Georgian Land Forces

The Georgian Land Forces (Georgian: საქართველოს სახმელეთო ძალები, romanized: sakartvelos sakhmeleto dzalebi) are the land force component of the Defense Forces of Georgia. They are the largest branch of the military and constitute the bulk of the DFG.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union Georgia was left with virtually no military. Alongside the National Guard, Land Forces formed the core of the Georgian army. Most of the infantry brigades were created on the basis of old Soviet formations. Previously, the Soviet Army's 31st Army Corps was stationed in the former Georgian SSR. In the July 1993 issue of Jane's Intelligence Review it was reported that the 31st Army Corps was to leave Kutaisi (presumably for Russia) by the end of July 1993.

The 31st Army Corps had at the dissolution of the Soviet Union four divisions, two of which became Russian military bases, part of the Group of Russian Forces of the Transcaucasus. The other two appear to have transitioned into Georgian formations, as Georgian brigades appear in the same locations after the divisions disbanded. The 10th Guards Motor Rifle Division at Akhaltsikhe was replaced eventually by the 22nd Motorised Brigade, and the 152nd Motor Rifle Division at Kutaisi was eventually replaced by the 21st Motorised Brigade. The 25th Motorised Brigade was located in Batumi, with Roman Dumbadze the brigade commander by 2004.

The formation of the Georgian ground forces began in 1992. During the War in Abkhazia, following the advice of Lieutenant General Anatoli Kamkamidze, a close ally of Eduard Shevardnadze, the main body of Georgian army was organized as the 2nd Army Corps, consisting of two mechanized brigades (23th and 24th mechanized brigades), as well as a mobile brigade and support units, numbering 17,000 men in total. Major General Geno Adamia commanded the 23th mechanized brigade, Major General Zaur Uchadze commanded the 24th Mechanized Brigade and Major General Valeriy Kvaraia commanded the 2nd Army Corps. A second corps, 1st Army Corps, was created in late May 1993 after Gia Karkarashvili replaced Tengiz Kitovani as the Defence Minister, from the National Guard units.

In mid-1995, an air defence battalion was attached to each mechanized brigade. The corps system was removed, and all units were reporting directly to Army HQ. In early 1996 Richard Woff wrote in Jane's Intelligence Review that the ground forces had been commanded since May 1994 by Major General Gujar Kurashvili. He said they comprised five brigades: the 1st Guards (Georgian National Guard), the 2nd (Senaki), the 11th (Tbilisi), the 21st (Kutaisi), and the 25th (Adjara), as well as an artillery brigade. He said the artillery brigade, the 1st Artillery Brigade of the Reserve of the High Command, had been established on 10 November 1993, and had originated from an artillery battalion formed in Tbilisi in December 1991. According to the 1999 reports, the ground forces consisted of five mechanized infantry brigades and one artillery brigade: 1st National Guard Brigade (Tbilisi), 2nd Brigade (Senaki), 11th Brigade (Tbilisi), 21st Brigade (Kutaisi), 22nd Brigade (Akhaltsikhe), 25th Brigade (Batumi), and the Support (artillery) Brigade (Telavi). The 11th Brigade was considered as an elite unit and had been commanded by Valeriy Kvaraia since 1996. In mid-1997, a demonstration rifle battalion of 1,000 men was formed from the elements of the 11th Brigade.

At the start of the 21st century the Georgian army was neglected in terms of equipment and training. The Georgian government subsequently asked for outside help in training its army.

The United States agreed to help turn the Georgian army into an effective fighting force. Georgia Train and Equip Program (GTEP) was an American-sponsored 18-month, $64-million program aimed at increasing the capabilities of the Georgian armed forces by training and equipping four 600-man battalions with light weapons, vehicles and communications. The program enabled the US to expedite funding for the Georgian military for Operation Enduring Freedom. Under GTEP, three Light Infantry Battalions of the 11th Brigade (renamed into the 1st Infantry Brigade and stationed in Gori), the new 21st Battalion of the 2nd Infantry Brigade [ka] (former 21st Motorised Brigade) and a new Combined Mechanized Company (later upgraded into the tank battalion) received training and equipment – 2,702 servicemen in total.

In early April 2004 the Georgian Defense Minister relieved General Dumbadze, commander of the 25th Motorised Brigade, of his command. Dumbadze was accused of disobeying Tbilisi's orders, and working on Aslan Abashidze's behalf to block the highway connecting Ajara to the rest of Georgia. When a new commander was appointed, Dumbadze mutinied, taking some 300 Ajaran soldiers and a few pieces of heavy weaponry with him.