MINISTRY OF DEFENCE OF GEORGIA
Supreme Commander-in-Chief
at Defence Ministry
The Supreme Commander-in-
Chief and President of Georgia,
Mikheil Saakashvili met with the
leadership of the Defence Minis-
try and Joint Staff of the Geor-
gian Armed Forces today. At the
meeting, held in the Defence
Ministry, President Mikheil
Saakashvili was personally
briefed about ongoing defense
reforms by the Defense Minister,
Bacho Akhalaia. In his report
Akhalaia focused on training and
education in the Georgian Armed
Forces. The President of Georgia
expressed particular interest in the
participation of Georgian military
servicemen in international oper-
ations. The Chief of Joint Staff of
the Georgian Armed Forces,
Maj.-Gen. Devi Chankotadze
provided detailed information to
the Supreme Commander-in-
Chief about Georgia’s contribu-
tion to ISAF operation. The Pres-
ident told reporters that he is very
pleased with recent achievements
in the field of defense reform:
“Combat training has never be-
fore been so intensive. We are not
occupied with theatrical perfor-
mances and maneuvers. Daily,
purposeful and quiet trainings
without any cameras are more ef-
fective. This is the most impor-
tant of all. Today we have leader-
ship – the Defense Minister and
Chief of Joint Staff are not en-
gaged self promotion. Day and
night they are working hard to
fulfill their tasks. Our primary
goal is to defend our motherland
and to further develop our coun-
try,” – declared Mikheil Saakash-
vili.
The President thanked the
Georgian military on behalf of the
Georgian nation: “Each Georgian
is thankful and honors the offic-
ers, sergeants and soldiers who
have sacrificed their lives for their
motherland. That is the why the
Georgian Army is seen as the
most prestigious service, and out-
strips all other institutions in opin-
PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT
ion polls. This is very important.”
At the meeting, the President
also talked about the prospects for
the development of the military
education system, the establish-
ment of an officers’ corps, the im-
portance of participation in inter-
national peacekeeping operations
and the creation of a civil defense
system.
Saakashvili explained that
Georgia’s participation in the
ISAF operation is important for
the country, both from a geopo-
litical point of view, in addition
to being an opportunity for Geor-
gian forces to gain military expe-
rience. “It is a huge military
school for us,” he said. “2008 has
shown the world that there is not
a 100% effective political deter-
rent, that’s why we need total de-
fence. Our presence in Afghani-
stan gives us a unique experi-
ence… So not only should we not
suspend our participation in the
Afghan operation, but we should
consider and seek out new oppor-
tunities for more active participa-
tion, we are holding consultations
on the matter with our partners,”
Saakashvili said.
The President of Georgia,
Mikheil Saakashvili told journal-
ists that “the creation of a robust
civil defense system” was very
important, in this context men-
tioned reserve forces, which, he
said, should be oriented towards
“the defense of our territory.” ”All
villages must be able to protect
their land. There must be small
training groups in all the settle-
ments and weapons are needed
for this. It is obvious that the pow-
er we have to deal with is beyond
all norms…The protection of the
country is the task of representa-
tives of all ethnical groups,”
Mikheil Saakashvili stated.
Saakashvili said that the gov-
ernment had to cut defense fund-
ing for 2010 because of the eco-
nomic crisis, but added that the
authorities would “reverse the
JULY 2010 ISSUE #37
Training Course for
Junior Officers
The basic training course for Major-General Devi Chanko- have no doubt that this genera-
junior officers at the National tadze, The Commander of tion of officers will take an ac-
Defense Academy has been Training and Military Education tive part in the development of
completed. 180 military officers, of Joint Staff of the GAF, Colo- the Georgian Army”, declared
including five members of the nel Nikoloz Janjgava, deputies Colonel Nikoloz Janjgava.
Special Tasks Division of the of the Chief of Joint Staff – A graduate of the course,
Ministry of Internal Affairs have Brigadier General Davit Nair- Mikheil Darchiashvili said he
undergone training over the past ashvili and Colonel Arsen was very satisfied with the
year and a half. The students of Tsukhishvili attended the sol- course, as a future officer, the
the National Academy were emn ceremony. “I would like to knowledge and experience he
trained by their instructors in dedicate this day to all Georgia. received during the course will
light infantry, military-medical, The Georgian Armed Forces has be very useful for his military
aviation and air-defense special- grown with 180 new well- career: “I have passed through an
ties. Within the course, the jun- trained lieutenants. I’d like to extensive program that lasted a
ior officers underwent three stag- congratulate them on joining the year and a half. Today I am very
es of training: basic combat, jun- ranks of officers, and wish them happy to be granted the rank of
ior officer - candidate and jun- a successful military career”, lieutenant and to become a cad-
ior officer - basic. The soldiers Major-General Devi Chanko- re officer. Now I am ready to
also learned military topography, tadze told journalists. The Com- serve as a platoon commander in
marksmanship, tactics, engineer- mander of Training and Military the unit to which I’ll be posted.”
