MINISTRY OF DEFENCE OF GEORGIA PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT SEPTEMBER 2010 ISSUE #39

NATO Secretary General Georgian Soldiers

Visited the Ministry of Defense
NATO Secretary General,
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, visited
the Ministry of Defense during
his official visit to Georgia. He
thanked the Georgian leadership
for Georgia’s contribution to the
NATO-led mission in Afghani-
stan, and expressed his condo-
lences for the casualties Georgia
has recently suffered. “Today is
a sad day for all of us, several of
your comrades have yesterday
been killed in combat in Afghan-
istan. I express my deepest sym-
pathies to the people of Georgia
and my deepest condolences to
the families who have lost their
loved ones. Georgian Troops are
serving in Helmand Province, one
of the most difficult areas in our
mission in Afghanistan. Georgian
Soldiers are serving side by side
with NATO allies in order to pro-
tect our common security. They
are helping the Afghans to take
control of their own security. Let
me say that I highly appreciate
your dedication to our common
security, which is a testimony to
the strong partnership between
Georgia and NATO. For this I am
very grateful”.
After delivering the speech,
a close-door meeting was held
with Defense Minister, Bacho
Akhalaia, Joint Chief of Staff of
the GAF, Major-General Devi
Chankotadze and their deputies.
Within the framework of his
official visit in Georgia, the top
NATO official met with the Min-
ister of Foreign Affairs, Grigol
Vashadze; the Chairman of Par-
liament, Davit Bakradze and
Prime Minister, Nika Gilauri.
Later on, Mr. Rasmussen, to-
gether with Giorgi Baramidze,
Georgian State Minister for Eu-
ropean and Euro-Atlantic Inte-
gration, opened the new NATO
Liaison Office in Tbilisi. In the
presidential palace, a personal
meeting with Mikheil Saakash-
vili and a joint press-conference
took place.
Secretary General Rasmus-
sen confirmed NATO’s solid
commitment to Georgia’s sover-
eignty and territorial integrity,
saying that the Alliance stands
firmly behind the decisions tak-
en at the Bucharest Summit. The
Secretary General looked for-
ward to continued NATO sup-
port for Georgia’s reforms.
Rasmussen said he expects
the upcoming summit of NATO
leaders in Lisbon to reiterate the
decision made at the 2008 Bu-
charest summit that Georgia will
one day – after fulfilling all nec-
essary criteria - become a mem-
ber of the alliance. While reiter-
ating NATO’s support to a non-
recognition policy for Abkhazia
and South Ossetia, and calling on
Russia to implement its commit-
ments under the August 12, 2008
six-point cease-fire agreement,
Rasmussen also said that it was
his “clear intention” to improve
ties between Moscow and
NATO, “leading, hopefully, to
true strategic partnership”.
“I do believe that’s in our mu-
tual interests and it is also in the
interests of Georgia,” Rasmussen
explained while speaking at a
joint press conference with Pres-
ident Saakashvili just before his
departure from Tbilisi. “If we suc-
ceed in developing true strategic
partnership between NATO and
Russia, then it will also improve
Georgia’s security situation.”
Saakashvili, who described
the Secretary General’s visit as
“extremely important”, said “of
course NATO membership re-
mains a priority for the Georgian
government.”
“There is one thing Georgia
can never compromise on –
that’s the issue of freedom, and
for us right now, NATO stands
for the idea of freedom and that’s
why it has such strong support
from the Georgian nation and
throughout the Georgian politi-
cal spectrum,” Saakashvili said.
He said that Georgia would
remain committed member of
NATO-led coalition forces in Af-
ghanistan. “You should count on
our support and we count on
your further political support to
our territorial integrity, our inde-
pendence and to the future de-
velopment of my country,”
Saakashvili told the NATO Sec-
retary General.
Killed in Afghanistan
The Ministry of Defense of
Georgia extends condolences for
the death of Georgian soldiers in
Afghanistan. Four Georgian sol-
diers were killed by an explod-
ing mine on October 1. Col. Ra-
maz Gogiashvili, Sergeant Dav-
it Tsetskhladze, Corporal Giorgi
Kolkhitashvili and Corporal
Nugzar Kalandadze died while
executing their duties assigned
under the international peace-
keeping mission. Georgia suf-
fered its first casualty in early
September. The latest deaths
bring the number of Georgian
soldiers killed in Afghanistan
since joining the NATO-led op-
eration to five.
