Armour Training Area Opened in Vaziani
Friday, August 14
A solemn ceremony of opening armour training area was held in the Vaziani training ground. The Minister of Defence of Georgia Tinatin Khidasheli and Chief of the General Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces Major-General Vakhtang Kapanadze attended the event.
The Chief of the GS addressed the IV Mechanized Brigade servicemen and congratulated them on the opening of a new training facility. The Minister also referred to the need of upgrading defence capabilities in Vaziani and outlined that NATO-Georgia Joint Training and Evaluation Centre will use this facility as well.
“This tank park will be part of the NATO-Georgia Joint Training and Evaluation Centre which will open officially at the end of this month. We have begun vigorous work for strengthening our armament and defence capabilities. The French contract is just a part of it. The Ministry of Defence plans a lot of procurements, though we will refrain from speaking about it publicly. We also intend to solve the infrastructural and logistical problems as well as to strengthen defence and armament capabilities,” said the Minister of Defence.
The armour training area in Vaziani was named after Corporal Roman Ugrexkhelidze, a Georgian military serviceman who died heroically in the 2008 August War. Corporal Ugrekhelidze worked as driver-mechanic in the II Tank Company of the 44th Tank Battalion of the IV Infantry Brigade.
The Minister and her Deputy Besik Loladze familiarized themselves with the tank park capabilities. Later on demonstrative training of armoured vehicles was conducted.
The so-called tank park involves obstacles close to real combat environments for commanders and driver-mechanics of tracked combat vehicles.
