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TheNational Guard of Georgia (GNG,Georgian:საქართველოს ეროვნული გვარდია,sak'art'velos erovnuli gvardia) is the gendarmerie, guard of honour, and military reserve force branch of theDefense Forces of Georgia. It is tasked with responding to civil affairs, civil disorders, external threats, important ceremonial duties, internal security, natural disasters crisis, public security, and support military operations.[2]
The GNG was established on December 20, 1990 after PresidentZviad Gamsakhurdia ordered the creation of what is now theDefense Forces of Georgia. In January 1991, Soviet PresidentMikhail Gorbachev, through the chairman of the Supreme Soviet,Anatoly Lukyanov, instructed Gamsakhurdia to ban the creation of the Guard. The official newspaper of theSoviet Army,Krasnaya Zvezda, published an article mocking the National Guard entitled "Mr. Prefects and Mr. Guardsmen."[3]
The first military parade of the guard with the participation of the First and Second Guards Brigades was held atBoris Paichadze Stadium on 30 April 1991, where for the first time after 70 years, Georgians swore allegiance to their homeland. Gamsakhurdia personally read the oath of allegiance to the guards.[3] The parade was led by Colonel Avtandil Tskitishvili, and saw a small detachment of cavalry being paraded. Colonel Gogi Papavadze (Head of the Main Division of the National Guard) was then presented the new flag of the guard by the parade commander.[3] This day is today commemorated as Defence Forces Day.[4]
Tengiz Kitovani was then appointed as the head of GNG. The GNG was mainly composed of volunteers and more experienced Georgian officers who were serving inSoviet Armies at the time and returned to Georgia to serve in the newly created Georgian Land Forces. Thus, it became the first national military formation in then-Soviet Georgia which would later provide the basis for the regular armed forces.[5]
Almost from its birth, the National Guard became directly involved in Georgian politics. In August 1991, soon after its foundation, the GNG was split between supporters of Gamsakhurdia and Kitovani. The split happened after Kitovani announced that the president was about to dissolve the National Guard. Kitovani and his supporters left the barracks and took up positions near Tbilisi. They joined Prime MinisterTengiz Sigua and the paramilitary leaderJaba Ioseliani during theGeorgian Civil War which began in December 1991. The remaining parts of the GNG retained their loyalty towards Gamsakhurdia.[5]
Units of the National Guard were a major paramilitary force to have fought in theGeorgian Civil War,South Ossetian andAbkhazian conflicts in the early 1990s.[6]
Following USEUCOM recommendations, new roles, functions, and structure were assigned to the National Guard. As of January 2007, the National Guard of Georgia consisted of 554 veteran personnel.[7]
The National Guard of Georgia is composed of:[10]
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