David Nairashvili ( ka, დავით ნაირაშვილი) (born October 24, 1964) is a

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

(2008) and former Deputy Chief of Joint Staff of the

Georgian Armed Forces The Defence Forces of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს თავდაცვის ძალები, tr), or Georgian Defence Forces (GDF), are the combined military forces of Georgia, tasked with the defense of the nation's indep ...

. Born in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million p ...

, Nairashvili after completing his conscription with a radar unit in the Soviet Air Defense Forces between 1982 and 1984, graduated from the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

Mozhaisky Military Space Engineering Institute in 1986 and served as a MiG-25 pilot until 1989. Since 1992, he has held various positions in the National Guard of Georgia and Ministry of Defense of Georgia, including being Deputy Commander of

Georgian Air Force The Aviation and Air Defence Command of the Defence Forces ( ka, თავდაცვის ძალების ავიაციისა და საჰაერო თავდაცვის სარდლობა, tr), (''formerly'' ...

(1993-1994), and Deputy Chief of General Staff (1999-2000, 2004–2005). From 2000 to 2004, he served as Georgia's first representative to the

Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) is the military headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) Allied Command Operations (ACO) that commands all NATO operations worldwide. ACO's and SHAPE's commander is t ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. From March 2007 to September 2008, Nairashvili commanded the Georgian Air Force which saw combat action in the August 2008 war with Russia. In April 2009, he was decorated with Georgia's high state award – St. George's Victory Order – for his conduct during the war.Saakashvili: ‘Peaceful Struggle Continues for De-Occupation’
''Civil Georgia''. April 20, 2009

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nairashvili, David 1964 births Generals from Georgia (country) Generals of the Defense Forces of Georgia Air force generals People of the Russo-Georgian War Living people Recipients of St. George's Order of Victory