGE has not been able to verify
statements concerning a second impact.
·The IGE has not been able to veri-
fy statements concerning a MANP AD
being fired at the unidentified aircraft.
Tbilisi, Georgia, 14 August 2007
4 MONTHLY SUPPLEMENT OF GEORGIA TODAY
Second Independent Inter-governmental Expert Group (IIEG-2)
Report investigating possible violations of Georgian airspace and the recovered
missile near Tsitelubani, Georgia, 6 August 2007
This report results from investiga-
tions undertaken by a group of experts
from Estonia, Poland and United King-
dom between 18 and 19 August 2007 of
the missile incident near Tsitelubani,
Georgia.
The Expert Group
Estonia
Brigadier General Vello LOEMAA -
Former Su-24 (24M
Pilot - Estonian MoD
Lt. Mart MAGI - Radar Expert - Es-
tonian MoD
Poland
Major Andrzej WITAK - Su-22 pilot
- Air Force Command
Capt. Przemys³aw PULKA - Weap-
ons Engineer - Air Force Academy
United Kingdom
Mr Kim BAKER - Missile Systems
Expert - UK MoD
Executive Summary
-The Group agrees with the findings
of the IGE report dated 14 Aug 07 and
further information will be presented in
this report.
-Georgian airspace was violated
three times of 6 Aug 07 from by aircraft
flying to from Russian airspace.
-The last two passes were towards the
Georgian radar near Gori.
-The missile was launched towards
the Gori radar site at a range of approx-
imately 10 km from the radar site.
-If the target was the radar site, the
missile was launched at near minimum
range.
-Immediately after missile launch the
radar crew acted defensively and using
combat procedures turned the radar
transmitter off.
-The missile impacted on Georgian
territory about 5 km short of the radar
site without exploding.
-The missile was a Russian built Kh-
58U anti-radiation, air to surface mis-
sile.
-Examination of Georgian aircraft
proved no Georgian capability to oper-
ate this missile.
Reports Received
This Group read the following re-
ports of previous investigations of the
incident.
1. OSCE Spot Report ‘Tsitelubani
missile incident’ dated 8 Aug 07
2. Report of the Joint Monitoring
Group
3. ‘Special Investigating Commis-
sion Report on the incident near village
Tsitelubani on 6 Aug 2007’
4. ‘Report from the International
Group of Experts (IGE) investigating the
possible violations of Georgian airspace
and the recovered missile near Tsite-
lubani Georgia 6 Aug 2007’ dated 14
August 2007
Scope of IIEG-2 investigation
The IIEG-2 visited the missile im-
pact and radar sites, the Georgian Ma-
ranuli air force base, the Interior Min-
istry (missile debris examination) and
the Georgian Central Command Post
(radar plots). In addition, the Group
combined their expertise to postulate a
likely scenario of the events surround-
ing the missile launch. At Annex A are
a number of comments resulting from
previous work which this Group has ad-
dressed.
Finding of IIEG-2 Site visits
Visit to Georgian Air Force Base at
Maranuli
During the inspection of the Geor-
gian Air Force (AF) Base at Maranuli
the Group checked all 10 of the Su-25
aircraft in the Georgian Air Force inven-
tory. The Group’s aircrew experts con-
firmed that these aircraft are not
equipped to carry or operate Kh -58
missile.
The Georgian AF has three versions
of Su-25. The first two versions (sin-
gle and two-seat trainer) have cockpit
elements easily recognizable by the
Group’s Sukhoy experts. They con-
firmed that the cockpits are not
equipped with the special displays nec-
essary to operate Kh-58. The third ver-
sion of Su-25 (the most modern) has a
completely modernised cockpit with
flat display panels and a head up dis-
play. After a thorough check of this air-
craft’s Storage Management System as
well as the check of a technical docu-
mentation of the modernisation pro-
gram, conducted by Elbit from Israel,
it was determined that this modernized
version of Su-25 is not capable of car-
rying or operating the Kh-58 either.
Moreover, the weapons storage fa-
cilities at the airbase were checked and
no evidence of either a Kh-58 missile
or additional necessary equipment such
as the Kh-58 launch pylon (AKU-58) or
target acquisition pod (WJUGA) was
found.
Missile impact site visit
On 18 August the Group visited the
missile impact site close to the village
of Tsitelubani and found small items of
missile debris such as circuit boards and
pieces of radome. We found that the
original impact crater had been cleared
and filled in and the recovered missile
parts had been taken to the Interior Min-
istry in Tbilisi some time before. We
confirmed the location of the impact site,
using GPS, to be the same as reported
in the 14 Aug 2007 IGE report.
Radar Site Visit
On 18 August the Group visited the
36D6-M radar (NATO name TIN
SHIELD) positioned near Gori. Inter-
views were conducted with the radar
site commander and the radar operator
who was on duty at the time of the in-
cident. It was found that due to main-
tenance activity the radar was only fully
