MINISTRY OF DEFENCE OF GEORGIA PUBLIC AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT OCTOBER 2010 ISSUE #40

NATO CMC visiting MoD

Chairman of the NATO Mil-
itary Committee (CMC) Admi-
ral Giampaolo Di Paola paid an
official visit to Georgia.
NATO top military official vis-
ited Ministry of Defence on Oc-
tober 28 where he was hosted by
the Chief of Joint Staff of GAF
Major-General Devi Chanko-
tadze. Admiral also met with
Defence Minister Bacho Akhala-
ia. At the meeting Minister ex-
pressed gratitude towards the
Alliance for its contribution pro-
vided in the GAF’s development
process. In the course of the meet-
ing, the participants dealt with
ongoing NATO-Georgia relations
and future prospects of coopera-
tion. The sides also referred to the
significance of Georgia’s involve-
to Georgia for what it is doing
with the Alliance in Afghanistan.
Contribution your country is pro-
viding in ISAF is very signifi-
cant. I want to pay respect to
those brave Georgian soldiers
who lost their lives recently.
Georgian contribution in Af-
ghanistan is very relevant. When
we compare your contribution to
the size of your country and the
size of your Armed Forces, you
must be proud because it is sig-
nificant in any sense by quanti-
ty, by quality for the area where
you operate. I reconfirm that we
will continue through the mech-
anism of Georgia-NATO com-
mission to work together for im-
proving the interoperability and
the defence reforms of the
thanks to the Georgian side for
its engagement in the ISAF op-
eration. NATO military repre-
sentatives reiterated that the Bu-
charest decision about the Geor-
gia’s NATO integration remains
in force and that Georgia will
inevitably become a member of
the Alliance”, declared Mr.
Kharshiladze.
Meetings were also organized
with JS officers and MoD civil
personnel. Themes of discussion
at the roundtable meeting includ-
ed NATO-Georgia partnership
and existing challenges in the
military operations.
In the framework of the visit
NATO CMC also met with the
Parliament Speaker Davit
Bakradze, Deputy State Minis-

Ukrainian Defence Minister ment in the Afghanistan peace-

keeping operation and the re-
forms being developed in the
national defence sphere.
Armed forces”, stated NATO
Admiral. Giampaolo Di Paola
reaffirmed the NATO`s support
ter on European and Euro-Atlan-
tic Integration Elene Khoshtaria
and Deputy Secretary of Nation-
towards Georgia. al Security Council Irakli Porch-

