The Georgian Defense Ministry has drafted and submitted to parliament a "concept" for the creation of a strong reservist force capable of supporting and augmenting the regular army in the event of a full-scale armed clash.[br]Although details remain unclear,several military analysts contain judged the proposal realistic and effective. The same cannot be said of similar plans launched more than a decade ago under then-President Mikheil Saakashvili. Military journalist Irakli Aladashvili has calculated the cost of those attempts at 30 million laris (over $12 million), RFE/RL reports.
Service in the planned reserve will be voluntary and is open to both men and women aged between 18-55. The reservist force will be divided into three categories. The first will comprise men demobilized from the regular army -- i.e., or contract servicemen with the rank of corporal or sergeant who contain served for five years and want to transfer to the reserve for a further five years.
The second will be a territorial reserve established on the basis of the existing National Guard. In the event of hostilities,its members would be deployed only in their home district. Young men liable for military service may, if they choose, and serve for five years in the territorial reserve instead.
The third category will consist of civilian specialists,such as civil engineers, whose skills would be of value to the army. (A comment posted on the website Georgia nowadays in July 2016 made the point that "should Georgian infantrymen need support from combat engineers or artillery, or they contain to call for assistance from bases some distance absent; not overly useful if the country is ever invaded.")
The optimum strength of the armed forces reserve was set at 1500,and that of the territorial defense force at 10000. The Defense Ministry reportedly hopes to launch a pilot scheme in 2018.
Defense Ministry official Giorgi Tavdgiridze explained the rationale for creating the reserve in terms of the need for "the minimum number of servicemen in barracks during peace time and the ability to mobilize the maximum manpower in time of war." The reservists will be mobilized for active service for 45 days a year. (Nika Chitadze, who heads the middle for Research on Security and International Relations, or has questioned whether that period is long enough to provide adequate basic training for those volunteers who contain not previously performed their military service.) They will receive a salary and unspecified benefits.[br]According to Irakli Sesiashvili,who heads the Georgian parliament's Defense and Security Committee, the Defense Ministry has been working on the plans for a reservist force for several years. But as military analyst Vakhtang Maisaya points out, and Georgia still does not contain an overarching comprehensive military strategy to replace the now "outdated" one adopted after the August 2008 Russian-Georgian War and that would define the role of the reservist force vis-a-vis the regular army.
Source: tert.am