operational after the aircraft turned
away following a second pass; the air-
craft made three passes in total. The air-
craft turned back towards the radar and
was tracked by the radar and also visu-
ally observed by one of the radar crew
members. The aircraft launched a mis-
sile, seen by the crew member and
briefly radar-tracked before the radar
ceased transmitting. It is estimated that
the radar transmissions ceased very
soon after missile launch. Radar shut
down is a standard procedure when
under a missile attack. A smoke trail
from the missile was reported by the
observer. The missile impact site is not
visible from the radar position. As the
aircraft turned to leave the area, the ra-
dar was turned on again and the aircraft
departure tracked.
Interviews with the Radar Com-
mander confirmed that this particular
version of 36D6-M radar does not have
any simulation capability. That feature,
which is software driven, was not in-
cluded in the purchase of the radar sys-
tem.
Radar analysis
Georgia military personnel present-
ed to the Group recordings of the air pic-
ture in Georgian Central Command Post
and also recording at the military 3D
radar site from the time of the incident.
From these recordings it is clearly seen
that the aircraft involved in the incident
were tracked by Georgian Civil Air Traf-
fic Control 2D primary radar and they
were also tracked by Georgian military
3D primary radar. Furthermore the re-
cording confirmed that the aircraft did
not have its on-board transponder acti-
vated, as there were no responses to the
interrogations from secondary radars in
range. This means that the secondary
radars were unable to detect and there-
fore track the aircraft.
The Georgian air picture was also
forwarded to Russia. The Russians, who
claimed no involvement in this incident,
provided their own air picture. This air
picture from the time of the incident and
in the same region only comprised sec-
ondary radar information. Thus the in-
formation supplied by the Russians can-
not support their claim.
Examination of missile debris at
Georgian Interior ministry, Tbilisi
We visited the Ministry of the Interi-
or on Sunday 19 August and inspected
the debris from the missile impact site.
The key findings were
1. The motor was fully burnt indi-
cating that the missile was fired or
launched. If the missile was jettisoned
(released from the aircraft in an emer-
gency situation) the motor would not
have fired.
2. The markings on the warhead cas-
ing, photographed prior to destruction,
indicated a manufacturing date of Oc-
tober 1992. Thus the missile was built
for the Russian Federation rather then
the Soviet forces.
3. Similar dates were seen on other
components along with markings indi-
cating the missile was a ‘U’ variant (Kh-
58U).
4. The missile radome was black with
a metallic tip at the end.
5. The recovered ‘western compo-
nents’ were two Swiss made DC/DC
power converters not processing chips.
6. A section of the missile antenna
(guidance seeker) was recovered for fur-
ther analysis to determine the operation-
al frequency range of the receiver in the
missile seeker.
7. A video of the warhead destruc-
tion process, conducted away from the
impact site, was presented to the Group.
In conclusion, the recovered parts
support the claim that the missile fired
was an indigenous variant (labelled Kh-
58U) of the Kh-58 (AS-11, NATO name
KILTER) air to surface, anti-radiation
missile and this variant of the missile is
not offered for export.
Possible MANPAD firing
A representative of the Ministry of
the Interior reported that eye witnesses
had observed the launch of a MANPAD
(shoulder launched, surface to air mis-
sile) prior to the launch of the air to sur-
face missile from the aircraft. The
MANPAD was fired from the right of
the aircraft as it approached the radar
site. The Group examined the perfor-
mance of the typical MANPADs and
from the likely firing position along with
the aircraft speed and altitude consid-
ered it highly unlikely that the MAN-
PAD would hit the aircraft.
Possible Scenario
The Group combined its expertise to
come up with a possible scenario to ex-
plain the facts.
The incident started with incursions
into Georgian airspace by aircraft fly-
ing towards the radar site in Gori. The
central command post was aware as sev-
eral radars (including civilian) were fed
into their air picture. Part of the first
penetration was seen by the 36D radar
but the information was not sent to the
central command post in Tbilisi. The
radar was only able to partly track the
incursion as it was under going mainte-
nance.
On the third incursion the aircraft
turned towards the radar and the radar
tracked the aircraft all the way until
the missile launch, when the radar
stopped transmitting. Just prior to
launch the aircraft weapons system
passed information on the position of
the radar site to the missile on the py-
lon. At launch the missile dropped