pays a visit to MoD After the meeting Giampao-

The Ukrainian Minister of
Defense, Mykhailo Yezhel has
paid an official visit to Georgia.
The Georgian Defense Minister,
Bacho Akhalaia received his
Ukrainian colleague at an official
welcoming ceremony at the De-
fense Ministry on Wednesday,
November 3.
Following the ceremony, the
Defense Ministers of the two
countries held a personal meet-
ing, in which the participants
dealt with issues relating to bilat-
eral collaboration in the field of
defense. Discussions also took
place on the importance of Geor-
gia’s involvement in the Afghan-
istan peacekeeping operation and
ongoing defense reforms. After
the closed door meeting, mem-
bers of the Ukrainian delegation
and representatives of the Geor-
gian Ministry of Defense held ne-
gotiations plans for future partner-
ship. Furthermore, a Bilateral
Cooperation Plan for 2011 was
signed between the two Defense
Ministries.
Following the meeting, the
senior Georgian and Ukrainian
officials answered questions
from journalists from Georgia
and abroad.
While meeting with the me-
dia of both countries, Mr. Akhala-
ia underscored the significance of
the friendship between Georgia
and Ukraine. “The prospects for
Georgian-Ukrainian partnership
are quite promising. At the to-
day’s meeting, we focused on re-
forms at the Georgian MoD. At
the current phase of our relation-
ship we confined our discussions
to sharing our experience with our
Ukrainian colleagues. I should
note that we attach a great deal of
importance to current and future
cooperation with Ukraine. At the
meeting, we also drew attention
to reforms in the education sys-
tem and shared our expertise in
this regard too. During these two
days, we will have the opportu-
nity to discuss the full range of
education-related issues”, he de-
clared.
After the meeting, Mykhailo
Yezhel also spoke to journalists,
saying: “we spoke about issues of
common interest, regarding re-
lo Di Paola underlined that his
current visit in Georgia is anoth-
According to the Deputy De-
fence Minister Nodar Kharshi-
ladze, the reforms ongoing in the
khidze. Tomorrow NATO dele-
gation will visit “Krtsanisi” Na-
tional Training Center and Tbili-
forms in the two states’ armed er demonstration of partnership field of defence were given a si-based NATO Liaison Office.
forces, and military-technical co- between the Alliance and Geor- high appreciation. “NATO dele- Admiral left Georgia on the 30th
operation. As another sign of bi- gia. “It is also a way to say thanks gation expressed their special of October.
lateral partnership, the Georgian
and Ukrainian militaries partici-
pated in the joint military exer-
cises Blackseafor and Seabreaze.
What’s more, officers and mili-
tary subunits from both our coun-
tries have had the opportunity to
train together in both Ukraine and
Georgia”.
Within the framework of the
official two-day visit to Georgia,
the top Ukrainian defense official
also visited the Vaziani military
base, and laid flowers on the me-
morial to soldiers killed in the
fight for the territorial integrity of
Georgia. He will also visit the
monument to Taras Shevchenko
to pay tribute to the memory of
the famous Ukrainian poet.
Meetings will be also arranged
with the Georgian Foreign Min-
ister, Grigol Vashadze and the
Deputy Secretary of the National
Security Council, Levan Duchi-
dze.
Mykhailo Yezhel left Georgia
on November 4, 2010.

INSIDE

Committee Session Afghanistan:

