The David Aghmashenebeli National Defence Academy ( ka, დავით აღმაშენებლის ეროვნული თავდაცვის აკადემია, tr) also known commonly as the ETA is the main military institution for the educational training of senior officers in the

Defence Forces of Georgia 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 ...

. It is a legal entity under the Ministry of Defence of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. It is a LEPL (leading higher military Institution), which aims to indoctrinate officers with some of the highest academic and military education standards. The current rector of the ETA is Brigadier General Malkhaz Makaradze.

History

The Georgian military educations dates back to 1862 when the first military school was established in Tbilisi. On the occasion of Georgia obtaining its independence in 1918, the Commanders-in-Chief of the Democratic Republic of Georgia, Major General

Giorgi Kvinitadze Giorgi Kvinitadze ( ka, გიორგი კვინიტაძე; russian: Георгий Иванович Квинитадзе, ''Georgy Ivanovich Kvinitadze''; his real surname was Chikovani, ჩიქოვანი) (August 21, 1874 � ...

established the Georgian Junkers Military School". After the Red Army invasion of Georgia in early 1921, the school ceased to exist. During

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

and Georgian Communist Party rule, the school was transformed into an institution of

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

students, later being was renamed to the

Tbilisi Higher Artillery Command School The Tbilisi Higher Artillery Command School () was one of the military institutions of the USSR. In different years she trained specialists of various military specialties. It was located in Tbilisi in the Georgian SSR. History The school was ...

, which was abolished in 1992 upon the restoration of independence. On 28 May 1993 based on the order of Defence Minister Giorgi Karkarashvili, the United Military Academy of the Republic of Georgia was created. It began operating on 1 September 1993. On 20 February 2003 the Academy was given the honorific prefix of "David Aghmashenebeli" (

David IV of Georgia David IV, also known as David the Builder ( ka, დავით აღმაშენებელი, ') (1073–1125), of the Bagrationi dynasty, was the 5th king of United Georgia from 1089 until his death in 1125. Popularly considered to be ...

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

. Six years later, it changed its location to Gori, where it still operates today. In late 2010, the ETA underwent a new process for reforms, which included the NCEQE Council for the authorization of the ETA's status as the highest educational institution. The following year, it received support from the

Georgia–Georgia National Guard Partnership The Georgia–Georgia National Guard Partnership is one of 25 European partnerships that make up the U.S. European Command State Partnership Program and one of 88 worldwide partnerships that make-up the National Guard State Partnership Program. ...

Student life

The length of studies at the ETA had been defined for 4 years. In 2005, due to the need of the growth of the personnel strength of the Georgian Armed Forces" the system of the Academy has been transformed to retain only the 18-month-long officer training courses. Upon entry into the academy, cadets sign a contract with the MoD for 10 years of military service, of which 4 years are dedicated to studies and 6 years of which is consequent military service. Cadets receive the rank of

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

upon graduation. The students at the Academy were called "Listeners", which in 2014 was changed to "Junkers" in order to honour the original Junkers who died in service to the

Democratic Republic of Georgia The Democratic Republic of Georgia (DRG; ka, საქართველოს დემოკრატიული რესპუბლიკა ') was the first modern establishment of a republic of Georgia, which existed from May 1918 to F ...

. The Academic Council is a governing body of NDA, with its authority being defined under the law "Regarding Higher Education". The tasks of the council include presenting the ETA and to create and approve internal legislation. Since 2018, the ETA hosted a summer school known as "My World", with the support of the support of the

Embassy of the United States, Tbilisi The United States has the second most diplomatic missions of any country in the world after Mainland China, including 166 of the 193 member countries of the United Nations, as well as observer state Vatican City and non-member countries Kosovo a ...

Structure

Currently, the departments are operating at the ETA: *Leadership personnel **Rector **Deputy Rector **Deputy Rector **Head of Administration *Quality Assurance Service *Internal Audit Service *International Relations Diviisn *Educational Service *Bachelor School *Command and General Staff College *Junior Officer School *Language Training School *Examination Center *Liberary *Psychological Service Section *Scientific Research Center *Training Battalion *Army Service Section *Finance Management Division *Procurement Section *HR Management Section *Public Relations Section *Chancellory *Legal Division *Material and Technical Support Section *Logistical Support Section *Signals and Indormatuin Technology Section *Medical Center *Sports Complex In September 2015, the ETA graduated its first class of baccalaureate school cadets.

Notable alumni

Giorgi Matiashvili Giorgi Matiashvili ( ka, გიორგი მათიაშვილი; born 18 December 1977) is a Georgian major general and the incumbent Chief of Georgian Defense Forces, appointed on 1 July 2020. Born in the town of Gardabani, Matiashv ...

, the incumbent

Chief of Georgian Defence Forces The Chief of Georgian Defence Forces ( ka, საქართველოს თავდაცვის ძალების მეთაური, tr) is a chief of defence and commander of the Defence Forces of Georgia, under the authority of ...

References

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External links