Company commander of the
31st battalion, Mukhran Shuk-
vani, was killed on duty on Sep-
tember 5. Lt. Shukvani was born
in 1982, he had served in the
GAF from 2006 and also partic-
ipated in the U.S. Iraqi mission.
During his time at the GAF he
was granted the Distinguished
Service Medal – third rank, the
Distinguished Service Medal for
the Combat Wounded, and the
medal “Devoted to Homeland”.
The MoD and GAF leader-
ship, together with representa-
tives from the MoD, the US
Embassy in Georgia and the rel-
atives of the deceased soldiers
attended the funeral ceremony
for the Georgian peacekeepers.
Under Decree N955 of the
President of Georgia, military
servicepeople killed while per-
forming in the peacekeeping
mission in Afghanistan are post-
humously awarded the First
Rank Order of Vakhtang Gor-
gasali. Furthermore, on the ba-
sis of Decree N956, the Minis-
try of Defense will donate apart-
ments to the families of the de-
ceased in a newly-constructed
block of flats where the families
of soldiers killed in the 2008
August war are also living. The
war affected families will also
receive a full support package
under Georgian law.
Armed Forces
in a Democratic
Environment
Cadets Military
Lyceum Opened
in Kutaisi
NATO Secretary General,
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, also
expressed his condolences over
the deaths of Georgian soldiers
during his visit to Tbilisi. “To-
day is a sad day for all of us; sev-
eral of your comrades have yes-
terday been killed in combat in
Afghanistan,” Rasmussen said
early on October 1 in a brief
speech made in the Georgian
Ministry of Defense. “I highly
appreciate your dedication to our
common security, which is a tes-
timony of the strong partnership
between Georgia and NATO. For
this I am very grateful.”
Speaking at a joint news con-
ference with the NATO Secre-
tary General on October 1, Pres-
ident Saakashvili said that the
sacrifice of Georgian soldiers in
Afghanistan amounted “to sac-
rifice for global international in-
terests.”
He also said that Georgian
soldiers in Afghanistan “are first
and foremost fighting for Geor-
gia’s national interests.
“When I was sending soldiers
to Afghanistan I talked to them
– of course, they fully acknowl-
edge the risk; they feel proud and
INSIDE
Seminar on
Stability Operations
in Afghanistan
German journalist
visit Gori
William T. Nesbitt
visits MoD
dignified, because they are fight-
ing under the five-crossed flag
and first of all, for the national
interests of Georgia,” he said.
“Their sacrifice will not be in
vain. We are making progress in
Afghanistan and I can assure that
we will stay as long as it takes to
finish our task of preventing Af-
ghanistan from once again be-
coming a safe haven for terror-
ists,” Rasmussen said at the joint
news conference. “I can assure
you that NATO also stands firm
in our commitment to Georgia,”
he added.
Georgia sent its 31st infantry
battalion to Afghanistan in April,
2010 to serve alongside U.S. ma-
rines in the province of Hel-
mand. With this deployment,
Georgia increased its military
presence in Afghanistan to 925
soldiers. Georgia first deployed
a company-sized unit in Afghan-
istan under the French command
in November, 2009.
The Ministry of Defense of
Georgia once again expresses its
deepest sympathy over the death
of Georgian peacekeepers and
extends condolences to their
family members.