Franco-Georgian
NATO Delegation visits Event for the Benefit
Krtsanisi National
of Children in Shinah
Training Center
Visit by American
Military Attachés Generals
visit the National
Training Center New Church Opened
2 MONTHLY SUPPLEMENT OF GEORGIA TODAY
Committee Session
On October 28, an open door session
of the Parliamentary Committee on De-
fense and Security was held at Vaziani
military base. Members of Parliament
were able to hear from the Minister of
Defense first-hand on new initiatives
with regard to reserve forces, the Na-
tional Guard and civil defense. At the
meeting, a decision was made for depu-
ties, the Ministry of Defense and Secu-
rity Council personnel to start working
together a new proposal for changes in
the operation of reserve forces. Under
the new initiative, two types of reserve
forces are to be formed: The first group
will be developed by military officials
from the Army and will function as army
reserves. The second will be prepared a
new department which will be created
as a result of the transformation of the
current National Guard and will work
towards providing civil defense. The
new entity will be responsible for the
management of emergency situations
and territorial-logistics issues.
“The National Guard Department
must be equipped to perform functions
of civil defense. This means that we will
have a Civil Defense Department as
opposed to the previous Guard Com-
mand. The military reserve system,
which was previously coordinated by
the Guard Department, is now being
controlled by the Land Forces of the
NATO Delegation visits Krtsanisi National Training Center
On October 22, a NATO delegation
visited Krtsanisi National Training Cen-
ter. The representatives from a number
of NATO member-states were visiting
Georgia as part of NATO Week and were
hosted by Deputy Defense Minister,
Nodar Kharshiladze and the Command-
er of Trainings and Military Education
of the Joint Staff of the Georgian Armed
Forces, Colonel Nikoloz Janjgava. The
Georgian Deputy Minister for Europe-
an and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Helen
Khoshtaria accompanied the delegation
to the Center.
The delegation was composed of
NATO Ambassadors from Lithuania -
Linas Linkevicius, Latvia - Janis Eich-
manis, and Estonia - Jüri Luik in addi-
tion to the Deputy Ambassador of the
United States to NATO, John Heffern.
The visitors toured the new simulation
center at the base and received informa-
tion about the ongoing reforms in mili-
tary education in Georgia, as well as
learning about the training programs and
ongoing exercises at the Training Cen-
ter. Linas Linkevicius, Lithuanian
NATO Ambassador told journalists that
he had found the visit very interesting:
“We came during final preparations for
the [forthcoming NATO] summit to
Georgian Armed Forces and its active
brigades. Moreover, Battalions will train
reservists on their own, which will bring
tangible results in terms of improved
preparation levels” stated Minister of
Defense, Bacho Akhalaia.
The chairman of the committee, Givi
Targamadze also discussed the issue:
“Today, the main subject for discussion
was the establishment of a new reserve
system. We learned serious lessons af-
ter the war and underwent intensive con-
sultations on this issue. The consulta-
tions are practically over and we have
already tested a pilot version of the con-
cept. One flow of reservists has already
successfully passed reserve training
through the new system and it has helped
us a lot. Despite the fact that we have
already made various amendments that
had begun some time beforehand and it
was initially planned to introduce a new
law, we have decided to implement the
program within the framework of exist-
ing legislation.”
According to Mr. Targamadze, the
focus now will be on those citizens of
Georgia who have already passed mili-
tary service in any form, including po-
lice forces and border guard. They will
be conscripted to the army reserve, i.e.
the active reserve, and will undergo the
necessary training. The course will last
for two weeks but the complete course
OCTOBER 2010 ISSUE #40
NATO Committee chair visits
National Training Center
The Chairman of the NATO Military servicemen are providing to the inter-
Committee, Admiral Giampaolo Di Pa- national community in Afghanistan.
ola, as part of his official visit to Geor- Also, I am very regretful for the human
gia, made a tour of the Krtsanisi National loss your contingent has recently suf-
Training Center. He came to see the forc- fered. You have brave and professional
es of the 33rd Battalion of the III Infan- soldiers who are successfully perform-
try Brigade who will to rotate (in six ing the duties entrusted to them in such
months) with the 32nd Battalion who a difficult region as South Afghanistan.
have recently been deployed to Afghan- As for NATO-Georgia cooperation, it is
istan. The top NATO official also visit- developing and strengthening in the
ed the Simulation Training Center locat- right way. The purpose of my visit here
ed at the base and attended a demon- is to foster the further development of
strative trainings. mutual partnership”.
While inspecting the National Train- Deputy Minister Nodar Kharshiladze
ing Center, the NATO CMC was accom- also spoke about Admiral De Paola’s
panied by the leadership of the Minis- positive evaluation of the morale and
try of Defense leadership including Dep- level of preparedness demonstrated by
uty Defense Minister, Nodar Khar- Georgian soldiers. “The NATO CMC
shiladze; Joint Chief of Staff of the once again extended his gratitude to the
Georgian Armed Forces, Major-Gener- Georgian side for its involvement in the
al Devi Chankotadze; and the Com- international security operation. He re-
mander for Trainings and Military Edu- affirmed the active partnership between
cation, Colonel Nikoloz Janjgava. the alliance and Georgia and stated that
Following the meeting, the Admiral Georgia’s integration into NATO is only
expressed his satisfaction with the sol- a matter of time”, declared the Deputy
diers’ level of preparedness: “I had a Minister.
will consist of 45 days.
very interesting day. I liked the center The same day the NATO Admiral
“Georgia has a good contingent of
very much. I can see how intensively visited the newly established NATO Li-
100 to 150 thousand citizens who can
your military are preparing before their aison Office based in Tbilisi and held a
be called up in reserve service through
departure to Afghanistan. I would like meeting with the head of Office, Zbig-
the new system. This is more than
to say thanks for the contribution your niew Rybacki.
enough. Today, with our existing infra-
structure and resources, we can’t afford
to train so many reservists. That’s why
this [new initiative] will be implement-
ed on a stage-by-stage basis. The major
change will be that the preparation of
reservists will be carried out by the Land
Forces instead of the National Guard.
Active units will integrate the reserve
units and provide for their training as
well. As for the National Guard, it will
assume new functions. The National
Guard will be responsible for the estab-
lishment of a civil defense system,
something that we do not currently pos-
sess. The National Guard will support
the Georgian Armed Forces as a rear ser-
vice. So first, we need to create an in-
frastructure for civil defense, it must be
able to provide security for ordinary cit-
izens in times of crisis. In this case, some
legislative amendments will be needed,”
declared the committee chairman.
The participants in the meeting
agreed that a joint working group will
be set up consisting of representatives
from the Ministry of Defense, the Secu-
rity Council and the Parliamentary Com-
mittee on Defense and Security.
demonstrate how important our relation-
ship with Georgia is. Not just on paper
but in real life, we have a very good
framework for cooperation [with Geor-
gia]. I believe that Georgia has all the
necessary tools to be ready for member-
ship. But it’s not just a technical task,
it’s a political question, and when the
time comes there will be political deci-
sion on membership,” Linkevicius ex-
plained.
Nodar Karshiladze, Deputy Defense
Minister also spoke about the visit: “We
had an opportunity to exchange infor-
mation before the Lisbon Summit and
to discuss expectations regarding Geor-
gia’s integration into NATO. The cur-
rent reforms in the sphere of defense
have been very positively evaluated.
After the visit to Krtsanisi Training Cen-
ter, the NATO ambassadors expressed
their satisfaction with the Georgian sol-
diers’ level of preparedness and their
appreciation for our participation in the
ISAF operation.”
The delegation visited Georgia as
part of NATO Week. The representatives
also met with the State Minister for Re-
integration, Temur Iakobashivili, Geor-
gian academics, a number NGOs and
representatives of ethnic minorities.
OCTOBER 2010 ISSUE #40 MONTHLY SUPPLEMENT OF GEORGIA TODAY
3

