Three ‘totals’ for Georgian army

The Georgian Defense Ministry announced that it is working on a new concept of the Georgian army. It will be based on three totals: Total care, total training, and total defense. New Defense Minister Dimitri Shashkini initiated the new slogan. So far nothing substantial has been done in any of the directions, though there remains much hope because the interest towards the ministry of defense is very high– particularly in light of the Russian invasion in August 2008.

The response to the new initiative has been mixed. Kviris Palitra reminds its readers that during the 08/08/08 war, many Georgian soldiers, reservists and most significantly– Georgian citizens were abandoned in the battlefield. The fourth anniversary of the tragic events is approaching and the population of Georgia is reminded of the details of those hard days.

There are different interpretations of the three “totals.” Total care presumably refers to taking care of the families of those who were killed in the military operations. Total training means the training of armed forces according to NATO standards– first of all using these skills while serving in the international missions and of course protecting the homeland. Total defense presumably is a strategy which is targeted at defending Georgia by any Georgian citizen. So, let us hope that the Georgian army will become more disciplined, more efficient and more victorious. However, some journalists and NGOs complain that there isn’t any transparency of what is really going in the army.