ing, and medical and physical Education explained that the Darchiashvili believes that he
preparation at the squad and pla- military service men had under- and his course-mates will make
toon level. The official gradua- gone serious training. “This a valuable contribution to the
process” of budget cuts “as much tion ceremony was held at Na- group is the group of officers development of the Georgian
as we can, because we cannot tional Defense Academy today, who enrolled in the Academy Army.
leave the country without de- where the officers were granted after the Russia-Georgia War. After the completion of the
fense.” diplomas and the rank of lieuten- They underwent important and course, the military service men
“In previous years we have ant. productive preparation. Now will be assigned to different sub-
been spending much more on The Chief of Joint Staff of they will join the Georgian divisions of the Armed Forces
arms than on training; now there the Georgian Armed Forces, Armed Forces as lieutenants. I according to their specialties.
will be much more training giv-
en and filling arsenal will be a
separate issue,” he said.
“Of course the armed forces
need to be equipped and we will
continue this process, although
we already have more than
enough arms than the minimum
required, so there is no need to
further import arms which we al-
ready possess; we need other
types of weapon,” Saakashvili
said.
“A well-trained army and
well-trained officers are ready to
fight in the condition of any
weapon, but the army fails to fight
if its officers are not well-trained,
no matter what kind of weapons
they possess; that’s our major
principle, our main weapons are
our knowledge, skills and train-
ing,” Saakashvili said.
Saakashvili welcomed the fact
that the Defense Ministry has tak-
en over control of the Tbilisi air- INSIDE
craft factory. “It is important to
have really good management,
management that know how to “If a country Recruitment Completed
develop this sector,” he said.
Defence Minister, Bacho develops a For Professional
Akhalaia, also elaborated on the
Service Personnel
issues discussed at the meeting.
According to him there the pres- capable modern
ident has been pushing for the
creation of an adequately small
but highly professional army and
military, it can Dr. Celeste Wallander
the Defence Ministry is deter-
be more visits the MoD
mined to follow this plan. “Stage
by stage we’ll raise standards in
order to have military servicemen
who will be all well-trained pro-
efficient” The Georgian Military
fessionals, both in terms of indi-
vidual soldiers as well as at the Elite, Modernized Hospital - the best
commanders’ level. This will en-
able us to have a small but more Cadets’ Lyceum opens medical institution in
effective army.
Continued on p.4 in September the country
2 MONTHLY SUPPLEMENT OF GEORGIA TODAY
“If a country develops a capable modern
military, it can be more efficient”
Interview with the State Secretary of the Ministry of Defense of Latvia, Jânis Sârts
This month saw an official visit to Georgia from the Latvian Secretary of State
for Defense, Jânis Sârts. During his visit, he was interviewed by “Defense Today”.
Mr. Sârts talked about bilateral cooperation between Latvia and Georgia and de-
scribed Georgian defense reform, current challenges in defense sector and the
NATO-Georgia relationship. The Secretary of State also talked about the Afghan
mission and the process of Georgia’s de-occupation.
Cooperation between the Defense
Ministries of Latvia and Georgia is
highly productive. What results of this
cooperation can be seen today, and
what plans do Georgia and Latvia
have in the defense field?
Latvia is not large or rich country. Our
primary resource is our people, so we are
trying to shape cooperation around this
factor, a major asset is the knowledge that
we’ve gathered in our efforts to join
NATO and the EU. We’ve seen a tough
time in our relationship with Russia. We
are sharing some of our experience, and
it is important that we can offer Geor-
gian personnel the opportunity of train-
ing at the Baltic Defense College and oth-
er institutions. From our own develop-
ment process, we have learnt that person-
nel is the most important factor in reform,
proper systems being the second most
important, with hardware coming third.
If you have hardware and but not first
two it’s not so useful.
In recent years, very important re-
forms have been implemented in the
sphere of Georgian Defense. How do
you evaluate the reform process?