Georgian Peacekeeping Mission in Afghanistan

Afghanistan: Franco-Georgian Event for the Benefit of Children in Shinah
Georgia fully acknowledges the importance of the ISAF mission and continues to contribute to the most On September 22, 2010 at Shinah,
important mission in the history of the alliance. Georgia continues to send its professionally trained soldiers to a small village south of the Warehouse
the mission, and now has up to 950 servicemen in the ISAF with 750 soldiers operating under the US Marine French military base, a detachment of
Corps in Helmand province and one company under French command in Kabul. This year has been very French and Georgian soldiers distrib-
uted school supplies, toys and sweets
difficult and challenging for NATO and for Georgia itself.
to young girls at the village school.
One of the important issues in the ISAF operation is the new strategy, which was created several months ago. The event was made possible
The Georgian contingent is not an exception to the overall goal of the mission and continues to work towards the through the generosity of a French ele-
ISAF strategy’s key principle: to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people. mentary school located in Ochey, near
Nancy. When the director of the school
looked at the problems facing the Af-
ghan education system, they encour-
aged their pupils to collect school sup-
plies and sent them to Afghan children,
accompanied by students’ drawings.
The Georgian military detachment,
in together with the French Command
Warehouse (COMSITE) organized the
event, the latest in a series of measures
to assist the local population which
have included the distribution of
blankets, mattresses and other neces-
sities.
The Georgian military contingent
has been part of the coalition since
November 2009. Its infantry compa-
ny has worked with French units to
fully ensure the safety of the French
camp, Warehouse. The mission of the
Georgian soldiers is to ensure the
control and filtering of all incoming
and outgoing personnel and vehicles
at the base. The company also works
on internal security and participates
in the Quick Reaction Force (QRF).
Equipped with French armored vehi-
cles, it conducts daily patrols around
the camp and helps to establish con-
tacts with the local population.
Source: Ministry of Defence of France