away and after approximately 50 m
separation the motor ignited. We were
very fortunate that the radar crew
member saw the missile launch and the
smoke trail. Due to the mountainous
terrain in this region the aircraft was
only a little higher in elevation that the
radar site, perhaps 1-1.5 km. Upon de-
tection of launch the crew quickly
stopped the radar transmitting. At this
point the aircraft was estimated to be
about 10 km from the radar. Thus just
after launch the missile was denied a
valid radar target to home onto. The
Kh-58 had to use the previously esti-
mated position of the radar site derived
from the aircraft sensors. It is likely
that due to the short range, the missile
flew a direct approach to where it be-
lieved the radar site was. A miss of 3-
5 km is not unusual in these circum-
stances because of the old estimation
of the target position and no opportu-
nity for the seeker to refine that posi-
tion. The missile requires several op-
erations to arm the warhead correctly
and a combination of short range and
similar elevation (aircraft and radar
site heights) may have interrupted the
normal arming sequence.
It was reported that a MANPAD was
fired as the aircraft was flying towards
the radar during the third incursion. It is
unclear if the missile caused any dam-
age to the aircraft or the Kh-58 missile
it was carrying. It is also uncertain if the
aircrew reacted to the MANPAD launch
or what affect the MANPAD had on the
launch of their air to surface missile.
After launch of the Kh-58 the aircraft
turned back towards Russian airspace
and was tracked on radar into Russian
airspace.
AUGUST 2007 ISSUE #2
Recommendations
To fully answer all the questions re-
garding the operation of the air to sur-
face missile (Kh-58) it is recommended
that help from the Russian manufactur-
er is sought.
Further investigations are needed
with information from pilots who cur-
rently fly the Su-24 and operate the Kh-
58 missile.
It would be useful to get the radar
tracks from neighbouring countries to
add to the Georgian and Russian infor-
mation.
The Group felt that more informa-
tion about the incident could be deter-
mined if Russia supplied the military
(primary) radar tracks in addition to the
secondary tracks already received.
To prevent future incidents it is rec-
ommended that greater control and
transparency is achieved over the bor-
der region air space.
IIEG-2
20 August 2007
ANNEX A
IIEG-2 responses to issues raised by
earlier reports and investigations
Was there any Russian involvement?
The aircraft came from and returned
to Russian airspace. The missile was of
Russian manufacture. Within the region
Russia is the only feasible nation capa-
ble of using the weapon correctly.
Could the attack have been staged by
the Georgians?
The Group examined the all Geor-
gian aircraft at Maranuli and found they
were incapable of launching the Kh-58.
Is the IIEG-2 representative?
The latest expert group (IIEG-2)
comprises representatives from Poland,
Estonia and United Kingdom.
Why were the Georgians in a hurry
to destroy the evidence?
Only the warhead was destroyed for
safety reasons as it contained explosive
(150 kg of TNT) and the condition of
the fuse was unknown. All the recov-
ered debris is still on display at the Inte-
rior Ministry. The Georgians made a vid-
eo of the missile recover operation and
of the warhead removal and destruction.
The serial numbers of parts recovered
have been seen at the Interior Ministry
and indicate a manufacturing date of the
warhead of Oct 1992.
How many aircraft violated Georgian
airspace and what type?
The radar tracks from both civil and
military radars indicate at least one,
maybe two, aircraft were involved. A
single aircraft was visually observed by
a crew member from the radar site at
Gori, just prior to missile launch. The
crew member was interviewed by the
Group and shown pictures of aircraft for
him to identify the most likely aircraft.
It was clear that the crew member did
not possess any aircraft knowledge. He
thought the Su-24 was closest match to
the aircraft he saw, discounting pictures
of the Su-25, MiG-25 and MiG-27.
Why was the Georgian radar target-
ed at such close range?
The Group does not claim that the ra-
dar was deliberately attacked. The Group
found that a single missile was launched
approximately 10 km from the radar site
and towards it. The missile was fired,
proved by the fully burnt out motor sec-
tion. The reason why the missile missed
the target and the self destruct failed is
uncertain at this time but probably related
to the lack of radar transmissions when
the missile was launched and the short
range. The Group is unaware of a second
air to surface missile falling in South Os-
setia. There are reports of a single MAN-
PAD firing from the South Ossetia region.
Additionally the Georgians stated that they
had no anti-aircraft units in the region.
AUGUST 2007 ISSUE #2 MONTHLY SUPPLEMENT OF GEORGIA TODAY
5