After the August war in 2008, there
has been a process of lessons learned. It
is very important, I know that the cur-
rent process of reforms, and the devel-
opment of new conceptual bases or re-
newed conceptual bases is based on
these lessons. I think it is important for
everybody to note that we are in the 21st
century, and that how capacity is mea-
sured and combat is approached are now
very different. It’s not about the num-
ber of tanks, it’s about command and
control capability, situation awareness,
and the ability to decide quickly. I’m
satisfied that these are the elements that
are being introduced, but of course, there
is still a way to go, not only for Georgia
but for all of us as we adapt new tech-
nologies to the 21st century reality. We
see that if a country develops a capable
modern military, it can be more efficient
than, and superior to the militaries of the
20th century. It’s very hard to tell how
the transition should be engineered. In
my opinion, participation in Afghanistan
and in other peacekeeping operations is
very helpful for Georgia. Afghanistan is
a NATO operation and your forces will
learn how to do fight within the NATO
framework, and how to cooperate with
other forces. It is a good learning pro-
cess for when you become a NATO
member.
What is the Latvian experience of
Defense and Security policy reform?
What challenges did you encounter
and how were they overcome?
The most challenging and difficult
issue for us in the beginning of the 21st
century is to prepare our military for the
unknown. That is very significant and
important element of reform. You think
one will happen, but another thing may
happen instead. I think this is our big-
gest challenge, and in my opinion, we’ve
managed it pretty well. What is also im-
portant to understand, is it’s not what is
on paper that matters, policy should be
translated into reality. What we’ve done
recently is that we’ve significantly over-
hauled our own systems. We’ve made
cuts at the headquarters of the Army,
Navy and Air Force, thus creating a very
small administrative headquarters for
the whole military, which is a revolu-
tionary approach even in NATO. This
approach produces the best results for a
small country. We’ll see how it works.
One of the challenges during this pro-
cess has been the economic crisis; this
is a problem not only for Latvia but for
the whole of Europe too. We had a huge
budgetary deficit and the government
started to cut spending. One of the first
areas they looked at was defense, and
the challenge was to find money and
make cuts and at the same time main-
taining the efficiency and effectiveness
of the military. Each country is now try-
ing to find its own solution. We found it
through rationalizing our headquarters
and through many other things. How-
ever, I think that is our biggest challenge
at the moment, and secondly of course
the high tempo operation due to our in-
volvement in Afghanistan.
What the new structure of defense
in Latvia. How does this structure re-
sponse to global challenges? How does
it work in practice?
Of course, each structure is tested
when challenges arise. What is the cur-
rent test? We are still doing the same
things as before - budget cuts, restructur-
ing in Afghanistan, in other NATO mis-
sions, we are currently hosting a large-
scale NATO exercises in the Baltic States.
We are doing all of that with a greatly
reduced administrative structure, and far
less money devoted to administrative
costs, which I think is a test in a normal
circumstances, but of course if a bigger
crisis comes we’ll have to see.
As we know, there is a Latvian
embassy, wich is a NATO contact
point office in Georgia. What activi-
ties are being implemented by the em-
bassy, and what mechanisms are your
country using to promote Georgia’s
integration into NATO?
The task of the embassy in Georgia
is to promote NATO’s ideals and its vis-
ibility. They organize a lot of public di-
plomacy events, they work with the in-
ternational NATO staff and of course try
to coordinate the efforts of twenty eight
NATO countries. - not all of them being
very active and present here, though
many of them are and do try to make
joint effort - I think this is very impor-
tant. The real debate at NATO in Brus-
sels, or in the Summits is around how
we further Georgia towards NATO?
How do we precede with getting Geor-
gia closer to NATO? As you know, we
have always highlighted the fact that
Georgia has to become a member of
NATO, and we’ve been very glad that
in the Bucharest Summit this fact was
reiterated by heads of states and gov-
ernments. I can reveal a little bit behind
the curtain, it was one of those cases
where the heads of states were involved
in the debate. Now the Lisbon Summit
is coming and our goal is to see that the
language of Bucharest is not watered-
down and I think that this is something
we will achieve. However, we have to
recognize that Ukraine has changed its
position towards NATO. What will hap-
pen during the summit it is very diffi-
cult to foresee, but as I’m saying I be-
lieve we’ll have language very close to
that of Bucharest. I think that there will
probably be something mentioned about
Ukraine’s change of vision vis-à-vis
their security. I think in the Summit we’ll
see many debates about new strategic
concepts. There will be strong debate
about NATO internal reform, heated
debate around the enlargement process-
es and of course there will be debate
about Russia. These are likely to be the
basic elements of the Lisbon Summit.
How do you evaluate the current
NATO-Georgia relationship?
In my opinion, the relationship is
functional. From the Latvian perspec-
tive, we want to see it even better than it
is right now. However, one has to note
also that there is NATO liaison office,
and there are instruments through the de-
velopment programs that NATO has of-
fered to Georgia. There are more instru-
ments that Georgian disposal. If I look
back at when we were an applicant coun-
try, Georgia has far more instruments
that we did. In that sense, the relation-
ship is good; if it could be better. I would
say yes, but of course NATO always
functions according to consensus.