Maj. Kartlos Kraveishvili, a medical officer with the 31st Georgian
Battalion, and Navy Chief Michael Gandy, an independent-duty
corpsman from Regimental Combat Team 2, provide aid for a young
Afghan girl with a broken arm during their brief pause from patrolling
through villages in Golestan. Operating alongside Afghan National
Police, soldiers and officers of Company A, 31st Battalion, Georgian
Army, visited a series of villages gathering information about the
needs of the villagers and the security situation during Operation Iron
Horse. Kraveishvili examined patients during the visits, providing the
most necessary help: medical aid. (By Thomas Dworzak)
Georgian soldiers with Company B, 31st Georgian Battalion, An Afghan elder brings bread to Georgian soldiers from Company A,
Regimental Combat Team 2, speak with a local Afghan elder during a 31st Georgian Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 2, and other
joint-patrol to his village in Farah province, July 22. Speaking with the Afghans during a shura in the Farah province, July 22. Over a local
local Afghans, the soldiers of Company B soon learned this area Afghan meal, regional leaders, elders and Georgian officers
rarely receives any outside visitors. “No one has ever come here for discussed different ways to improve the security and economic
35 years. Not even the Russians,” said Naqib, a local villager, through situation throughout the province. (By Thomas Dworzak)
an interpreter. Mistaken for Russian soldiers in the past, the Georgian
soldiers emphasized they were not Russians, and were there to help
and learn as much as possible about the local security situation and
needs of their village. After meeting with the local elders, the soldiers
distributed toys, and their company medic examined some of the
villagers, providing medical care to those in need. (Photo by: Thomas
Dworzak)

Georgian Minister of Defense Bacho Akhalaia gathers with the 31st

Georgian Battalion aboard Camp Delaram II, during his visit to the
(From left to right) Lt. Col. Steven Grass, Regimental Combat Team 2
camp, June 14. Brig. Gen. Joseph Osterman, 1st Marine Division
executive officer, 1st Sgt. Jeffrey Beegle, RCT-2 headquarters
(FWD) commanding general, was also in attendance. While the
company first sergeant, Col. Ebdulahai Neshat, executive officer of
minister and his entourage were aboard the camp, they received a
Sgt. IIia Makhatadze, a combat medic with Company B, 31st Georgian 2nd Brigade, 215 Corps, Afghan National Army, and Lt. Col. Lasha
brief from both the Georgian staff as well as Col. Paul Kennedy,
Battalion, Regimental Combat Team 2, administers eye drops to a Beridze, senior national representative, Georgian Army, International
Regimental Combat Team 2 commanding officer. The brief touched on
local Afghan elder during a visit to his village in Farah province, July Joint Command, stand before the memorial site of four Georgian
topics concerning the logistics of the Georgian unit as well plans for
22. Operating in the sparsely populated areas located throughout soldiers from 31st Georgian Battalion who died during recent combat
future implementation of the Georgian battalion throughout RCT-2’s
eastern Farah province, the soldiers from Company B continue to operations in Helmand province, Oct. 7. The four soldiers were
battle space. For the first time, a Georgian battalion is working
foster positive relationships with the local Afghans in order to assist patrolling alongside Afghan National Army forces during an operation
alongside a Marine regimental combat team. Through the combined
the Afghan government in bringing essential civil services such as conducted in southern Musa Qal’eh. During the ceremony, service
efforts of two NATO forces working for a common goal, the
medical care and security to the people of Farah. (Photo by: Thomas members from RCT-2 headquarters, 2nd Brigade, 215th Corps and the
Georgians, along with RCT-2, plan to leave a positive impact in the
Dworzak) 31st Georgian Bn., came to show their respect.
Helmand province.
4 MONTHLY SUPPLEMENT OF GEORGIA TODAY OCTOBER 2010 ISSUE #40

