ENHANCING DEFENCE AND SECURITY EDUCATION
Andro BarnoviA speech on Rose Roth Seminar in Tbilisi, 24.03.2011
Ladies and gentlemen, dear guests,
The past two decades have formed a truly new era that is different from anything in the past. It is different because the world has become global, and we have all begun to take stakes in each other’s benefits and challenges. Because old cuffs no longer work, today we have more freedom to choose new partners and to regard those who fight back from the past as outdated. The spirit of partnership and shared responsibility are, perhaps, the main characteristics of this new era.
We all know, however, that this is not the only trend. Challenges to partnership also abound and are shared by those who choose to partner. Terrorism, extremism, isolationist philosophy of former empires, nuclear proliferation and ecology make up a very incomplete list of our shared challenges >>>
Quite clearly though, all of these hurdles stem out of the mentality of their authors: those who dread partnership and choose isolation. This is the mentality of the weak, and their main weakness is their inaptitude to survive and develop in new circumstances.
We Georgians are not free of these problems. Our society is fast developing, but the process is still underway. The same is true for the entire South Caucasus region, which is split by mistrust, irrational fears and ill-grounded ambitions- --, isolated from each other and often manipulated from outside.
We need to fight these trends because we need to be strong partners. But we need to keep in mind that long-term confidence building cannot be blind. It should be based on a rational understanding of each other’s intentions and capabilities, understanding of mutual rational interests, shared values, personal affiliation and love of each other’s cultures and lifestyles and a well-grounded belief in the proximity of those nations.
We consider education to be a cornerstone of our common future. There is a full realization in Georgia that we cannot build that future alone. We should be good agents for peace and security in this region - acting hand in hand with our partners in the West, and building our common future with our neighbors in the region. The political and strategic orientation of Georgia requires that a strong cooperation with the Alliance will be one very important component for an identity of Georgian citizenship in years to come. But, as I have said, this needs to be very strongly backed by proper education, and that’s what we aim at when implementing reforms in this field.
A strong identity is an open one. It is always brought about by knowledge of survival from the walls of isolation. A partnership means equality, and there can be no partnership without shared values, beliefs and knowledge. Sizes no longer matter when met in quality. This is what we know for sure; from both our domestic and international experience.
Reforms that are now underway in the National Defense Academy of Georgia are aimed at enhancing the readiness of the Georgian Security Sector, not with tanks, but with educated individuals. We are determined to be equal with our partners not just by participation but by the quality of participation in joint endeavors. Looking at Georgia’s support of the Iraq and Afghanistan missions, I believe our partners would agree that we are good students, moving toward quality participation -- and we assure you that this determination will continue.
For years, the Georgian defense education system has enjoyed strong support from our partners in the West and today we have several proofs of this cooperation. As a result, the Georgian Army is very different today. Its competence, discipline, infrastructure and materiel have much improved over the last few years. Our current educational infrastructure includes modern facilities, training bases and several schools. Programs include various courses of military instruction of different levels. It is worth mentioning that the Captains Career Course programs of instruction are now good enough for us to work on receiving PfP accreditation and make our Captains Career School regional.
Still, we are now building a new system of officer education – a “new” because its background philosophy implies a thorough academic education – not just physical and tactical training. We are building a so called “sandwich model” for our Armed Forces, which means interchangeable periods of service and education during an officer’s entire career.
Reforms in administration mostly relate to the amalgamation of various courses under a unified management system on three main levels: junior officer, captain and intermediate level training. This will make three schools: (1) Army Officers Basic Training School, (2) Captains Career School, and (3) Command and General Staff College.
But our ‘wonder boy’ is a 4 year College which is receiving the first class of 120 cadets in September. This school will make a solid base for overall and thorough reform of the education system of Georgian officers and will link with the personnel management system of the Armed Forces, which will also undergo further reforms.
The College consists of the School of Technical Sciences with two programs in Information Technologies and Construction Engineering, and a School of Management with programs in Logistics and Transportation, and General Management. An additional program of Mechanical Engineering within the School of Technical Sciences will be launched next year. In total, there will be five academic programs in our 4-year college, combined with military training and providing officers for all branches of the Georgian Armed Forces.
The College functions in full accord with the Bologna process rules and the programs are managed according to a credit system. The military training component comprises ⅓ of the entire instruction and amounts to 70 credits out of 240.