You are helping us very much with
your resolutions. Your resolutions
have stated that the Baltic States sup-
port the territorial integrity of Geor-
gia. What you can say about this?
There is some distance between our
countries but Georgia’s future and Geor-
gia’s success is very much our future and
our success. We have very strong links
and that’s why we are so interested in
Georgia’s success.
Your way toward Europe, was it
difficult? What recommendations can
you give to Georgia?
That the Baltic States are Europe is
now a given fact, and everybody recog-
nizes that. I’ve been in this business
from the early 90s and our road to NATO
and the EU has been about achieving the
impossible, in 1998 nobody thought that
Baltic countries would be a part of
NATO and the EU. Russia’s influence
was huge and nobody really believed in
our success. However, to compare then
with the current situation, Russia was
weaker then but its voice and discon-
tent with the situation was still the same.
Even in 2001, just a year before the de-
cision, it was very unclear and we didn’t
know what would happen. Now we are
part of NATO and the EU and every-
body takes it for granted. But it was not
simple, it was difficult process. I would
say it should be a sign of encouragement
that it is possible to make impossible
things possible.
Let us speak about Georgia’s mil-
itary contingent, which is participat-
ing in the ISAF mission. On the last
NATO Ministerial meeting, the Sec-
retary-General made a statement and
thanked Georgia and the Georgian
Minister of Defense for our active par-
ticipation in Afghanistan and for our
role in protecting global security. How
does international community assess
Georgia in Afghanistan?
First, we have to note, that Afghani-
stan is NATO’s top priority and there are
many challenges we face. There is a force
surge, the Americans and others are try-
ing to deploy more forces. Afghanistan
is very important topic and there are
strong debates at each ministerial meet-
ing. So I would say that any nation, which
contributes significantly and substantial-
ly, is part of that debate. You probably
won’t see results immediately, that will
come with time. One thing I want to say,
it’s not just about sending soldiers there.
They are fighting and there might be ca-
sualties. We have had our casualties in
Afghanistan, and people have to under-
stand that it’s not just a flag waving exer-
cise. It is a real battle. This is something
that would be very much appreciated.
What can you say about your prac-
tical experience in the peacekeeping
operations?
We’ve been a part of all current
NATO operations, so we’ve had a lot of
experience. Afghanistan is the toughest,
there are safe and difficult areas. Our
soldiers are teaching Afghan soldiers
just on the border with Pakistan to the
east, which is a particularly tough area.
I would say it’s very difficult, but when
soldiers come back they are far more
experienced, they know how to fight and
they know how to react. I can say with
satisfaction that our soldiers have per-
formed very well, which is very impor-
tant. We work together with the U.S.
shoulder to shoulder. It makes differ-
ence, and commanders, who are current-
JULY 2010 ISSUE #37
ly at the level of colonel, in five or ten
years will be generals. They will keep
that in mind, and I think that this is a
solid investment in the future. It is im-
portant to see that the officers and com-
manders, that take part in these opera-
tions, acquire a lot of practical experi-
ence.
States in the Caucasus and the Bal-
tic worry about Russia purchasing
equipment from Mistral. The Prime
Minister of Lithuania has stated that
Mistral is very dangerous for the Bal-
tic States. What is Latvia’s position?
We are part of NATO, we have arti-
cle five guaranties, I would say it’s not
as dramatic as that. First, I want to see
whether the deal happens at all, because
I have noticed a difference in public
statements between France and Russia.
Russia is saying that they want to buy
four ships, all with high-tech equipment.
France has said that they would only sell
the frames. From a military perspective,
there is an impact if it’s fully equipped,
but the important thing about Mistral is
not its platform but its technology. As I
understand, it has not yet been decided
whether or not it will be sold to the Rus-
sians. One thing however, which is of
concern, is the way we at NATO and at
the EU come to decisions surrounding
arms sales from a particular country to
another. I think we look at the situation
from that angle. Militarily, for a nation
that is a NATO member, I don’t think
that it makes a lot of strategic difference.
I have had discussions on this issue with
my Georgian counterpart and I think if
it’s deployed here there would be a sig-
nificant strategic shift in the Black Sea.
Having said that, it would just alter the
speed of potential actions. On a larger
scale, it would make a huge difference.
One thing I want to note, because of the
crisis, defense budgets in Europe are de-
clining. The industries are in a very dif-
ficult situation. We are likely to see more
and more of this happening. We will
have to adjust to this reality.
