Since its inception, the Georgian armed forces had to go a very difficult way. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, its constituent republics received the right to become completely independent of the central government. Instead of one large and well-coordinated in one direction state mechanism, a few smaller ones formed, the guidelines of which differed significantly. To successfully defend their beliefs, each country needs a strong army. It is for this reason that the young states were seriously concerned about their own fighting efficiency. Georgia was not an exception, whose army, as it turned out, was in a deplorable state. This shortcoming should be corrected, which is what the Georgians did in the following years. You will learn about the history of the formation, structure, military equipment and strength of the Georgian Armed Forces in this article.
Acquaintance
The Armed Forces of Georgia are a state military organization created in April 1991. At the end of this month, the first call was made. It was assumed that the size of the Georgian army at first would not exceed 900 soldiers. However, during the first draft, almost 8 thousand expressed a desire to serve. The task of the army was to provide political decisions in the defense field, to identify the threat, to maintain military units in high combat readiness, to fulfill tasks taking into account Georgia’s international obligations. The army, due to the lack of sufficient money in the country's budget, was initially in very poor condition. Soon, in order to strengthen the armed forces, the government increased the defense budget, which made it possible to carry out a number of large-scale reforms, purchase weapons, uniforms, etc.
1992 year
A year after the formation of the armed forces, the situation in the Georgian army improved so much that as a result of another intensified political confrontation between the Georgian government and the Abkhaz Supreme Council, the authorities decided to send their troops to Abkhazia. The fighting was variable in success and lasted a little over a year. Violations of human rights (mainly civil) have become widespread. In 1993, the United Nations Mission announced the facts for which both warring parties are responsible. In September 1993, the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict was completed. In 1994, both sides in Moscow signed a ceasefire. As a result of the conflict, vast areas were devastated, and hundreds of thousands of civilians left their homes.
2008 year
By this time, military construction was carried out with increased intensity. In order to increase the combat effectiveness of the state, the military-political leadership paid much attention to financing the defense industry. Compared with 2005, the defense budget was increased by 30 times. Of the level of GDP, it amounted to almost 10%. According to experts, this country received a lot of funds from Western lenders. The United States and Turkey have become a place for the training of officers and rank-and-file personnel. Many instructors for this purpose arrived in Georgia itself. We bought weapons and military equipment in the USA, Turkey and Ukraine. Georgia increased the number of personnel from 32 to 37 thousand people. It was planned that 90% of them would soon serve on a contract basis. The uniform of the Georgian army is a NATO model.
Result
At that time, many military experts evaluated the Georgian army as one of the most combat-ready in the post-Soviet space. Structurally, the armed forces were equipped with ground forces, air forces and naval forces. The armament included the T-55 and T-72 tanks in the amount of 200 units, BMPs of the first and second models (78 units), combat reconnaissance vehicles (11 units) and armored personnel carriers (91 units). In addition, the army owned a multi-caliber barrel artillery (200 guns) and 180 mortars. Georgia also had forty multiple launch rocket systems. Three Mi-24 attack helicopters, as well as Su-25 KM attack aircraft modernized by the Israeli company Elbit Sydtem, were ready to destroy the target from air (10 units). Georgia also had 6 Bell-212 transport helicopters and 6 UH-1H American helicopters.
The Five Day War
In July 2008, the conflict between Georgia and the self-proclaimed republics reached its climax. In an effort to establish control throughout the territory, the authorities resorted to a forceful method. Supported by the United States, as well as their allies, the Georgian Armed Forces would surely have achieved what they wanted. Only Russia could protect the republics from the invasion of the Georgian army. Given the fact that the South Ossetian army was less equipped with both personnel (3 thousand people and 15 thousand in reserve) and weapons, the victory of Georgia was guaranteed. As Russian experts predicted, in the event that Georgian forces succeed in realizing the first stage, military operations will subsequently spread to Abkhazia.
On August 8, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a “peace enforcement operation”. Of course, it was possible to restore order in the region through a full-scale Russian invasion. However, such a method would entail a serious aggravation in the foreign policy arena. The President of the Russian Federation considered that it would be more expedient to provide indirect military assistance to the republics. Therefore, additional peacekeeping forces and volunteer forces arrived in the conflict zone. The armies of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the fight against the Georgian Armed Forces would have been difficult without the help of the Russians. For five days of fierce fighting, the Georgian army lost about 3 thousand people. The war ended on August 12, but had consequences for Georgia of an economic and geopolitical nature. Namely: Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states, and Georgia’s entry into NATO was postponed indefinitely.
