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Defence Forces of Georgia

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Military of Georgia
Main Military flag of Georgia
Current form1991
Leadership
PresidentMikheil Saakashvili
Defence MinisterDavit Kezerashvili
Personnel
Military age18-35 years old
Conscription18 years of age, 18 months
Available for
military service		1,038,736, age 18-49 (2007 est.)
Fit for
military service		827,281, age 18-49 (2007 est.)
Reaching military
age annually		38,857 (2007 est.)
Active personnel28,666
Reserve personnel100,000 (planned)
Expenditure
Budget$982 million (2007)[1]
Percent of GDP7% (2005)[1]
Related articles
RanksGeorgian military ranks

The Georgian Armed Forces (Georgian: საქართველოს შეიარაღებული ძალები, sak'art'velos sheiaraghebuli dzalebi) are the military of the nation of Georgia. The mission and functions of the Georgian Armed Forces (GAF) are based on the Constitution of Georgia, Georgia’s Law on Defense and National Military Strategy, and international agreements to which Georgia is signatory. They are performed under the guidance and authority of the Ministry of Defense. The current authorized strength of the GAF structures is 28,666 personnel.[2] The current Defence Minister is Davit Kezerashvili, and Chief of Joint Staff is Colonel Zaza Gogava.

History

Ministry of Defense headquarters in Tbilisi

The GAF were established in the early 1990s from former Soviet Army units on Georgian soil, irregular militias, and Georgian personnel returning from other posts within the former Soviet Armed Forces.

On March 23, 1994, Georgia was one of the first former Soviet Republics to join the Partnership for Peace. Among the Partners Georgia was the first country who could submit the special documentation (May 2004) and on 29 October 2004 the North Atlantic Council approved the first Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) for Georgia. If the IPAP is successful, Georgia will have good opportunity to accede to the Membership Action Plan (MAP).

The Georgia Train and Equip Program (GTEP) training was conducted using U.S. Special Operations Forces and U. S. Marine Corps forces from May 2002 to May 2004. During this time approximately 2,600 Georgian soldiers, including a headquarters staff element and 5 tactical units, received training. Another assistance program, the Georgia Security and Stability Operations Program (Georgia SSOP), was launched in January 2005 as a continuation of the (GTEP) of 2002-2004. Georgian contigents were involved in the Kosovo Force and continue to participate in the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The GAF have been extensively reformed in the recent years to meet Georgia’s aspirations to join NATO and for better response to the existing challenges such as the ongoing tensions in the unresolved separatist conflict areas in Abkhazia and South Ossetia as well as to the threats of global terrorism. Georgia also views a large-scale foreign invasion and the spillover of conflicts from Russia’s North Caucasus as the worst potential near- and long-term scenarios, respectively.[3]

Structure and subdivisions

Structure of the Georgian Armed Forces
(click to enlarge)

The GAF consists of:

The current authorized strength of the GAF structures is 28,666 personnel, including 16,993 in the Land Forces, 1,791 in the Air Force, 686 in the Navy, 9,196 in administration staffs and central structures.[4] Georgia plans to reduce its military to 26,007 by the end of 2009 and to 18,755 by the end of 2015.[5]

The Land Forces form the largest component of the GAF responsible for providing land defense against any threat to the nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, supporting Border Police in border protection and civil authorities in counter-terrorist operations as well as providing units for NATO-led and coalition operations abroad. They are organized into infantry brigades, artillery and other supporting capacities operating at a battalion level.[6]

The Air Force consists of aviation and air defense assets and provides security to Georgia’s airspace, while the Georgian Navy protects Georgia’s territorial waters and contributes to the collective maritime defense in the Black Sea region. The Special Force Brigade is responsible for conducting reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, and counter-terrorism operations. The Georgian National Guard organizes trains reservists in the peacetime and mobilizes them during a crisis or wartime.[6]

Land Forces

Structure of the Georgian Land Forces
(click to enlarge)
Georgian T-72BV, covered in reactive armour.
Georgian BTR-80s.
File:Kobraabm5.jpg
Georgian Otokar Cobra.

