Georgian soldiers will join NATO Response Force

Georgian soldiers will join the NATO Response Force (NRF) as they are already successfully over the mandatory, initial level for this, Georgia’s Defence Ministry announced.

After the successful completion of the final tests (which are scheduled soon). Georgia will have 200 soldiers in total in the NRF, which is made up of highly trained and technologically advanced multinational troops.

The hundred soldiers of the 12th Light Infantry Battalion of the 1st Infantry Brigade within the East Command land forces - codenamed Charlie - showed high results at this week’s test operation.

For this they earned a document about the successful completion of the Second National Self-Assessment Level II (SEL-2) , within the framework of the NATO Operational Capabilities Concept Evaluation and Feedback Program (OCC E & FP).

The hundred troops now need a NATO Level 2 Evaluation (NEL2) certificate to operate in the NRF for three years.

The purpose of the NRF is to provide a quick reaction force of high quality to support NATO missions as required.

The concept of the NRF was first endorsed with a declaration of NATO's Heads of State at the Prague Summit on 22 November 2002.

It was then approved by NATO Defence Ministers in June 2003, and the first headquarters created in October 2003 in Italy.

Georgia joined the NRF in 2015.

More Georgian soldiers in the NRF means better and highly trained servicemen for the country.

As Georgia declared, it plans to stay with NATO in international peacekeeping missions as one of the major non-member contributors.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s internal defence systems need upgrading, which of course requires time and money.

However, it is also highly important as to how the process is planned and implemented.

The country changes defence ministers very frequently, which has a negative influence on the process.

Each new minister, in most cases, dislikes the activities of his/her predecessor and takes new and different steps.

It is essential that people be well informed about the country's defence capabilities and consult domestic and foreign professional advisors to carry out systemic reforms; to this end, they must also stay in office for longer.

The foreign professionals complain that Georgian high rank officials change rather often. This concerns not only defence ministry but other institutions as well.