2 MONTHLY SUPPLEMENT OF GEORGIA TODAY SEPTEMBER 2010 ISSUE #39

Armed Forces in a Democratic Environment

Interview with Colonel Karl Trautvetter, head of division 5 of the “Leadership
Development and Civic Education Center” of the German Bundeswehr
Within the framework of bilateral cooperation between Georgia and Germany, ern state system is made up of society, future effectively. I would like to go back they noticed a need for armed forces in
representatives of the German Bundeswehr conducted a number of seminars in politicians and the armed forces, and it to German history and tell you some- order to defend the sovereignty of West-
the Ministry of Defense of Georgia. The trainings were led by the head of division needs to be balanced. In order to keep thing about the Prussian reformer and ern European states. The catalyst for this
5 of the “Leadership Development and Civic Education Center” of the German this balance, you have to have to main- General, Gerhard Von Scharnhorst. In decision was the crisis in Korea. Com-
Bundeswehr, Colonel Karl Trautvetter and his colleague Commander Ingo Wolf. tain the support of all the above-men- 1807, Napoleon’s army defeated Prus- munists from the north attacked the dem-
Over the course of two days, civil servants and representatives of the Georgian tioned parties. We need to work togeth- sia. After the war, General evaluated ocratic south. There was a necessity to
Military received general information on how armed forces should operate in a er, it is a democracy. That is the only what his country did wrong. He told us change and our Parliament began think-
democratic environment. Furthermore, the German side and the Georgian partic- way forward that I can see for the Ger- that an officer who is educated through- ing about whether Germany needed re-
ipants in the seminar discussed issues related to the German Armed Forces and its man Armed Forces. You have to find out his whole life will be more able to armament or not. It was a very difficult
leadership. Colonel Trautvetter directed participants’ attention to the balance, which your own way for your armed forces. In make good decisions even in situations process, which lasted five years.
should be kept between the State and the military. “Defense Today” conducted an order to protect democracy you have to that are very strange for him. I want to How flexible is German legislation
interview with Colonel Trautvetter, in which he spoke about the professional de- establish democracy in all of your sys- say that the education is the key factor regarding Bundeswehr missions
velopment of the Georgian Armed Forces, democracy in a non-democratic envi- tems. for success. As I stressed before, we need abroad? Can you describe the prereq-
ronment, and the integration of the armed forces into society. As you mentioned, the protection to better understand how we orientate uisites and legal procedures before
of this balance between citizens, state our decision-making and to improve our troop deployment?
and armed forces is an essential at- competence. This hard work can only We always need a Parliamentary de-
tribute for the development of demo- be done by life-long education. cision to send troop to missions abroad.
cratic society. What should Georgia In a democratic society, control If our government decides that we need
do to protect this balance? over the armed forces is the responsi- to send troops into a particular country
I will share the German experience bility of a civilian authority. Can you to stabilize the system or to do what-so-
with you. We did not invent some spe- describe the constitutional status of ever to help people, they will ask the
cial method to protect this balance. We the armed forces in Germany? What Parliament and show them what we are
have done it because we evaluated our can you recommend to Georgia in this going to do, and explain why we need
history. We also evaluated our circum- regard? forces there. Our Parliament makes the
stances, and that was a very hard pro- First, I will start with the Bundeswe- decision to send or not to send troops
cess, which never stops. It has to be done hr. We are part of our executive branch abroad. The process can be done very
firmly and honestly. In my opinion, you of government, nothing more. We have quickly but not too fast. Our Parliamen-
have to implement this process in your many control mechanisms in the system. tary process takes from 14 days to 4
country. You really have to ask: What We have a Defense committee, which weeks. You need to prepare everything,
kind of society do we want to have? handles all major issues for our armed you need to prepare papers, you need to
What level of democracy have we forces starting from budgeting, organi- approach different parties to talk to them
reached? What are the lessons learned zation, strength, and new equipment. A and introduce your ideas. Then there will
from the past? What did we do wrong? very important person is the Commis- be big discussion inside Parliament and
What did we do right? Where do we sioner, which is the executive arm of our voting.
need to improve things and concentrate Parliament with control of our armed What rights and responsibilities do
our efforts? You have to start this pro- forces. He can make unannounced vis- the Defense Committee of the German
cess. its in any part of our armed forces and parliament have?
The “human factor” has a vital he can ask any question and look at ev- The defense committee is made up
role in the development of any field ery paper. That is a control mechanism of 39 people. It has budgetary authority
and armed forces are not an excep- we have but also we can use his posi- of course. They discuss what the
tion. How important is it to have edu- tion to relay our issues to the Parliament. Bundeswehr will look like in the future.