US Deputy Assistant Defence Secretary Visits Georgia

“Georgian Peacekeepers are distinguished by their Professionalism”
“I come here not only to show re-
spect to my Georgian colleagues, but to
show admiration to the work done by
the Georgian military in the peacekeep-
ing operation in Iraq,” stated Deputy
Assistant Secretary of Defence for Co-
alition and Multinational Operations
Debra L. Cagan during her recent offi-
cial visit to Georgia. In the framework
of her visit, Cagan held meetings with
the Defence Minister of Georgia David
Kezerashvili, Deputy Defence Minister
Batu Kutelia and Chief of Joint Staff
Col. Zaza Gogava. The US Deputy As-
sistant Secretary of Defence positively
evaluated the ongoing reforms at the
Ministry of Defence of Georgia. “I
would like to convey my respect and
admiration to the Minister of Defence
of Georgia and to the Chief of Defence,”
stressed the US high official.
During the meeting the leadership of
the Ministry of Defence of Georgia and
MoD Leadership Hosts Debra Cagan
US Deputy Assistant Secretary of De-
fence discussed such important issues
as the joint actions in the fight against
terrorism and ongoing operations in Af-
ghanistan. The officials paid attention to
the aspects of the deployment of Geor-
gian peacekeeping contingent in Iraq.
There is no doubt that Georgia plays a
substantial role in the global security and
stability issues. This is proven by the fact
that Georgia has recently increased its
contingent from 800 to 2,000 soldiers
during this crucial period in Iraq. This
issue has generated a huge interest
among international society and Geor-
gia has once again proven that, as a state,
it is a reliable partner to its friends and
never betrays them. The Georgian De-
fence Minister impartially describes
why Georgia has increased its presence
in Iraq: “As far as we have ambition to
be serious players in global security pol-
itics it is natural that we have responsi-
bilities. We are also aspiring for NATO
membership, which is not only related
to the protection of our country, but is
also means participating in various
peacekeeping operations.”
The most fundamental is that Geor-
gia acts according to the values and prin-
ciples of NATO which are connected
with the protection of global security.
Recently Georgia offered NATO to con-
tribute a Special Forces unit to the op-
eration in Afghanistan. “Afghanistan is
one of the priority issues for NATO and
the contemporary world. From our side
we’ve offered to send our Special Forc-
es unit to the NATO-led operation in
Afghanistan,” declared David Kezerash-
vili. According to the statement of Dep-
uty Defence Minister Batu Kutelia, “We
are ready to send our Special Forces
units wherever it is needed and wherev- Debra Cagan with Georgian Peacekeepers in Iraq
er the operation requires. This is our of-
fer to NATO. Georgia can also contrib- als among these peacekeepers. They are Cagan. She feels that the process of de-
ute other types of units manned with the fulfilling their mission very well and velopment of the Georgian army is go-
soldiers who gained experience in Op- understand the importance what they are ing well and fast and a lot of positive
eration Iraqi Freedom.” doing there,” said Cagan. It is very im- changes have been done during this pe-
In this difficult period of the 21st cen- portant to hear such statement from the riod. “The speed with which Georgians
tury together with other democratic US Deputy Assistant Secretary of De- are implementing the changes in the
countries, Georgia has transformed into fence for Coalition and Multinational Defence sphere is steady,” stressed Ca-
a state which acknowledges global pol- Operations. Debra Cagan is proud of the gan. According to her “Georgia should
icy and fights against negative geopo- strengthening of the Georgian Army. be a model for other countries to watch
litical results. It is noteworthy that Geor- She is one of the first persons who start- reforms and especially defence reforms.
gia has the potential to make a contri- ed to establish the Georgia Train and The Georgian Armed Forces have been
bution in this historic war on terror. Equip Program (GTEP). This is an able to accomplish change over the past
Without a strong army and professional American program which greatly helped year, which is a prerequisite for build-
military Georgia could not participate in the process of development of Georgia’s ing a strong army.” With such a state-
this global fight. It is a matter of pride professional army. Exactly, in that peri- ment and spirit the high official of the
that Georgia’s peacekeepers enjoy the od the fist steps were done of creation Unites States of America left Georgia.
best reputation among the international of a strong Georgian army. “This is very She has a lot of work to do in Iraq. It is
peacekeepers. “I had a very successful exciting for me, to see today what I very pleasant to hear that the soldiers of
visit to Iraq a couple of weeks ago, worked for over a decade ago. This is a your country are doing quite a good job
where I spent happy days with the Geor- result. I am very happy that I have the in order to make the world much more
gian and international peacekeepers. possibility to see how the Georgian stable and secure.
Georgians are one of the best profession- Armed Forces are developing,” declared by Nini Bakradze