Georgia’s de-occupation process is
the most challenging issue for global
security. How do you see this process?
The first point is that there is no mili-
tary solution to the situation as it is right
now. I fully agree with Minister Iakobash-
vili who said that a soft power instrument
is the most important tool at Georgia’s dis-
posal. The unfortunate thing is that soft
power instruments are not bringing results
in the short term. We will have to be set
for a longer-term process. The best tool
for the exercise of soft power is a welfare
state that Georgia can design in Georgia
that will have far better chance of pulling
back of the hearts and minds of people in
the occupied territories, which is definite-
ly the thing to concentrate on. You should
produce in a good welfare state in Geor-
gia that promotes social stability, strong
healthcare, good working conditions for
the people, and a fair, representative sys-
tem. I think that is the answer, because I’m
afraid the people on the other side of the
Caucasus Mountains are not currently ex-
periencing that kind of system and that
kind of pull. I should say that there is no
short-term solution. If you work consis-
tently on these elements, it is possible, and
I think we can see the situation of Germa-
ny not too long ago. For a very long time,
everybody was saying that it will contin-
ue for hundreds of years. West Germany
was such a big economic success and I
think this was a large factor in reunifica-
tion. This is a good road to take and good
policy to continue.
Irakli Gurgenidze
JULY 2010 ISSUE #37
Elite, Modernized Cadets’
Lyceum opens in September
The Cadet’s Military Lyceum has fin-
ished receiving applications for this Sep-
tember. This year, a total of 1,574 stu-
dents applied to the Applications Com-
mission. Entrance examinations testing
applicants’ fitness, health and logic were
held between 15-23 July.
“In total, 1,574 students appealed to
the reception commission. The 9th, 10th
and 11th grade applicants take their ex-
ams separately in two streams. The best
students will be selected according to the
results of the exams”, said the chairman
of the Tbilisi sub-commission of the
Applications Commission of the Cadets’
Military Lyceum, Senior Lieutenant
Giorgi Maisashvili.
The parents of applicants shared their
children’s desire to serve Georgia, sup-
porting and respecting their decision to
enroll in the Cadets’ Lyceum. “Today I
took a psychological exam. It was quite
difficult, but I hope I will overcome this
obstacle. I have a great desire to study
at the Cadets Military Lyceum, and to
serve my homeland”, said one of the
applicants, Vova Gogichaishvili after his
examination.
The establishment of a Cadets Corps
is an important part of the ongoing de-
Recruitment Completed For
Professional Service Personnel
The enrolment of Georgian citizens
into the professional service of the Armed
Forces of Georgia has come to an end.
Around 2,440 applicants applied this year
to the National Training Centre “Krtsa-
nisi”, with a total of 1,169 recruits se-
lected on the basis of the results of phys-
ical and medical examinations. Appli-
cants were first asked to run a defined
distance, and do push-up and sit-up ex-
ercises. Successful candidates then
passed through medical examination at
the Gori military hospital.
Citizens eligible for professional mil-
itary service must be between 18 and 35
years old, as well as the persons in com-
pulsory military service and conscripts
who have already reached 18 years of
age. Volunteers may be accepted with
incomplete secondary, secondary or high-
er education. One of the necessary re-
quirements to be enrolled on the Basic
Combat Training Courses (BCT) is to
pass through a selection process that in-
cludes an examination of physical fitness.
The BCT course is due to last for nine
weeks, and will train military personnel
in both theory and practice. Over the
course of nine months, they will attend
theoretical and practical trainings in army
regulations, physical preparedness and
drilling, in addition to fore-support exer-
cises. On completion of the course, sol-
diers will be allocated to their military
units according to their place of residence.
During the study process, each soldier
fense reform program, and critical to the
sphere of military education. The teach-
ing process will be based around the
curriculum of the National Educational
Plan of Ministry of Education and Sci-
ence in addition to a program of mili-
tary education and training. Special at-
tention will be paid to mathematics,
physics and chemistry, as the focus of
the Lyceum is on technical knowledge.
The curriculum will be similar to that
of normal public schools, with additional
military disciplines. Students will learn
gun assembly and disassembly, take part
in drills and do regular physical exer-
cise. By the end of the year cadets will
also have completed a number of prac-
tical field exercises.
Over their three years of study, ca-
dets will be accommodated in barracks
and provided with adequate nutrition,
medical care, equipment and uniforms.
The Lyceum will function as a board-
ing school where students live and train
together five days a week. Study will
take place in Kutaisi Military Lyceum
located on the grounds of a former mil-
itary base. At the Lyceum the youngsters
will get a feel for what the army is and
what it means to be a part of the mili-
will receive a monthly salary of 150 GEL.