A cadet receives the rank of 2nd Lieutenant after graduation and complies with the MOD contract for continued service in the Georgian Armed Forces. At the point at which servicemen approach the rank of CPT, they are sent to the Captains Career School and serve as company commanders and Battalion staff officers after graduation.
The next phase of instruction will start when they become Majors. This will happen in the Command and General Staff School, which is now a 6-month course, but will become a 10-month long Course next year. The first level of this school will comprise CGSC, followed by the School of Advanced Defense Studies (SADS) for Lt. Colonels, with a focus on operational planning and strategic studies.
NDA’s academic degrees will also include Master level studies, which will be optional in CGSS and mandatory in SADS. NDA’s MA studies will launch next year, while SADS is planned to launch in 2015. The academic component of the program will be available for the members of MoD and all other institutions representing the Georgian Security Sector, those of partner nations and with special focus on regional cooperation, while SADS will be a military extension of our MA programs for the officer corps. The delay is due to the shortage of proper human resources which we still need to prepare to make our SADS plans real.
As for MA studies, they will include the three programs and their academic parts will be open for regional and international participation. These programs include (1) Defense Analysis, (2) European Security Affairs and (3) Defense Resource Management.
We already work with our partners in the West to make our Masters level education a joint endeavor. This will be realized by joint work on our curricula, joint instruction, and even student exchange, especially on the regional level. It has been decided that all of our Masters level education will be delivered in English. It will be a relatively small program, and officers and civilians will have several opportunities to study English before they begin their Masters study.
One good tool for this is our 4 year College in which English language study will be required. But also, there is a NDA Language School which is also undergoing major changes. We are teaching five foreign languages at the school with particular focus on English and French. Officers and civilians from the entire Armed Forces and Ministry of Defense will undergo language training in this school.
English language instruction will have additional benefits for the NDA. By so doing, professors from various Western universities will find it easier to teach in the NDA. We have already started negotiations with a number of universities in the Unites States and hope to successfully finalize this process by NDA’s Grand Opening ceremony in September. Of course, we hope to widen the loop in the near future.
As with our entire security system, and as part of its natural purpose, we try to be contributors, not just recipients of security. MA level studies will enable us to partner widely in the region with particular focus on cooperation with immediate neighbors in the South Caucasus. Also, we will be able to provide an excellent basis for regional studies and partner with universities worldwide. Russia, North Caucasus, South Caucasus and Middle East studies will be our priority in that regard.
Another contribution to the development of the security systems of our partners will be our language school which is one of our major priorities today. We put chief emphasis on Russian instruction and Russian practice programs for foreigners, while also stressing our capacity to teach all regional languages including Georgian, Armenian and Azerbaijani. We will partner with our neighbors to have the best teachers with native language knowledge. At the same time, we are able to use our national resources for this purpose.
Next, a top priority in the NDA’s current plans is our doctoral programs which we also plan to launch from next year. Just like our MA programs, this should be NDA’s regional PhD school, prioritizing doctoral studies in economics, conflict studies, international politics and social sciences. We intend to make a school of common sense in the South Caucasus, thus contributing to deeper partnerships, joint endeavors, mutually beneficial programs and better overall understanding among our nations.
Because Georgia is a small country, and the number of students and professors will not abound, we plan to squeeze the entire system into one organization. The NDA has the full backing of the Ministry of Defense and our ongoing infrastructure program is proof of that support. As I speak now, an excellent academic campus is under development in Gori. It includes perfect studying and living facilities, an excellent sports complex, recreational centers, laboratories and libraries, all the necessary auxiliary infrastructure and two hotels for high ranking officers, civilians and international students.
We hope to make the NDA the best possible higher education institution, serving the needs of our Armed Forces and our Security System, while also contributing to Georgia’s policy of moving closer to NATO, having peaceful partner relations with neighbors, and contributing to regional peace and development hand in hand with the Euro-Atlantic community. We hope our approach and efforts will find further understanding and support from our friends, and to conclude, I would once more assure you that our main ambition is to be good students and good partners with our friends in a free and democratic world.
Finally, let me stress once again that our every endeavor is aimed at regional and Euro-Atlantic cooperation with a very clear focus on NATO membership. And as I said earlier, we want to be good agents for peace, democracy, trust building and cooperation in this region and to best contribute to NATO goals of wider partnership.
Andro Barnovi
Rector
National Defense Academy of Georgia
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