2022-12-12
Compulsory military service will be transferred in its entirety into the system of the Defense Ministry, an effective system will be created, and the program will span at least six months, the project will cost us over 80 million GEL and will come into force on January 1, 2025, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili stated at today's Government meeting.
According to the Prime Minister, the new Defense Code will be a major innovation, and important reforms will launch in the Defense Ministry.
Irakli Garibashvili emphasized that work on the Defense Code had been underway for a while, the experience of other countries had been studied in detail, and the best practices had been taken in.
"I would like to bring up one of the most important topics for discussion. At today's Government's meeting, we are reviewing the Defense Code, a draft law presented by Mister Juansher Burchuladze. To me personally, this is one of the topics I and all of us have been dreaming of, because it is related to our next generation, to the upbringing of our youth, raising and strengthening the patriotic spirit among them, and giving them an additional incentive. I will describe very briefly what this code is about. Work has been underway for quite a while. We have studied the experience of other countries in detail, including taking in the best practices. This code will be a major innovation; in fact, very important reforms will launch in the Defense Ministry. The initial vision I would like to share with you is as follows: compulsory military service has been reconsidered, and will be reformed, so every person, our citizens, will do compulsory military service only in the Defense Ministry. As you know, this service was scattered before, and we must admit that it was ineffective. According to every analysis, this service was ineffective, unable to produce the results we want. Consequently, we had a conversation on this issue with the Heads of the Ministries comprising the security system. We have analyzed it together and agreed that compulsory military service in its entirety will be transferred into the system of the Defense Ministry. And this on top what I have already discussed, that an effective additional system will be created, and the program will span six, eight, or eleven months, depending on the career to be chosen by the given person subsequently. It will be at least a six-month program. It will not be just theoretical, but also intensive combat, military training. After completing this program, a person will have compulsory military service completed with the rank of private. Besides, one of the key goals will be to create a strong reserve. Also, we had a conversation on this together, conscription will be carried out by the Defense Ministry instead of the Ministry of Regional Development. This process will start in January, but will come into full force starting on January 1, 2025. In the meantime, the Ministry needs to be put in order, and the system must be prepared well. We also want to build defense centers in the regions, to make it easier for our young people to access information on the ground, on one hand, and to make sure that registering and recruiting are maximally comfortable, on the other. This project will cost us over 80 million GEL, starting on January 1, 2025. We have been through this topic, and relevant finances will be mobilized," Irakli Garibashvili stated.
The Head of Government also spoke about the program devised by Girchi which in reality only confused young people and offered them alternative service.
"I do not think that there is even a single patriot in the country who does not care and is not concerned, worried about this issue. It is this loathsome, anti-patriotic, anti-state program devised by Girchi which in reality confused young people and offered them alternative service. We all know well that it was fictitious, passed off as some kind of religious service. This was the biggest blasphemy and abomination-this is what I call it bluntly. We cannot turn a bling eye to this, and it is our duty to take care of this matter, and we have already taken care of it. And here is how," the Prime Minister said.
According to him, the legislative gap will be eliminated to rule out the possibility of the existence of dishonest and fictitious religious organizations.
"This legislative gap will be eliminated, one previously used by Mister Zurab Japaridze-though even mentioning his name at the Government's meeting is too great an honor for him-but I will say nonetheless that what he did was the biggest maliciousness against our country's youth and our future generation. This is why this gap will be bridged and eliminated, and the possibility of the existence of dishonest and fictitious, pseudo-religious organizations will be ruled out. We have coordinated this matter with the Patriarchate as well. And, according to the relevant entry, this issue will be solved once and for all. We will not let these malevolent persons lead our healthy young generation astray. They were telling people straightforwardly to evade their constitutional duties. What can be more malicious and hostile against one's own country? So, this issue has been solved," the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister also stated that students aged under 23, should they decide to complete military training while continuing their studies, will be able to join the program in the course of four years, with about one-month intensive training programs at military bases and an identical basic military training program offered to them.
As the Prime Minister emphasized, four years into the enactment of the program, the Defense Ministry will train about 10,000 recruits. After the full enactment of the program, in ten years, the country will have about 100,000 people in reserve.
"I believe it is necessary to offer a more flexible system to students. Besides the fact that the institution will have no means to train all volunteers or recruits, we believe it necessary to offer a more flexible system to students. Accordingly, students aged under 23, should they decide to complete military training while continuing their studies, will be able to join the program in the course of four years. An intensive training program, about a month a year, will be offered at military bases, so they will complete an identical basic military training program. In other words, it will be a four-year program, and they will have to complete intensive one-month trainings at military bases per year, and upon graduation, four years later, their military services will be considered completed with the military rank of reserve privates. I believe this is very important, and it is a very good offer. In all, friends, we will prepare about 10,000 recruits a year, every year, half of whom will be students, and the other half regular recruits who will complete these intensive programs. I believe it is a very important decision. On one hand, we regulate and deal with this maliciousness. On the other, it will be a highly effective program that will promote the army, raising the patriotic military spirit among our young people, who will pick up other skills, discipline, army discipline, and I believe we will have a very successful reform. Most importantly, in ten years, after the program's full enactment-and maybe even earlier-the country will have at least a 100,000-strong reserve of young citizens with military training," the Prime Minister stated.
Irakli Garibashvili, in discussing the new Defense Code, also emphasized that building apartments for service members will be the state's duty. Those wounded and incapacitated will receive 20,000 GEL instead of 7,000 GEL in assistance, while 30,000 GEL in one-off assistance will be issued for those killed on duty.
According to Irakli Garibashvili, as early as Bidzina Ivanishvili's tenure as Prime Minister, the compensation for persons killed in the fight for the country's territorial integrity, freedom, and independence was set at 100,000 GEL. And this illustrates the attitude of the authorities toward military service members and police officers.
"Social guarantees were included for service members in this code. I have said it before that building apartments should not be a one-off solution, just the way it will not be in the case of police force members-and this is also something we want to regulate. The code will read that building apartments is the state's duty. And it will not be up to the good will of one minister or another. It must be the state's duty, and apartments will be built for our service members every three years. We want to do the same for our police, too. This must be our duty. Other numerous benefits and privileges will also be set for service members. For example, God forbid but those wounded and incapacitated-instead of 7,000 issued preciously as a compensation or assistance-will receive 20,000 GEL. One-off assistance for those killed on duty will be set at 30,000 GEL. The compensation for those killed for the country's territorial integrity, freedom, and independence will be set at 100,000 GEL. This decision was made by Bidzina Ivanishvili during his tenure as Prime Minister, one that applied to police officers, among others. And this is our attitude toward our forces, our heroes, our cherished military service members and police officers," the Prime Minister noted.
Press Service of the Government Administration