Interview with Col. Matthew Brand,

Defence Attache of the United States of America in Georgia
First of all, we would like to con-
gratulate you on your new position. It
is your first official, long-term visit to
Georgia. What are your first impres-
sions of Georgia?
Actually, I was in Georgia for six
months in 1996 serving as the Senior U.S.
Military Observer in UNOMIG. I spent
six weeks in Gali, and the rest of the time
in Sukhumi. During my service with
UNOMIG I spent four days in Tbilisi
while escorting and interpreting for the
Chief Military Observer. I knew when I
returned to the U.S. that I wanted to serve
again in Georgia, and told my wife that.
We are fortunate now to have the oppor-
tunity to fulfil a dream that began for us
11 years ago. I believe that the situation
is much better now than when I was here
in 1996. To be honest, I barely recognize
Tbilisi. I certainly didn’t remember it as
being so modern and comfortable.
What are the expectations and fu-
ture plans of the new defence attache?
I am fortunate to follow LTC Alan
Hester, who did wonderful things as the
Defense Attaché here. I intend to contin-
ue the good work that the Georgian Min-
istry of Defence and he (as well as those
that came before Alan) have started.
Because the relationship between our
countries is so strong and well-estab-
lished, it is very easy for me to begin
working effectively right away. I plan to
continue working towards building ca-
pacity in the Georgian Armed Forces and
continuing to help where I can in the pro-
cess of defence reform.
As we know, you were a defence
attache in Kazakhstan and Uzbeki-
stan. Was it difficult to work in these
post-Soviet countries? How do you
think this experience will help you in
Georgia?
I see that you are very well-informed.
My wife and I spent two years each in
Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan and enjoyed
them both very much. Certainly, every
country has specific issues that are more
difficult than others but on balance our
experience in both of these countries was
very, very positive. I’ve been a student
of what is now the “Former Soviet Space”
for some time and knowing some of the
history is very helpful. While one cannot
compare Georgia to either of my other
posts, having the same job in all three
will, I think, make things easier. For in-
stance, I have a fair amount of experi-
ence with NATO and the Partnership for
Peace programs, as well as the PARP pro-
cess and with the IPAP process. I’ve been
around long enough that I have many
friends working in the U.S. government,
with whom I can talk about various is-
sues. I think my experience will be use-
ful to me and, I hope, to my colleagues
in the Georgian government.
What impression do you have about
the Georgian Armed Forces?
Very positive. The Georgian Army has
an excellent reputation, based in large part
on their operational performance in Iraq.
I hope to increase the amount of cooper-
ation with the Georgian Air Force and
Navy. It is a pleasure to be able to work
with professionals, and there are true pro-
fessionals in the Georgian Armed Forc-
es, and in the Georgian government in
general.
And finally, we wish you all the best.
In which spirit do you start your new job?
Thank you. I am very positive about
the future, both professionally and per-
sonally. I’ve wanted to live and work in
Georgia for the last 10 years and we are
very enthusiastic about the possibilities.
I am hopeful that this will be our best
assignment yet.
by Nini Bakradze

