Wednesday, July 25, 2007, #140 (1407)

Saakashvili’s ‘Thinking’ Army
By Eter Tsotniashvili

“You are the army of a democratic country. That means you are a thinking army,” President Mikheil Saakashvili told newly-minted Georgia military officers on July 23, after their graduation from the Defense Ministry’s Officers’ Program.

The president stressed that the country’s new approach to military officer training—which seeks to produce a group, he said, of “intellectually strong” leaders—is a clear break from the Soviet officer system, and more appropriate to a democratic country.

At a time when Georgia faces historic challenges, Saakashvili said, the Georgian army is the most important aspect of the nation’s dignity. And the strongest militaries, he claimed, are products of the strongest democracies. "Why are the armies of Israel, England and America better than other countries’ armies?” he asked. “Because they consist of representatives of societies where there is freedom and where freedom is the highest ideal and the strongest motivating force.”

Efforts to create a ‘thinking’ army come with financial incentives for soldiers: roles requiring a “high level of knowledge,” including engineering, technical and communications units, will receive higher pay, the president announced. An additional GEL 100–150 per month will be offered to officers for each foreign language they can speak. And, as of January 1, all officers will receive an average salary of GEL 1000 per month, about USD 600.

Saakashvili also outlined his goal of increasing the reservist corps, touting the new force’s importance to the country’s security.

“We will soon train 5000 reservists a month. Initially I set out a goal of training 100 000 reservists in Georgia, and I think that Georgia has the potential to amass a reservist corps of 200 000 troops,” he said.
Saakashvili’s speech comes at a time when Georgia is escalating its troop presence in Iraq, although the president didn’t address the country’s commitments there. With the Georgian contingent set to grow from 850 to 2000 troops, the country will be fielding the third largest coalition force in Iraq, after the US and UK—and Georgia’s per capita troop commitment is nearly level with that of the US.

It’s not just troop deployments that are rising. An amended state budget, passed through parliament in June, ratcheted up 2007 defense spending to USD 568.6 million, a jump of more than USD 260 million from its previous level.

The government argue the increase in military spending, which now accounts for an estimated six percent of the country’s GDP, has been so sharp only because the country previously had a diminutive and ill-funded military. A modernized military is key to NATO accession, and signals Georgia’s reliance as an international partner, officials say. Others fear the build-up is telling of Tbilisi’s plans for resolving the Abkhazia and South Ossetia conflicts.



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