The Land Forces of Georgia consists of the following units: five Infantry Brigades, an Artillery Brigade, a Separate Tank Battalion, Separate Light Infantry Battalion, Separate Air Defense Battalion, Separate Engineer Battalion Separate Signals Battalion and other units.

The strength of Land Forces comprise 25,570 personnel of which 2,879 are officers, 8,583 are sergeants/corporals (contracting) and 14,108 are conscripts, in addition there are 1596 are civilians.[citation needed] Many of the present Georgian military units and formations were formed from former Soviet Army formations of the Transcaucasus Military District, which became the Russian Transcaucasus Group of Forces in the early 1990s.

Georgian ground forces that contain outdated military weaponry and technologies from the former Soviet Union are budgeted to be fully replaced by new and improved US, Israeli and German systems in the 2008 - 2010 timeframe. The equipment removed from front line service would then be made available for the reserve army.

The modernization program consists of several phases. Step one is procurement and intigration of light infantry weaponry, specifically new M4 assault rifles [7] . These will be distributed to all 5 special forces brigades. Next is the upgrading of TAM manufactured SU-25 ground attack aircraft of the airforce with advanced avionics provided via a partnership with Israel. The final, currently scheduled step will be the upgrading of fire control systems for all Main Battle Tanks, followed by the replacement of outdated armored vehicles and tanks with more modern western equipment.

Equipment

MBT

AIFV / APC

Artillery

Towed

Self-Propelled

Multiple Launch Rocket Systems


Mortars

Anti Air Defence

Air Force

Georgian Mi-24s.
File:Su-25KM.jpg
Georgian Su-25KM.
Main article: Georgian Air Force

Georgian Air Forces consists of Aviation and Air Defense.

Georgian Navy

File:Georgian Navy personnel.jpg
Georgian Navy personnel
Main article: Georgian Navy

The mission of the Georgian Navy is to protect the sovereignty of Georgia within Georgian territorial waters on the Black Sea coastline, and to implement tasks by inter-operating with the other services. Georgia is a part of the Black Sea Naval Co-operation Task Group with Russia and other littoral states.

During peacetime the Navy operates in a regular mode and is multi-functional. It supports civil structures, controls territorial waters, preserves a high level of combat training and readiness and conducts training and exercises.

The strength of the Navy is 1780, of which 590 are officers, 900 are NCOs, 200 are conscripts, and 90 are civilians.

La Combattante II
armed with 2 OTO-Melara 76 mm/L62 guns, modified anti-aircraft guns, and Exocet missiles
- 4 in use, another 3 ordered from the French Navy.
P 269 Lindos
armed with 2 C802 anti-ship missile batteries and AK-630M defensive guns
- 5 in use, another 8 ordered from Ukraine.

National Guard of Georgia

Main article: National Guard of Georgia

Georgian National Guard was established on December 20, 1990 and was manned by volunteers. It represents the first Georgian armed formation, which became the base of the foundation for modern Georgian Armed Forces. The Guard actively participated in the conflicts existed on the Georgian territory (Samachablo, Abkhazia).

The National Guard consists of 20 554 personnel; the main missions of National Guard are:

  1. Support civil government in crisis situations (natural, technological, ecological);
  2. Register mobilization recourses, study and deliver;
  3. Convene, select and man of citizens on the basis of the agreement, for the units, subunits and bases of the Armed Forces;
  4. Provide ceremony activities.

Participation of Georgia in international peacekeeping missions

File:Shavnabada015.jpg
Georgian troops in Iraq, 26 May 2005
Georgian troops in Iraq, 26 May 2006

Georgian Armed Forces have been participating in peacekeeping missions (the Balkans, Persian Gulf) since 2000.

Units participating in peacekeeping missions are manned by professional soldiers, the duration of the mission is six months and participation is voluntary. The readiness assessment criteria are, as follows: health condition, physical fitness, professional skills and experience.

