Georgian Army To Become Volunteer By 2009
May 01, 2006
Georgian soldiers training during a military drill in March (epa)
At a ceremony to open a new military base 250 kilometers west of the capital Tbilisi, Defense Minister Irakli Okruashvili said a decision has been made to phase out the draft.
He said after several years of debate, the Georgian government's position is clear -- namely that the army must be
based on a contract system.
Georgia, which wants to join NATO, already has four U.S-trained battalions made up of 2,000 contract service personnel. Georgia's armed forces in total number 26,000.
(AP)