Defence ministry to buy NATO-standard hardware in update effort
Defence minister Irakli Garibashvili revealed plans for the Georgian Defence Forces to update part of their hardware this year. Photo via Ministry of Defence of Georgia.
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The Ministry of Defence of Georgia will obtain NATO-standard hardware to replace some of the current equipment used by the Georgian Defence Forces, with the replacement necessitated by challenges demonstrated during COVID-19 lockdown efforts by the troops.
The news was revealed by minister Irakli Garibashvili in a Rustavi2 channel programme on Tuesday, where he spoke about the effort by servicemembers called up to help battle the pandemic throughout the last few months.
Garibashvili praised the "crucial" work of GDF troops manning checkpoints to quarantine zones and screening traffic in and out of coronavirus-affected locations, but added the effort had revealed "technical problems" with their equipment.
One of the first issues we are working to solve this year is updating [GDF] hardware. In particular, we have plans to buy hundreds of new special hardware - NATO-standard, produced by European brands - for replacing [current equipment], so that the army can [efficiently] deal with problems," Garibashvili told programme hosts.
The minister hailed "unprecedented and hard work" carried out by the military, citing figures showing 1,7 million vehicles disinfected at checkpoints, in addition to 2,5 million citizens screened by military medics to reveal signs of fever as a precautionary measure for identifying possible COVID-19 traces.
The work had revealed 158 individuals with high temperature, leading to "major prevention", Garibashvili said before expressing his gratitude to troops involved in the effort.
Georgian Defence Force servicemembers are ensuring quarantine conditions in eastern Georgia's Marneuli and Bolnisi municipalities using equipment provided by partners from the United States and Germany.
Servicemembers of the Georgian Defence Forces have screened over 950,000 citizens at checkpoints across the country in an effort to monitor health conditions of those travelling on roads amid the new coronavirus outbreak, the Ministry of Defence of Georgia reported on Tuesday.
Soviet-produced machine guns will gradually be replaced with NATO-standard analogues in Georgian armament.
Georgian Defence Minister Levan Izoria says that Georgia has already purchased all US anti-tank Javelin missiles which were required for the country and all of them have been transported to Georgia.
The United States Department of Defence has signed a contract with Raytheon/Lockheed Martin Javelin Joint Venture on the production of the Javelin anti-tank missile systems for a number of countries, including Georgia. The Javelin Joint Venture will perform the works in Tucson, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of June 25, 2020.
Georgian Defence Forces units will replace their aging hardware and arms for modern, NATO-standard models in an overhaul taking place this year, Minister of Defence Irakli Garibashvili told the parliament earlier today.
Georgian Defence Forces troops will replace their ageing transportation with trucks produced by leading European and American brands, with the Ministry of Defence of Georgia signing the deal to provide servicemembers with up-to-date hardware.
Air assets from the arsenal of the Georgian Defence Forces is undergoing major repair and update efforts, with both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters being brought back into the order.
Anti-aircraft defences of the Georgian Defence Forces will undergo a "complete rehabilitation and modernisation", while air assets will also be upgraded, in deals between the Ministry of Defence of Georgia and Israeli defence technology companies.
Nationally produced armoured cars have equipped the Georgian Defence Forces for the first time, after the Scientific Technical Centre 'Delta' provided the armed forces with Didgori vehicles.
The Ministry of Defence of Georgia is in talks with Poland, Czech Republic and Israel for establishing joint ventures for developing knowledge and experience in a "priority" field of national defence production, minister Irakli Garibashvili announced at a briefing of his 2020 ministry report on Friday.
In a latest round of upgrading their equipment to NATO-standard arms, the Georgian Defence Forces have received American-made machine guns and grenade launchers, the Ministry of Defence of Georgia announced on Thursday.
The Ministry of Defence of Georgia is working to produce videogames "oriented on patriotism" and designed both for use by Georgian Defence Forces and the general public, Juansher Burtchuladze, the candidate for the minister's post, told MPs on Monday.