About 200 Georgian troops are deployed in the Balkans (Kosovo), and approximately 850 were serving under Coalition Command in the Persian Gulf (Iraq). Their preparedness and training skills are evaluated on high level by international experts. On July 2007 Georgia sent an extra 1,400 troops to Iraq; that brought the total number of troops in Iraq to 2,000.

Hence, owing to participation in international peacekeeping missions the military members are able to obtain practical experience and to show readiness to cooperate with NATO and with other partner countries' forces.

Russian military in Georgia

Russian military presence is a major challenge in the country. At the time of the 1999 Istanbul Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) conference, Russia had four major military bases in the country: Vaziani, Gudauta, Akhalkalaki, and Batumi. As part of the Final Act of the CFE Treaty, signed at the conference on 19 November 1999, Russia & Georgia agreed that 'The Russian military bases at Gudauta and Vaziani will be disbanded and withdrawn by 1 July 2001.'[8] The base in Vaziani was withdrawn relatively quickly in the late 1990s. Russia claims that the Gudauta military base in Abkhazia had already been withdrawn in the letter and spirit of the agreement, but no international monitoring has been allowed there, and Airborne Forces officers have said it is being used as a rest facility for the Russian peacekeeping force in Abkazia.

No agreement was reached over the bases at Batumi and Akhalkalaki, despite vehement Georgian opposition to their continued presence- Georgia, at one time, threatening to block access to the facilities. Russian negotiators insisted for years that about $500 million USD and 15 years would be required for the removal of the two bases. Finally, after US pressure[citation needed], an agreement over Batumi and Akhalkalaki was reached in 2005. The Akhalkalaki base and the Russian military headquarters in Tbilisi were evacuated in 2007 and in 2008 respectively. Batumi base was supposed to be completely withdrawn in 2008 but was handed over to Georgia ahead of schedule on November 13, 2007. A significant portion of the equipment from the bases withdrawn from Georgia has been moved to the Russian 102nd Military Base in Gyumri, Armenia.

A Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) peacekeeping force, comprised entirely of Russian troops, is deployed in the Abkhazia region of Georgia together with a United Nations military observer group (UNOMIG); a Russian peacekeeping battalion is deployed in South Ossetia.

The breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia have their own armed forces (Military of Abkhazia, Military of South Ossetia) and are dependent on Russia's support in terms of equipment and specialists.

Flags

These are the Georgian military flags as of 2004.[9]

  • Flag of Land Forces
    Flag of Land Forces
  • Flag of Navy
    Flag of Navy
  • Flag of Air Force
    Flag of Air Force
  • Flag of National Guard
    Flag of National Guard
  • Standard of Chief of General Staff
    Standard of Chief of General Staff
  • Standard of Minister of Defence
    Standard of Minister of Defence

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b International Crisis Group, Georgia: Sliding towards Authoritarianism? Europe Report N°189, 19 December 2007
  2. ^ The Strategic Defense Review (2007), p. 86.
  3. ^ The Strategic Defense Review (2007), p. 77.
  4. ^ The Strategic Defense Review (2007), p. 86.
  5. ^ The Strategic Defense Review (2007), pp. 88-89.
  6. ^ a b The Strategic Defense Review (2007), p. 74.
  7. ^ The Messenger, [http://www.messenger.com.ge/issues/1529_january_22_2008/1529_nato.html
  8. ^ OSCE, CFE Final Act, go to page 10
  9. ^ Georgia: Military flags, 2004

References

  • Ministry of Defense of Georgia: The Strategic Defence Review 2007. mod.gov.ge. Accessed on May 7 2008.
  • Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook. CIA., 2005
  • Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets. United States Department of State., 2005
  • GlobalSecurity.org on Georgia’s military

Further reading

  • Richard Woff, 'The Armed Forces of Georgia', Jane's Intelligence Review, July 1993
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