Military of Georgia

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Military of Georgia
Army Flag of Georgia
Military manpower
Military age	18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months (2004)
Availability	males age 15–49: 1,038,736 (2005 est.)
Fit for military service	males age 15–49: 827,281 (2005 est.)
Reaching military age annually	males: 38,857 (2005 est.)
Active troops	40,000 (Ranked 60th)
Military expenditures
Amount	USD $341 million (FY00)
Percent of GDP	GDP=4.7% (FY00)

Contents 1 Armed Forces of Georgia 2 Participation of Georgia in International Peacekeeping Missions 3 Russian military in Georgia 4 References 5 External links 6 See also

[edit] Armed Forces of Georgia

The Georgian armed forces comprise of 28,000 troops, about half are conscripts. Military branches include Ground Forces (including National Guard), Air and Air Defense Forces, Maritime Defense Force, and Interior 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 United States–sponsored Georgia Train and Equip Program (GTEP) was launched in April 2002. Although the Program formally ended in 2004, Georgia continues to enjoy crucial military assistance from NATO, especially from the United States and Turkey. The Georgian government has announced a reform of the Georgian armed forces in order to comply with NATO standards. The government has planned to reduce the size of the armed forces and increase the number of professional soldiers to two thirds of the total manpower. Georgia has its peacekeeping force in Kosovo, and participates in the War on Terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan.

[edit] Participation of Georgia in International Peacekeeping Missions

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 6 months and participation is voluntary. The readiness assessment criteria are, as follows: health condition, physical fitness, professional skills and experience.

150 Georgian militaries are deployed in the Balkans (Kosovo), 850– in Persian Gulf (Iraq). Their preparedness and training skills are evaluated on high level by international experts.

Hence, owing to participation in international peacekeeping missions the military servants are able to obtain practical experience and to show readiness to cooperate with NATO and with other Partner Countries Forces.

[edit] Russian military in Georgia

Russian military presence is a major challenge in the country. In violation of promises made at the 1999 Istanbul OSCE conference, Russia continues to maintain the Soviet-era military bases in Batumi and Akhalkalaki. This has been and continues to be a source of great tension with Georgia, which has threatened to block access to the facility. The Russian withdrawal talks still continue. However, in the last eighteen months, a great deal of the military hardware of the bases in Batumi and Akhalkalaki have been moved to Russia's 102nd Military Base in Gyumri, Armenia.

A CIS peacekeeping force of Russian troops is deployed in the Abkhazia region of Georgia together with a UN military observer group; a Russian peacekeeping battalion is deployed in South Ossetia.

The breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia have their own armed forces, though the precise number remains unknown. [[Image:

[edit] References

• This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain. 2005
• This article contains material from the US Department of State's Background Notes which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain. 2005
• GlobalSecurity.org on Georgia’s military

[edit] External links

• Georgia Ministry of Defence website
• National Security Council of Georgia
• Georgian Warrior - Military history, army, navy, air forces, photos
• Conscription in Georgia
• Georgia military news
• Georgia: Military flags, 2004
• Georgian troops trained by US army and SAS veterans

[edit] See also

• Georgia Train and Equip Program (GTEP)
• Black Sea Naval Co-operation Task Group
• GUAM