Mikheil Kokashvili is from Osiauri,
in the region of Khashuri. He has dreamt
of joining the army since childhood.
When he reached the full legal age he did
not think much, and collected and sub-
mitted all the necessary documentation
for the Basic Combat Training course. “I
successfully passed the physical test.
Now I have to go through medical ex-
amination. If I succeed and happen to be
enrolled, my childhood dream will have
come true”, the recruit said.
The goal of the course is to train re-
cruits into individually well-prepared,
physically and psychologically strong,
well-disciplined servicemen, and to en-
sure that they are well aware of army reg-
ulations. As a recruit from Abasha region,
MONTHLY SUPPLEMENT OF GEORGIA TODAY
3
Supreme Commander-in-Chief
at Defence Ministry
tary, with the cadets receiving ideologi-
cal and physical training. On comple-
tion of their studies, graduates will re-
ceive a certificate of full secondary ed-
ucation, in addition to their military
qualification. Upon graduation from the
lyceum, cadets will have the opportuni-
ty to enter the National Defense Acade-
my and receive further military educa-
tion there for an additional four years.
Those cadets deciding to continue their
studies will be physically and morally
prepared for their future military career.
The academic year will begin in Sep-
tember as in normal public schools. Stu-
dents will be divided into four or five
groups, thus enabling instructors to pro-
Continued from p.1 vice will not be active combat units, but
vide each cadet with adequate individu-
they will be responsible for rear opera-
al attention. The management of the in-
This of course needs intensive reform tions and will be deployed according to
stitution will not only assess how fast
of the education system. We need a high their location. As for Afghanistan, it is
the cadets can run and how far they can
level Military Academy. When we talk one of the most important operations in
throw grenades, but they will also con-
about a four year system, this is not only which we are participating. You know
stantly check their level of education in
about the number of years in training, but that we have a battalion and a company
each discipline. That cadets are able to
it has more to do with the content. In the serving there, but I want to tell you that
excel at national examinations, whilst
autumn the Cadets’ Lyceum will begin we expect to receive valuable experience
completing military training is a matter
training in Kutaisi with the same kind of there as we are taking part in the full spec-
of prestige for the Lyceum. Their level
institution opening in Eastern Georgia. trum of operations along with the U.S.
of physical and mental preparedness will
This is a direction that will allow us to and British contingents.”
be under strict and constant monitoring.
build a more effective armed forces. As At the end of the meeting, the Presi-
The lyceum plans to conduct ex-
for civil defense, we are planning a com- dent awarded four employees of the
change programs with similar institu-
plete reorganization of the reserve sys- Defence Ministry Medals of Honor. The
tions in other countries, this being one
tem. In the near future we’ll offer our awards were granted to Captain Giorgi
of the main reasons the Lyceum will pay
society a new civil defense system mainly Papunidze, Lieutenant Irakli Buishvili,
utmost attention to foreign languages,
oriented around the engagement of civil Corporal Lasha Gogitidze and a special-
especially English.
society in the development of defense ca- ist of the budgetary division Avtandil
The initiative to restore the military
pabilities. The citizens who join this ser- Roinishvili.
institution has come from the President
of Georgia. A Cadets’ Lyceum has ex-
isted in Georgia in the past but it expe-
riences many problems. Generally, the
90s were a very difficult period for Geor-
NEW EUMM AGREEMENT
gia, with the situation being very hard
on the army as well as in the Lyceum.
The institution was not able to provide
INCREASES TRANSPARENCY
high quality education, so at the time
there was no sense to preserve it. Now
it has been reopened, the Cadets Lyce-
um will be an excellent institution for
which will be instrumental in the cre-
ation of a new generation of officers.
Beka Kacharava said, his only desire is
to serve in the Georgian Armed Forces:
to serve his motherland as an ordinary
soldier. He told Defence Today that he
fully realized that he would have to sac-
rifice many things. “I understand that I
will go through tough physical training,
but I am prepared for everything. If I suc-
cessfully pass the entrance examinations,
I’ll leave education and dedicate whole
career to military life”, said Beka Ka-
charava.
Recruitment for the Georgian Armed
Forces, and training within the frame-
work of the Basic Combat Training Pro-
gram started in the autumn of 2008. In An amendment has been made to the ple of non-use of force as enshrined in
2009, the course was attended by 3,700 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) the Six-Point Agreement of 12 August,
recruits with 1,200 attending in the first between the Ministry of Defense of 2008. The MoU defines certain limita-
half of 2010. Georgia and the European Union (EU). tions in the movement of armed forces
On July 2 the amendment was signed along the administrative boundary lines
by Minister of Defense Mr. Bacho with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and
Akhalaia and the Head of the EU Mon- requires that the Georgian Armed Forc-
itoring Mission, Ambassador Hansjorg es give advance notification to the EU
Haber. Mission on its activities.