cated military personnel and how can What can Georgia do? I think it will be They will decide, “Ok, we are cutting
knowledge help soldiers to think in- good if you review our system. If you down numbers, we are cutting down
dependently and make their own de- like, it maybe that one day you might money or increasing financing to im-
cisions when necessary? establish the same structure in your prove some other things”. It is their de-
This is a permanent process. It is not country. cision because they represent our Par-
something you can start tomorrow and During the seminar, you men- liament. The working period for the
finish maybe in one year. You educate tioned that in 1945 German took a Defense Committee is 365 days in a
your people from the beginning during pacifist constitution. What does this year. It is always reactive. If some chal-
Bilateral cooperation between the man approach and what can you rec- a process. Training and education is a mean? lenges arise they will sit together with
Ministry of Defense of Georgia and ommend for Georgia in this respect? life-long course of action. That is what It was military-neutral constitution. military and political leaders and begin
the Bundeswehr is very valuable for Several years ago, we implemented we established in Germany and I can say During the Potsdam Conference in 1945, to find solution to problem. Besides, the
the Georgian Armed Forces. Your vis- the idea of what we now call “citizens that it works. “Leadership philosophy” the victorious nations actually decided Parliamentary Commissioner is in
it to Georgia and this seminar dem- in uniform”. This means that every sol- actually teaches us to use every man’s the future of West Germany and one of charge of guarding our basic rights in-
onstrates that our cooperation is on- dier has the same rights as every civil- creativity to solve problems. As a supe- these decisions was demilitarization. side the army. He can also check on any
going. Can you tell us whose initia- ian. We as a military do not have privi- rior, I use the creativity of my people to Germany was supposed to never have matter inside the armed forces.
tive it was to invite you to conduct this leges. We are not a state within a state. solve dilemmas. In my opinion, it is the any armed forces for the rest of its fu-
training? We are part of society, and part of ongo- only way to face the challenges of the ture. In 1950, the situation changed and Irakli Gurgenidze
I think the initiative started from both ing political, educational and social pro-
sides. In 2007, during the bilateral talks cesses. Actually, it is key to implement
between our governments, they decid- democracy in the armed forces. As I
ed to set up something like a seminar. It mentioned, we have the same rights as
was just one item from the bilateral talks civilians and of course, this means that
and we suggested it. Now we have to we have no privileges.
prove is it valuable for you, do we need You talked about a “state within a
to continue? It is your decision if you state”. Does this have a negative im-
want to continue or not. pact on democratic development?
The education and professional de- We have had hard times in our histo-
velopment of the Georgian Armed ry. If you look back in German history
Forces are key priorities for the Min- between 1918 and 1933, we had our so-
istry of Defense of Georgia. Such sem- called Weimar Republic. The empire
inars are very important for our de- designed our armed forces. It was a state
velopment. What experiences are you within a state with many privileges and
going to share with the participants during Third Reich in 1933-1945; mem-
in the training? bers of the Wehrmacht had privileges.
As military personnel, you need to It was privilege to serve. You had more
have knowledge. You need knowledge money and your family had better con-
for orientation because you have to nections for things like getting food.
make decisions. During seminars like That is something you need to avoid.
this, we are discussing and putting forth Democracy means that everybody has
our arguments. We are increasing our equal rights and duties without any ex-
knowledge of orientation, and improv- ception, even for the military.
ing our competence in this area. That is The military is a very significant
a most important point for both sides and part of society. Is it important to inte-
that’s what we are looking for. grate the armed forces into the state
Generally, military institutions are and society? What is German experi-
hierarchical structures. What can you ence?
say about democracy in a non-demo- It is a very sensible and sensitive pro-
cratic environment, particularly in cess, which is ongoing even in Germa-
the armed forces? What was the Ger- ny. It is a very fragile system. The mod-
SEPTEMBER 2010 ISSUE #39
Cadets Military Lyceum Opened in Kutaisi
On September 13, the President of
Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, opened
the new Cadets Military Lyceum in
Kutaisi. The opening ceremony began
with the raising of flags at the site and a
performance of the national anthem by
Paata Burtchuladze and a group of
youngsters.
The President, in his introductory
speech, spoke about the importance of
the rejuvenation of the Cadets Corps:
“After several years of rest, we have re-
stored our Cadets’ Corps with a new
scale, higher quality, greater motivation
and totally new people.”
