On October 27, Defense Minster Irakli Okruashvili appeared before the Georgian parliament to answer questions concerning military spending and transparency. In May, a visiting team from NATO criticized the Georgian reform effort, stating that while progress existed, there were problems. According to reports by the news service Civil.ge, the team was particularly concerned over the frequent staff reshuffles in the Defense Ministry and General Staff, military spending and acquisitions, and the lack of strong civilian control over military institutions.

While a recent visit by NATO’s special representative to the Caucasus and Central Asia, Robert Simmons, ended on a high note, critics remain at home. During his meeting with the parliament, Okruashvili dismissed opposition criticism over spending and transparency, stating that the Ministry of Defense would submit a list of purchases after they had been made so their plans couldn’t be ‘thwarted’ by ‘our ill-wisher neighbors.’

Members of the opposition have called for more transparent spending all year, especially after a damning report was issued by the NGO Liberty and Justice in February. However, a recent debacle concerning the purchase of 38 reportedly malfunctioning tanks has also added fuel to the fire for more oversight. In an April report on military spending published by EurasiaNet.org, western military advisors also criticized the ministry’s rampant spending policies.

According to the draft budget for 2006, defense spending will be raised considerably. Civil.ge reported that 392.6 million Georgian lari (USD 218.1 million) has been earmarked for the Ministry of Defense, an increase of roughly 20 million lari or more than 3% of Georgia’s GDP.

Parts of those funds are being allocated for new bases: a new base scheduled to open this month in the western city of Senaki has cost a reported 8-9 million lari. However, a string of high profile AWOL cases and abuse allegations are tarnishing the reformer image of new shiny facilities and western-standard training.

Over the past six months there have been a series of incidents concerning reported abuse at bases around Georgia. In April a solider, Arkady Kukava, was hospitalized after reportedly being forced to spend all night outside the barracks half-naked. In October, ten ethnic Azeri soldiers fled their base in eastern Georgia, citing abuse and persecution. Seven ethnic Georgian soldiers in the western region of the country also ran away from their base this month after going without food or proper housing.

According to these seven men, while they were originally stationed at a good base and treated well with regular meals, they were then transferred to a different base which was nothing but tents. They were forced to sleep in the mud and at times were not fed.

It is obvious that there has been a lot of progress made; soldiers this author spoke with who served during former President Shevardnadze say the situation is like night and day. Before they did not even have uniforms, let alone training and discipline. And a major problem with soldiers and morale could revolve around the fact that after a decade of decline, young conscripts are not prepared for the reality of a real soldier’s life. Okruashvili himself has admitted that many problems still exist on the ground; the hierarchy of ‘vazhnaki,’ older soldiers who threaten new recruits with bodily harm if they are not paid, still exist.

During his statements to the parliament, Okruashvili called the 2009 deadline for full NATO membership ‘optimistic.’ “We, I mean the government, are very hopeful about our NATO aspirations. This process can be accomplished by 2009 – I mean Georgia’s full-fledged membership in NATO. This is really a very optimistic forecast and there is much to do to materialize this forecast,” he said.

Okruashvili and the government should be proud of the steps they have taken; the Georgian army has not looked this professional since the former Soviet army was in place. However, fancy machinery and big budgets will mean little if Georgian citizens are unwilling to join the army. According to Okruashvili, the army will be conscript-free by 2009. If soldiers continue to flee bad conditions, it will be hard to convince their neighbors to enlist.

The nation needs a professional army, and the Ministry of Defense should have the necessary funding to create such a military. However, without oversight, proper planning, professional training and human treatment of soldiers the government will not see returns on its investment. An army is more than equipment; creating a NATO-worthy army takes more than a big checkbook. If there are inhumane conditions at bases, no amount of spending – thrifty or otherwise – will bring the Georgian military up to western standards.