TV Project “Kazarma” Finishes as Many

Participants Elect to Continue Military Careers
“Kazarma” – a joint TV project of the
Ministry of Defence and the Rustavi-2
broadcasting company – has concluded,
and of the two finalists Levan Gavashel-
ishvili, who succeeded with a little bit of
difference, was named the winner.
Lucky Levan received a cash prize
of GEL 40,000 and a two week trip for
two to a five-star resort on the Mediter-
ranean coast of Turkey in Alanya spon-
sored by the travel agency N-Tour.
The project’s participants were re-
ceived by Mikhail Saakashvili, the Pres-
ident of Georgia, at the State Chancel-
lery. The Georgian Minister of Defence,
David Kezerashvili, also attended the
meeting. President Saakashvili congrat-
ulated Levan Gavashelishvili on his vic-
tory and heard the participants’ evalua-
tions of the implementation of the
project.
Among the project’s 16 participants,
seven of them – including Levan – ex-
pressed their willingness to serve in the
Georgian Armed Forces. These seven
participants announced their decision at
this meeting with the Minister of De-
fence.
After they had been met by the Pres-
ident, it was decided that those partici-
pants with a higher education will be
allowed to take part in the Officer’s
Course entrance exam in September.
Those participants with higher and spe-
cial education will continue serving in
the Conscript Service.
While meeting with the “Kazarma”
project participants the President talked
about the implementation of the project
and about the participants’ future mili-
tary careers: “I would like to extend my
congratulations to everybody on pass-
ing a serious exam. This was the first
experiment of its kind and I know that a
lot of people wanted to be in your place.
This was a real self-examination which
was also watched by the wider public,
and was a success. The Minister of De-
fence of Georgia introduced me to your
desire and decision to serve in the Geor-
gian Armed Forces. Our Army is really
becoming the elite of Georgian society.
Georgia will not become a strong coun-
try if the Georgian Armed Forces – and
its core – do not become the elite of the
entire society.”
by Khatia Kurashvili
6 MONTHLY SUPPLEMENT OF GEORGIA TODAY AUGUST 2007 ISSUE #2