Around six to seven people fought
for one place with 300 youngsters en-
listed in total. The competition at this
school was greater than in many Geor-
gian Universities. Highlighting the
bravery of the army and its ability to
overcome the most dangerous of
threats, the President praised the patri-
otism of Georgian youth telling the
audience, “the fact that the number of
young people are involved in learning
as cadets has increased in Georgia tells
us that they have retained the patriotic
mood. We have created this new Na-
tional Institute for our Armed Forces
as an expression of loyalty to our unit-
ed homeland. We have a wonderful
opportunity to fight for Georgia now,”
He continued by saying: “It means that
Georgia’s fighting spirit is still alive
and is getting stronger. It means that
Georgia has not surrendered to its fate;
Georgia has hope in its future and in
faith in victory. This is state institutions
is one of the most important of similar
projects that we have developed in the
national interest over recent years. We
developed this institution in the face of
outside forces attempting to destroy
Georgia by regional fragmentation and
internal disorder... We were able to de-
velop several joint national institutions
together with the Georgian Police it is
the Georgian Armed Forces. It is a
shared national institution as we are
here whatever our ethnicity, whatever
our mindset, whatever our social ori-
gins, it doesn’t matter here whether we
are from rich or from poor families,
what languages we spoke in our child-
hood, what our religion is - all these
are secondary issues today. All of us
are united under our five-crossed-flag
and we are serving and strengthening
Georgia together. This is a shared na-
tional institute and nothing else. Noth-
ing at all - loyalty to your family, polit-
ical party, region, city, district, ethnic
group - stands higher than loyalty to
our united and shared motherland, our
Seminar on Stability Operations in Afghanistan
Georgia, our five-crossed-flag and our
Constitution,” Saakashvili said.
The Georgian President underlined
the importance of Georgia’s involve-
ment in the Afghan peacekeeping oper-
ation. He explained that the county’s
participation in the NATO-led operation
is beneficial for the Georgian army in
terms of enabling soldiers to gain vital
combat experience and in familiarizing
with modern military techniques.
Saakashvili said that Georgian engage-
ment in the international security efforts
contributes to national security goals as
well as those of the international com-
munity - “in such a critical situation as
we are currently experiencing in Geor-
gia, with our occupied territories, some-
body might say that it is not time to leave
and fight outside the borders of the coun-
try. But due to many problems, we need
greater combat experience... The present
situation in Georgia is not like the one
in Norway, Denmark or Australia. Look
at our position and the circumstances in
which we are, the challenges and threats
we are facing and then decide if we have
the right to give up on the armed forces
or on the military school like this? This
is an opportunity to integrate our troops
with the best armies of the world, to get
familiar with the most advanced mili-
tary equipment, and on top of all that to
adopt a lot of useful techniques for the
strengthening and further development
of our armed forces”. The President
pointed out that the death of first lieu-
tenant Mukhran Shukvani in Afghani-
stan is extremely painful for him per-
sonally, and that Georgia is grateful to
those soldiers, who participate in the
peacekeeping mission fully aware of its
importance. “I would like to say for sure
that Georgia will be strong when its
fighting spirit is maintained, and that we
will be defeated in case of its disappear-
ing. That is why we are determined to
continue to fight in order to achieve fi-
nal victory”, -declared Saakashvili.
Recalling past heroes who have
served in other countries, Saakashvili
spoke of the importance of the Georgian
warriors and their deeds abroad. “We
had wonderful officers in the Soviet era,
we have something in our blood…but
all those officers were not able to serve
their homeland…while we have a
unique chance to be in Georgia, to fight
A seminar was held in the Ministry
of Defense of Georgia focusing on sta-
bility operations in Afghanistan.
During the one-day seminar, repre-
sentatives of the US Marine Corps
Training and Advisory Group and the
US mission to NATO explained the im-
portance of the ISAF mission to mem-
bers of the Joint Staff of the Georgian
Armed Forces. Participants in the semi-
nar received detailed information about
the current political situation in Afghan-
istan; how international forces are pre-
paring counterinsurgency operations;
how provincial governors tie into the
central government; and of course ex-
amined the future threats and challeng-
es for the mission.
Speakers stated that the ISAF con-
ducts security and stability operations
across Afghanistan. Increasingly large
proportions of these operations are con-
ducted in partnership with the Afghan
National Security Forces.
The deputy political advisor for the
MONTHLY SUPPLEMENT OF GEORGIA TODAY
in Georgia, to die in Georgia and to win
for Georgia. Few Georgians had such an
honor in our historic past,” Saakashvili
told the audience. Claiming that not only
one city should define the country’s life,
the President spoke of how much the
Government of Georgia has been doing
for different towns across the country.