The amendment sets out a number The Ministry of Defense of Georgia
of technical measures designed to im- and the European Union Monitoring
prove cooperation between the Mission Mission signed the original MoU on 26
and the Ministry. On the basis of the January, 2009. The document is based
amendment, the EU Monitoring Mission on the EU-mediated Six-Point Ceasefire
will carry out monitoring at Georgian Agreement. The document sets out
military bases, further increasing the mechanisms for information exchange
transparency of MoD activities. and regulates interaction between the
The original version of the MoU con- Defense Ministry of Georgia and the
tained a number of unilateral obligations EUMM with a view to further strength-
undertaken by the Ministry to document ening security and building confidence
the adherence of Georgia to the princi- between the two parties.
4 MONTHLY SUPPLEMENT OF GEORGIA TODAY
Dr. Celeste Wallander The Georgian Military Hospital - the
visits the MoD best medical institution in the country
US-Georgia cooperation in the fields
of defense and security was the key topic
for discussion at the Ministry of Defence
on July 14 when Defense Minister, Ba-
cho Akhalaia met with the US Deputy
Assistant Secretary of Defence for Rus-
sia, Ukraine and Eurasia, Dr. Celeste
Wallander. During the meeting, the sides
reviewed the progress of reforms fore-
seen under the US-Georgia Charter on
Strategic Partnership. Discussions also
included Georgia’s contribution to inter-
national peacekeeping missions and the
creation of professional military educa-
tion and training systems. Towards the
end, attendees touched on future bilat-
eral collaboration plans.
The meeting was attended on the
Georgian side by the Chief of Joint Staff
Tournament in Rugby
The Rugby Team of the 2nd Infantry
Brigade of the GAF achieved victory in
the team competition. The tournament
was held on the IV Infantry Brigade
Base (borough of Vaziani) on 14-15 July.
6 teams composed of rugby players from
different subunits of GAF participated
in the competition. In the final part, the
II Infantry and I Artillery Brigade‘ mil-
itary servants opposed each other. The
game was refereed by the international-
level arbitrators from “Rugby Union”.
The winner teams were awarded with
medals and Transitional Cup.
The team competition in rugby in the
Georgian Armed Forces has been held
of the GAF, Major-General Devi
Chankotadze, and Deputy Ministers
Nikoloz Vashakidze and Nodar
Kharshiladze. The US delegation com-
prised of Colonel James Lampton, Dep-
uty Ambassador of the United States to
Georgia, Kent Logsdon, the US Military
attaché to Georgia, John Thurman, rep-
resentative of the Office of Defense
Cooperation (ODC), Major Ron Frank-
lin and Lieutenant-Colonel Paul
Schmitt.
Within the framework of the visit, the
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence
has already held meetings with the Geor-
gian Vice-Premier Giorgi Baramidze,
Security Council Secretary, Eka
Tkeshelashvili and the State Minister for
Reintegration Temur Iakobashvili.
for the second time. According to the
tournament organizer, Deputy Chief of
the Sports and Fitness Complex Service
of Administrative Department Lieuten-
ant Revaz Kiladze, competition in rug-
by will be held every year. “Organizing
of such kind of competitions aims at
promoting the sound and healthy way
of living”, stated Revaz Kiladze. The
sport team of GAF will be staffed by
the best military servants revealed dur-
ing the tournament, which, upon the
Rugby Union’s invitation, will take part
in annual summer rugby tournament
“Rugby of Sand” scheduled to be orga-
nized on 14-15 August in Batumi.
The Georgian Defense Ministry pos-
sesses a modern medical institution of
Euro-American standards. The Military
Hospital is located in Gori, 40 minutes
away from the center of Tbilisi, and was
founded on the basis of Presidential De-
cree No 483, of August 15, 2006. The
building was constructed using the most
advanced technologies and is equipped
with all kinds of modern equipment en-
abling the carrying out of every possible
kind of medical procedure, from exami-
nation through to treatment. It is able to
simultaneously serve 176 patients to the
highest possible standard.
The Military Hospital serves not only
the personnel of the Ministry of Defense
of Georgia, but also retired military per-
sonnel, their family members and ordi-
nary Georgian citizens.
The institution is staffed by qualified
medical personnel who have experience
from Tbilisi’s top clinics. Moreover, the
administration of the Hospital is able to
invite leading Georgian and foreign spe-
cialists by agreement. The staff of the
hospital are chosen according to strict
competition conditions.