Our days
Today, 37 thousand people are serving in the Georgian Armed Forces. Their number is determined by the National Security Council. The armed forces are subordinate to the General Staff, who, in turn, is with the Minister of Defense. The General Staff is headed by Vladimir Chachibay as a brigadier general. The defense department is led by Levan Izoria. Mostly the army consists of contract soldiers. Draftees are involved in logistics and the protection of strategically important facilities. Mandatory service is considered one year, after which young people can continue to serve for another four years, but on a contract basis. According to experts, the Georgian Armed Forces are distinguished by a diverse and complex structure, which is represented by the Eastern and Western command of the NE, MTR, the National Guard and aviation. Since 1994, the state has been moving towards NATO. Since that time, the country's military construction has been carried out in accordance with NATO standards. Despite the tragic events of 2008, the North Atlantic Alliance has repeatedly expressed its approval of the decisions of the military command and leadership of Georgia, which still hope that sooner or later they will be accepted.
About the ground forces
NE or ground forces in the Georgian armed forces are the only type. Military men act independently. If necessary, they can coordinate their actions with special operations forces (MTR). The main tactical unit of this type of armed forces of Georgia is a brigade.
There are 10 of them: infantry (5 brigades), artillery (2) and one each in aviation, engineering and air defense. Also, the combat strength of the SV is represented by five separate battalions: two light infantry, a battalion of signalmen, electronic warfare and a medical one.
The total strength of the army is 37 thousand troops. The military service in the Georgian army was reduced from 15 months to one year.
About aviation
It is a military branch of the Georgian armed forces as part of the ground forces. Aviation is represented by a separate aviation brigade and a separate helicopter base. According to military experts, technically Georgian aviation operates like army aviation and the air force, which were abolished after the tragic events of 2008. The task of this kind is to carry out reconnaissance and provide ground support to ground units.
MTR
Through special operations forces, reconnaissance is carried out in Georgia, counter-terrorism operations are carried out. Structurally, the MTR is a brigade formation and consists of a group of soldiers who are directly subordinate to the head of the joint headquarters of the Georgian army.
About the National Guard
The National Guard (NG) is the basis of the Georgian Armed Forces reserve. Through this military branch, important strategic objects are protected, mass riots are suppressed, and the consequences of emergencies are eliminated.
About weapons
According to experts, the American M4A1 and M4A3 rifles are used as the main small arms in the Georgian army (photo below in the article). In addition, AK machines (74th model and its modernization), Heckler & Koch, UMP 45, As Val, TAR-21 and Micro Galil are used. Armored vehicles are the Oplot, T-55 and T-72 tanks. The Georgian military has at its disposal BMP-1, BMP-2, armored personnel carriers (70th and 80th models), Nurol Ejder and Otocar Cobra. Georgian troops also use the American armored personnel carriers Cougar and Hamvee. The state military scientific and technical center "Delta" is engaged in the design of armored vehicles "Didgori". Since at the moment they are only being tested, their deliveries to the country's army have not yet been established. Artillery weapons are represented by several types of artillery systems: multiple launch rocket systems (RM-70, IMI Grand-LAR, M63 Plamen, DRS-122, IMI Lynx, M-87 Orkan, BM-21 and BM-30 Smerch), self-propelled artillery and towed artillery mounts. According to military experts, the Georgian army has a small military air fleet. At the moment, Georgia still mainly uses Soviet aircraft and helicopters. There are also drones Aerostat, Elbit Skylark and Hermes. Since 2010, the country has launched production of unmanned aerial vehicles. Air defense is carried out by Soviet and Ukrainian Buk-M1, S-125 Tor missle system, Strela-10 9K35, Osa-AKM and Israeli Spyder-SR / MR installations. Since 2016, the country's army has been intensively reformed.
A decision was made in the near future to completely abandon Soviet and Russian-made small arms. The same fate, as stated by the Defense Ministry L. Izoria, awaits combat aircraft. The attention of the Georgian military is focused primarily on drones. The goal pursued by the military command is to begin to meet NATO standards as quickly as possible.