He compared the Georgian Armed
Forced with Saint George,
“There are still cases when people are
judged by their gestures or accent. It’s
not an accident that this cadet center has
been built next to the Houses of Parlia-
ment. Traditionally, everything used to
be focused in Tbilisi during the Com-
munist Era which ended with discrimi-
nation against people living outside the
capital. No longer will one street define
the fate of our country. Georgia has to
defeat its enemies with its intellect. Lots
of Physicians and Mathematicians used
to know English in the past when Rus-
sian was the main language of commu-
nication, while today no diploma should
be given to a person who can’t speak
English,” he added.
Towards the end, the Georgian Pres-
ident awarded Paata Burchuladze the
US mission to NATO, Mr. Ethan L.
Glick, reviewed the recent Afghan par-
liamentary elections and claimed the
result was quite successful. “We can say
that the insurgents lost this part of the
battle because they couldn’t achieve
their main goal of putting out the pro-
cess”. Mr. Glick said the role of the ISAF
in conducting effective elections was
most significant. However, he added that
generally, the local Afghan people did
everything and the international forces
mainly monitored the situation.
The American lecturer underlined the
fact that the main objective of the mis-
sion is to assist the Afghan authorities
in providing security and stability, thus
creating the conditions for reconstruc-
tion and development.
In his comments, Mr. Glick also
talked about the importance of Georgia’s
participation in the ISAF and stated that
the country makes a very significant
contribution. “Georgian forces consti-
tute the second largest non-NATO ISAF
3
Order of Excellence.
The Supreme Commander-in-Chief
took a tour of the infrastructure of the
Cadets Lyceum and had dinner with stu-
dents.
The opening ceremony was also at-
tended by the Georgian Defense Minis-
ter, Bacho Akhalaia, the Joint Chief of
Staff Major-General Devi Chankotadze,
and representatives of the civil offices
of MoD and Joint Staff accompanied by
their children.
At the beginning of the new academ-
ic year, up to 300 cadets will begin their
studies at the Military Lyceum. The
learning process will be run in accor-
dance with the National Training Plan
with an additional Military Curriculum
developed by the Georgian Ministry of
Education and Science. The program
involves intensive physical preparation
and training in a number of subjects like
history, military topics, topography and
informatics along with other themes
from the general education curriculum.
During their 3 years at the Lyceum, ca-
dets will be provided with nutrition,
housing (in barracks), medical servic-
es, and all the necessary equipment they
will need for their studies. After leaving
the school, they will receive two certif-
icates - one for secondary education -
and will be completely free in their se-
lection of higher education institutions.
If cadets chose to carry on with a mili-
tary career, they will be allowed to ap-
ply to the National Defense Academy
(after passing examinations). Lyceum
graduates will not enjoy any kind of
privileges during entrance examinations.
However, as the Ministry of Defense has
explained, graduating from the Cadets
Military Lyceum and through it gaining
useful military knowledge is already a
benefit.
Entrance examinations were held
between 15 and 23 July. Male students
from public education establishments,
having finished the 9th and 10th grades
during 2009-2010 were able to apply to
the Lyceum. Sixteen hundred candidates
put in applications for the Lyceum, with
a total of 300 selected on the basis of
physical, psychological and logical
skills testing.
The Lyceum’s infrastructure incorpo-
rates three basic units: studying, living
and administrative buildings, as well as
a canteen, sports hall, club, and football
and basketball courts. A church can also
be found on the site of the Lyceum.
Cadets Military Lyceum will receive
students every year. In the future, an-
other such military school is also
planned for Tbilisi.
force contributor in Afghanistan right
now, after Australia. This is per capita
the most significant commitment any
ISAF contributor is making,” the Dep-
uty Advisor explained.
NATO’s main role in Afghanistan is
to assist the government of the Islamic
Republic of Afghanistan in exercising
and extending its authority and influence
across the country, paving the way for
reconstruction and effective governance.
NATO does this predominantly through
its United Nations-mandated Interna-
tional Security Assistance Force (ISAF).