Aside from its medical service, the
Military Hospital carries out scientific
and pedagogical activities as well. The
Hospital administration also plans to set
up a professional development program
where students from the Medical Univer-
sity will be able to undertake practical
work, in addition to training and certify-
ing undergraduate specialists.
The Medical Hospital includes a num-
ber of departments which are divided into
wards. The surgery department contains
surgery wards with a traumatology, or-
thopaedics, neurosurgery, ophthalmolo-
gy, surgical infection and anaesthesiolo-
gy sector. It is important to note that the
hospital has the equipment to make op-
erations by laparoscopy, arthroscopy and
using lasers. There is an interim medical
“Tbilaviamsheni”
It has been announced “Tbilaviam-
sheni” Ltd will merge with the Ministry
of Defense of Georgia. Presently, the
MoD is leading work on the establish-
ment of a new Legal Entity of Public
Law, The Military Repair Industrial
Complex. Negotiations on incorporation
were launched following the submission
of a joint action plan to the MoD by the
company itself. “The initiative for the
merger of ‘Tbilaviamsheni’ with the
Ministry came from the company man-
agement. For us the proposal is quite
acceptable as we have been carrying out
activities in cooperation with the Min-
istry for a long time already. These ac-
tivities have mainly focused on the pur-
chase of repair services for technical
equipment. This kind of undertaking will
facilitate a number of procedures”, de-
clared the Head of the State Procurement
Department of the MoD Revaz Char-
badze at a briefing for journalists. Pant-
department, and a critical and emergen-
cy medicine department. The latter is an
emergency department meeting modern
standard which receives and sends pa-
tients to other wards, and carries out ur-
gent diagnostics and treatments. The
ward includes an urgent assistance lob-
by called “day stationary” and an “ob-
servation” ward, where patients can be
held for examination for 24 hours. The
ambulatory and policlinic department
brings together radiology and internal
examination – roentgenology, tomogra-
phy, endoscope and doctors of almost all
profiles.
The structure of the Hospital includes
a pathology and anatomy group, a labo-
ratory, blood bank and a pharmacy as
well. The blood bank equipment gives the
ability to preserve 8-10 thousand liters
of blood a year. Red blood cells can be
prepared without leuko platelet serum
and can be served for 40 days. Soon the
Hospital will gain the potential to pre-
pare red blood cells without a time limit.
From among the many priorities of the
hospital, one of the most important things
is patient care. To support patient care,
iko Tordia, General Director of “Tbila-
viamsheni” also touched on the advan-
tages of the initiative in a brief statement
also made at the briefing: “Our key con-
tractor is the MoD, and given this fact,
we came to a decision that the joint op-
eration of our two entities will be bene-
ficial for both sides. Furthermore, we
JULY 2010 ISSUE #37
medical staff are supported by assistant
nurses. It is noteworthy that 18 assistant
nurses from the hospital underwent spe-
cial training through the PINIS program
at the Emergency Medical Centre at Tbili-
si State Medical University where they
also have access to regular tuition mod-
ules. The Hospital administration sends
its personnel on scientific missions con-
ferences and seminars at leading clinics
within Georgia and abroad. In addition
to this medical literature and other tech-
nical support available to build the ca-
pacity of staff and enable them to master
advanced technologies. The hospital’s
special services research medical infor-
mation and produce methodological doc-
uments such as inter protocols and guide-
lines. The Hospital designs illness man-
agement protocols, which are shared at
personnel meetings. Interesting medical
cases are clinically discussed once a
month.
The Hospital budget stipulates sum for
purchasing periodic medical literature
and invited specialists who give lectures
and trainings to the medical personnel of
the Military Hospital. The Hospital also
holds so called “round table” on actual
medical subjects.
During its existence the Hospital has
resolved many problems successfully
including the crisis situations such as
Russian-Georgian war in August 2008.
Medical and governmental institutions
gave the Hospital personnel high estima-
tions for high quality of medical assis-
tance to wounded soldiers and civilians.
Most of medical personnel of the Hospi-
tal were rewarded by medals and prizes.
For high quality equipment and quali-
fied personnel, right spending of budget
gives the Military Hospital possibility to
become the best medical institution not only
in the region but also in entire Georgia and
within Caucasus in the nearest future.
Tea Kerdzevadze
have presented our proposal to the MoD
and received their consent to engage in
the working of a Military-Industrial
Complex”.
The MoD has officially denied infor-
mation published by several news agen-
cies regarding potential upcoming chang-
es in personnel inside the Ministry.