Visit by American Generals Students and Pupils visit the

A delegation of American officers
has been briefed on the ongoing reforms
in the Georgian Armed Forces. The
group of seventeen newly-selected Gen-
erals and Flag Officers led by retired
General (4 star) Thomas Morgan, visit-
ed the Georgian Ministry of Defense on
October 27. The U.S. delegation was
hosted by the Joint Chief of Staff of the
Georgian Armed Forces, Major-Gener-
al Devi Chankotadze and Deputy De-
fense Minister, Nodar Kharshiladze. At
the meeting the participants discussed
current reforms in the Georgian Armed
Forces, Georgia’s foreign and security
policy objectives, and how Georgia con-
tributes to providing stability in the
world. The U.S. Generals gave a posi-
tive assessment of Georgia’s participa-
tion in counterterrorism and peacekeep-
ing operations, and expressed their ap-
preciation for the Country’s contribu-
tion.
Visit took place within the frame-
work of the U.S. DoD CAPSTONE pro-
Krtsanisi National Training Center
gram, which fulfills the statutory re-
quirements of the DoD Reorganization
Act of 1986 which supports the profes-
sional military education of officers se-
lected for promotion to the rank of Gen-
eral or Flag officer. Specifically, the
objective of the program is to make new-
ly selected Generals and Flag officers
more effective in planning and employ-
ing US forces in Unified, Joint and Mul-
tinational operations, and more knowl-
edgeable of when and how these opera-
tions support national strategy and pol-
icy. Program participants frequently visit
various countries in order to get to know
to their defense systems. The U.S. dele-
gation left Georgia on October 28.