Since NATO took command of the
ISAF in 2003, the Alliance has gradual-
ly expanded the reach of its mission -
originally limited to Kabul - to cover all
of Afghanistan’s territory. Accordingly,
the number of ISAF troops has grown
from the initial 5,000 to around 120,000
troops from 47 countries, including all
28 NATO member nations.
Irakli Gurgenidze
4 MONTHLY SUPPLEMENT OF GEORGIA TODAY SEPTEMBER 2010 ISSUE #39

German journalist visit Gori
On September 17, representatives of koloz Janjgava and representatives of
the German media paid a visit to the the Public Affairs Department of the
National Defense Academy. The mem- MoD. Mr. Nodar Kharshiladze dis-
bers of the delegation were greeted in cussed ongoing reforms with the dele-
the city of Gori by the Deputy Defense gation, which was composed of journal-
Minister, Nodar Kharshiladze; the Head ists, newspaper editors and correspon-
of Training and Military Education of dents from German state media and
the Joint Staff of the GAF, Colonel Ni- broadcast outlets, in addition to repre-
sentatives of political parties, press ser- Georgia the aftermath of the Rose Rev- to the occupied regions of Tskhinvali
vices and NGOs. The Head of Training olution. During the 10-day visit, the del- and Abkhazia. The delegation remained
and Military Education spoke about the egation held meetings with Georgian in Georgia till September 25. This is the
reforms being implemented in the field politicians and representatives from the latest in a series of visits made to Geor-
of education. The foreign visitors were spheres of culture and the economy. gia by German journalist, organized by
particularly interested in the August They made a close study of the coun- Political Education Agency of German
2008 war, its outcomes and the ongoing try’s relationship with the EU, the US Federal Republic Government. This first
rehabilitation process as well as inquir- and Russia, including problems related such visit was made in June of 2007.
ing into the GAF’s future plans. Follow-
ing the meeting, the delegation took a
tour of the Simulation Center at the Na-
tional Defense Academy base.
According to the Project Manager,
Eberhard Sucker, the meeting was in-
teresting and successful, particularly as
the goal of the visit was to become more
familiar with Georgia and to obtain a
range of information about the country.
“We were given the opportunity to find
out the official position of the Ministry
of Defense and to put questions to the
Deputy Minister. Our impression is that
Georgian officials are quite profession-
al, and willing to share their own views
in a proficient way”, stated Sucker.
The delegation arrived in Georgia on
September 15. The official purpose of
their visit was to cover developments in

William T. Nesbitt visits MoD Representative of Swedish Armed Forces

The prospects of developing new
joint US-Georgia education programs
was the main topic of discussion at a
meeting held at the Ministry of Defense
on September 28. The Adjutant General
of the Georgia National Guard (US),
Major-General William T. Nesbitt, pay-
ing a visit to the MoD, met with the Joint
Chief of Staff of the GAF, Major-Gen-
eral Devi Chankotadze; Deputy Com-
mander of Land Forces, Major Iveri
Subeliani; Head of the J-3 Operations
Department, Col. Nodar Kvilitaia and
representatives of the civil office of the
Ministry and Joint Staff.
The purpose of the visit was to
strengthen the relationship between
Georgian Armed Forces and the Geor-
gia National Guard through the State
Partnership Program. The Georgia Na-
tional Guard participated in several
events with the Georgian Armed Forces
in 2010. The participation included eight
events involving over 40 soldiers. The
Georgian Army National Guard is
poised to be even more engaged in 2011.
“The progress and reforms ongoing
in Georgia are very impressive. Geor-
gia is an important partner for the Unit-
ed States and that is why we are send-
ing our best officers here”, said the Ma-
jor-General. At the meeting, William
Nesbit expressed his appreciation for
Georgia’s active contribution to the Af-
ghan peacekeeping mission and point-
ed out how Georgian soldiers are faith-
fully fulfilling their duties.
Following the meeting, the US Ma-
jor-General visited the Simulation Cen-
ter based in Krtsanisi National Training
Center. He also visited Trainings and
Military Education Command in the city
of Gori. William Nesbitt left Georgia on
September 30.