Georgian Tank Men Celebrate the
Fifteenth Annual Tank Man Day
The Georgian Armed Forces official-
ly celebrates Tank Man Day on August
10. This year, the fifteenth anniversary
of Tank Man Day was solemnly marked
by representatives of the Georgian
Armed Forces. The Georgian Defence
Minister, David Kezerashvili congratu-
lated all Georgian tank men on this pro-
fessional day.
A special demonstrative exercise was
held at the Vaziani firing range in ho-
nour of Tank Man Day. The Tank Bat-
talions of the First, Second and Third
Infantry Brigades participated in the
exercise. The military hardware effi-
ciently destroyed the targets of fictitious
adversaries and returned to the disloca-
tion place without loses in manpower.
81 items of T-72 tanks and 12 items of
BMP-12 armoured personnel carriers
participated in the exercise.
The Chief of the Joint Staff Col. Zaza
Gogava and the Land Forces Command-
er LTC. Alexander Osepaishvili attend-
ed the exercise at the Vaziani range.
Col. Zaza Gogava personally con-
gratulated the Tank Men on their pro-
fessional day: “I want to congratulate the
Georgian Armed Forces and our coun-
try on Tank Man Day. Especially, I want
to congratulate our tank men on this day.
On this professional day we have seen
the results of tank men battalions. We
are satisfied with this performance and
the tank men showed the best results,
but we have to note that our goal is to
reach the highest level. This kind of
training will continue in future.”
Tank men talk about the success of
the Georgian army and about their pro-
fession. Ushangi Sofromadze, a target-
ing operator of the 1st Infantry Brigade
Armour Battalion: “I joined the army as
a volunteer and I have been serving in
the Armed Forces for about 4 years. I
am happy when I see the high motiva-
tion that differs from previous years.
This was proved by the demonstrated
training today. Serving in the army is a
great sense of responsibility. I’d say that
the Georgian Army today is more mo-
bilized and I, as the representative of the
armed forces, have higher feeling of re-
sponsibility. I advise everyone to serve
in the Georgian Army. Today there are
all conditions to serve country and fam-
ily as well.”
Georgia has been celebrating Tank
Man Day since August 10, 1992. Fif-
teen years ago the South Caucasus Mil-
itary Command handed 7 items of T-55
tanks to the Georgian Armed Forces.
The NATO Information Centre in Kodori Gorge
The establishment of a branch of the
NATO Information Centre in Upper
Abkhazia is a historic event and one that
was warmly welcomed by the popula-
tion of Kodori Gorge. It is noteworthy
that in 2006 – almost exactly one year
ago – Georgia’s central government suc-
cessfully reasserted control over this
region. Now, currently the people of this
area are ready to acknowledge the fun-
damental values of NATO. “The open-
ing of a NATO Information Centre is a
step forward and one which has a very
emotional impact. Peace is fundamen-
tally important for the population of this
region. I hope that this office will play
an important role in the stabilization of
this region,” declared NATO Informa-
tion Center Director Nanuka Jorjoliani.
Destabilization, isolation and insecu-
rity are all familiar to this region, that’s Solemn Opening of NATO Information Centre Bureau in Kodori
why the ordinary people of this territo-
ry are so keen to acquire more knowl- on NATO awareness issues. “A NATO NATO membership. The Centre is open
edge and information about the alliance, Information Center should explain to to everyone: Georgian citizens, NGO and
which is seen as a source of peace and society how Georgia is moving towards governmental structure representatives,
stability. “The people of this region NATO, what membership in the alliance and foreigners.
should receive absolutely correct and means, and what responsibilities Geor- The de facto leader of the unrecog-
comprehensive information about gia has taken under the NATO partner- nized republic of Abkhazia, Sergei
NATO. This organization is a guarantee ship,” declared Defence Minister Dav- Bagapsh, is very irritated by the opening
that Georgia’s membership in NATO id Kezerashvili. of the NATO Information Centre in Up-
will be the free choice of the entire pop- The head of the NATO Information per Abkhazia: “Whatever Georgia sets up
ulation of Georgia,” proclaimed the Centre Nanuka Jorjoliani has launched a in Kodori Gorge, be it an information
Deputy Defence Minister Batu Kutelia. very active and successful NATO Cam- center, patriotic camp or something more,
Mr. Kutelia believes that the opening of paign. “The Centre will try to be a link the upper part of the gorge is the territory
these NATO Information Centers is very between the Georgian population, gov- of Abkhazia,” Bagapsh stated.
important for all Georgia’s regions. “The ernmental structures and democratic in- It should be mentioned, that the es-
population of Georgia should be able to stitutes. This Centre should explain to tablishment of the NATO information
make an educated decision on Georgia’s Georgian citizens what NATO will bring Centre serves only peaceful and educa-
NATO integration, and accordingly they to their country, what challenges are tional purposes. The branch’s activities
should be well-informed on NATO- faced, what commitments we have taken will be focused on roundtable discus-
Georgia relations. What will NATO on and what we should do in order to sions about NATO and other public
bring to their country? How will the se- achieve the final target,” explained Jor- awareness campaign about the alliance.
curity of their and their children’s home- joliani, who has regular meetings with the The local population of this region as
land be protected? These are the ques- citizens of Georgia, the representatives well as other regions of Georgia should
tions which require absolutely correct of the non-governmental organizations be aware of the alliance’s activities. This
and comprehensive answers,” explained and the diplomatic corps. She has con- centre has nothing in common with de-
the Deputy Defence Minister. nected the various governmental and non- stabilization or destructive ideas. The
The NATO Information Centre ac- governmental organizations that are cur- young generation of Upper Abkhazia
tively and enthusiastically implements rently working on NATO issues with each will be raised knowing the fundamental
its mission and goal which is manifest- other. The Centre is a forum of construc- principles of the Alliance.
ed by conducting a transparent campaign tive discussions on Georgia’s potential by Nini Bakradze

CONDITIONS OF THE RESERVE PROGRAM

The work place and salary are maintained for reservists

during their gathering period.
Each person in the reserve is considered to be a military
servant and uses the social and legal protection guarantees
defined by law.
The reservist is supplied with modern military equip-
ment, uniform and perfect nourishment.
Students are not conscripted during the exam period and
the gathering period is not accepted as missed.

Ministry of Defence of Georgia / Public Affairs Department

Tel: (+995 32) 91 19 63, 91 04 21; Fax: (+995 32) 91 06 45
Address: 20 General Kvinitadze Str. Tbilisi 0112, Georgia
E-mail: pr@mod.gov.ge

Your Reserve, Your Country’s Reserve