Military Attaches visit the
National Training Center
Military Attaches accredited to Geor-
gia have taken a tour of the Krtsanisi
National Training Center with Deputy
Defense Minister, Nodar Kharshiladze
hosting the foreign delegation. The dip-
lomats inspected infrastructure and ar-
maments at the institution as well visit-
ed its Simulation Center. Military At-
taches also had the opportunity to be-
come familiarized with reforms to mili-
tary education.
“Today, we had an opportunity to get
our foreign partners familiar with Krt-
sanisi National Training Center. They
made a close study of the conditions
under which our soldiers are being
trained. Our friends expressed their sat-
isfaction with the situation on the
ground. I hope that this visit will be one
more step towards deepening bilateral
cooperation”, declared Kharshiladze.
At the end of the visit, the attaches
competed with each other on the firing
range practicing with the M4 automatic
rifle. The US Military Attaché, John
Thurman succeeded in beating tight
competition to win the contest. Second
and third places were awarded to Lithua-
nian Diplomat, LTC Virginijus Vilkelis
and German Diplomat, LTC Bernhard
Hopp respectively. At the end of the
meeting, the Deputy Defense Minister
presented the guests with gifts as a mark
of friendship and respect.
University students and high school
pupils from the 11th grade had the op-
portunity to become acquainted with the
daily life of soldiers at the Krtsanisi
National Training Center. They spent a
full three days at the Center as part of a
project implemented by the Ministry of
Defense and the Information Center on
NATO.
Instructors led practical and theoret-
ical exercises for the visitors and taught
them about the structure of the Georgian
armed forces and a range of armaments
systems. Older participants were also
able to take part in practical exercises.
Participants in the project were met
by Deputy Defense Minister, Nodar
Kharshiladze and the Minister for Re-
integration, Temur Iakobashvili who ex-
plained to them the ongoing defense re-
forms. “The young people had the op-
portunity to become familiar with the
living conditions of the military, and the
training programs and technologies that
have been introduced at the Center. They
Students from GIPA visit the Ministry of Defense
Sophomore students from the School
of Journalism and Media Management
at the Georgian Institute of Public Af-
fairs (GIPA) became familiar with on-
going defense reforms at a visit to the
ministry in October. The students met
with Deputy Defense Minister, Nodar
Kharshiladze who explained the struc-
ture of the armed forces, prospects for
defense cooperation with Euro-Atlantic
organizations and changes being made
as part of the ongoing defense reforms.
The meeting was held in a highly inter-
active format with the Deputy Minister
fielding questions from the students.
“The meeting for me as a novice was
also learnt about Georgia’s partnership
with NATO”, declared the Deputy Min-
ister.
Temur Iakobashvili did not hesitate
to express his satisfaction with the meet-
ing: “the meeting was a great success. I
was quite surprised at the well thought-
out questions asked by the young guests.
Their interest towards issues of common
concern is great. It is good that the youth
are so actively engaged in all these pro-
cesses. I think that similar projects
should continue to be implemented”.
The project’s co-organizer, the Head
of the Information Center on NATO,
Tengiz Gogotishvili believes that the
implementation of more projects such
as this would be very useful for the
younger generation. “Under the joint
project implemented by the Ministry of
Defense and the Information Center on
NATO, the students underwent a three-
day training course. The MoD did its
best to introduce the students to mod-
ern Georgian combat equipment, army
very important. We received extensive
information and learnt about many new
things as well as the fundamentals the
Georgian army is based on. On the
whole, the meeting was very compre-
hensive”, said Irina Laliashvili, a par-
ticipating student.
The students also had the opportuni-
ty to inspect the base of the 4th Infantry
Brigade at Vaziani, where they were
hosted by Senior Sergeant, Aleksandre
Gorgadze. They were able to become
personally familiar with the soldiers’
training regime as well as take a close
look at military and combat equipment.
They took part in combat exercises, used
structure and the overall situation at the
training center. Deputy Minister, Nodar
Kharshiladze and the Minister for Re-
integration, Temur Iakobashvili met the
young people on behalf of the Ministry,
and answered all their questions. I hope
they all obtained information of inter-
est”, stated Gogotishvili.
One of the project’s participants,
Nodar Khutsishvili talked to Defense
Today about the visit: “for me, as an or-
dinary citizen, it is crucial to know what
is currently happening in the Georgian
army. It was interesting to be able to
become familiar with the daily activi-
ties of soldiers. What we have seen on
site exceeded our expectations. I hope
that projects of a similar type will be
implemented again, and that other peo-
ple will also have the opportunity to
learn about the modernization process
in the Georgian army.
The students and pupils who partici-
pated in the project were awarded cer-
tificates and gifts.
the base’s simulation systems and had
dinner with the soldiers. One of the stu-
dents, Ani Berukashvili told Defense
Today about her impressions of the site:
“We took a look at the base and tasted
the daily rations of the servicemen. I par-
ticularly liked the Simulation Center. At
the beginning it looks like a game, but
then you understand that it actually rec-
reates a real war. I am glad that our mil-
itary are being trained in such condi-
tions.”
The visit took place as part of ongo-
ing cooperation between The Ministry
of Defense and the Georgian Institute
of Public Affairs.

New Church Opened

A new church dedicated to St. Go-
bron has been opened at the base of the
rd
3 Infantry Brigade. The foundations for
the church were laid in the second half
of 2008, after the Russian-Georgian War.
The opening ceremony of the church
was attended by Metropolitan Kalistrate
of the Kutaisi and Gaenati Eparchy and
by Father Jakob from the Ministry of
Defense.
Father Gobron served the first litur-
gy in the newly built church: “The foun-
dations of the church were laid down
two years ago. We have consecrated the
groundwork in the name of Martyr Go-
bron as he has the same spiritual signif-
icance for Georgia as St. George. I think
that it is very important to have a church
to serve all military units to give our
soldiers the opportunity to attend sermon
whenever they want. It is very good that
the Ministry of Defense of Georgia gives
a great deal of importance to this issue.
Wherever there is a soldier there is a
chaplain. Each soldier needs a blessing
from God, especially those military ser-
vicemen who are performing their mis-
sion in Afghanistan,” he noted.
The St. Gobron Church has its own
chapel and library. The church was built
on the initiative of the Ministry of De-
fense and the 3rd Infantry Brigade.