Shares Experience with Georgian Colleagues
Training in Military Doctrine De- and held a meeting with the Rector of their own experiences in peacekeep-
velopment for representatives of the the National Defense Academy, Col. ing operations. The Georgian side also
Defense Ministry and Joint Staff offi- Roin Phailodze. talked about Georgia’s participation in
cially began on September 13. The Over the same period, another del- peacekeeping support operations and
training is being held in the framework egation from Sweden visited the Geor- the planning of these operations.
of the Swedish/Georgian NATO-Geor- gian Defense Ministry. Members of the Swedish delegation Lt
gia Professional Development Pro- The purpose of the visit was to be- Cl. Bo Stennabb, Major Mikael Hug-
gram (PDP). The event was hosted by come familiar with Georgia’s partici- sen and Major Frank Snarf also
at the PDP training center. Lectures in pation in peacekeeping operations and touched upon issues related to Swed-
doctrine development were delivered to conduct consultations within the ish participation in peacekeeping sup-
by a Swedish Armed Forces Special- framework of bilateral cooperation be- port operations. Furthermore, they in-
ist in Doctrine Development, Lt Cl. tween the two countries. Members of formed the Georgian side about the
Jonas Lind. Representatives from the the delegation met with representa- working process of the National Com-
Training and Military Education Com- tives of the Land Forces Command, J- mand and Control of the Swedish
mand, the J-7 Military Education and 3 Operational Planning Department, J- Armed Forces. On September 15,
the Combat Preparation Department, 7 Combat Preparing Department of the members of the delegation visited Si-
in addition to personnel from the J-5 Joint Staff, and Education Command. moneti firing range. The Swedish del-
Strategic Planning Department, the During the meeting, all sides shared egation left Georgia on September 17.
National Guard, and the Defense Pol-
icy and Planning Department attend-
ed the seminar and became familiar
with the doctrine development pro-
cess. After sharing the Swedish expe-
rience with Georgian colleagues, Lt
Cl. Jonas Lind presented the Swedish
“New Doctrine”. After the presenta-
tion, consultations were held with the
Heads of the Georgian Defense Poli-
cy and Planning Department, the J-5
Strategic Planning Department and the
J-7 Military Education and Combat
Preparation Department. The last day
of the seminar was dedicated to a dis-
cussion of Georgian Defense Doctrine.
Upon the completion of the training,
the Swedish Armed Forces Specialist
in Doctrine Development visited the
National Defense Academy in Gori

NATO Experts Visit MoD

The NATO Experts Group paid an
official visit to Georgia. The purpose of
the visit was to evaluate the fulfillment
of obligations undertaken by Georgia
under PARP and ANP. The first meet-
ing was held at the Ministry of Defense.
The NATO delegation met with the Dep-
uty Defense Minister, Nodar
Kharshiladze, and top brass of the MoD
and Joint Staff. Within the four day vis-
it the NATO Group of Experts held
meetings with representatives of the
Ministries of Finance and Internal Af-
fairs, and the National Security Coun-
cil. Meetings were also scheduled with
military attaches of the Alliance and rep-
resentatives of member states‘ embas-
sies. Chief of the Group, Frank Boland,
who is at the same time the Head of
Force Planning Directorate at NATO
HQ also held meetings with high-rank-
ing Georgian officials. Within the frame-
work of the NATO basic training course
he delivered a lecture on NATO-related
issues to different governmental repre-
German Frigate Captain
sentatives. In the visit agenda delega-
tion members also plan to visit the Na- meets with Georgian
tional Defense Academy. The Experts
Group left Georgia on the September 10.
Defense Ministry
Bilateral cooperation issues were dis-
cussed by representatives from the De-
fense Ministries of Georgia and the Fed-
eral Republic of Germany. In the frame-
work of the countries’ bilateral cooper-
ation, a representative of the German
Federal Ministry of Defense, Frigate
Captain Martin Breithaupt, met with the
Head of International Relations and
Euro-Atlantic Integration Department,
Marika Laliashvili, and representatives
of the Joint Staff of the GAF. The sides
discussed cooperation between Georgia
and Germany specifically focusing on
the sphere of military education. The
cooperation plan for 2011 was also dis-
cussed at the meeting.
Defense Attachés from the Federal
Republic of Germany, LTC Christian
Farkhondeh, LTC Michael Fricke and
the German Military Adviser, Bernard
Hopp also participated in the talks.
Within the framework of the visit,
CPT Martin Brauhaupt also visited the
National Defense Academy. He left
Georgia on September 18.