Published in 24 Saati June 30, 2008

Courage, Loyalty, Dignity

David J. Smith*

Last Friday, the Georgian Coast Guard (GCG) celebrated its 10th anniversary, marking a decade of success. That success is so impressive, so important for that this column today will take a break from the vicissitudes of power politics to recognize the achievement of the men and women of the Coast Guard. Their achievement shows what can be done by a small group of people working hard, working together toward a common goal. They are building a modern, democratic, enduring institution and demonstrating Georgia’s growing capacity to build more.

Rear Admiral Jody Breckenridge, Director of the United States Coast Guard Transformation Team, traveled to Chakvi to award her service’s Medal of Honor to General-Major David Gulua, GCG Director. Gulua accepted in the name of the entire GCG. “I am most proud of our present staff who can meet any requirement, work as a team, with national feeling—true servants of their country,” said Gulua in an interview for this article.

More than 500 GCG professionals don sharp new uniforms to serve their country 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They have studied subjects from engineering to maritime operations to leadership and management. Next time you are at the seaside, take a look for their shiny white boats with the Georgian flag painted on the side.

But it was not always this way. A video produced for the 10th anniversary portrays the story. It is dark. A lonely Coastguardsman by a ramshackle building peers through smudged binoculars. A peeling old vessel in dry-dock. Then he reaches for new binoculars. Now he sees a sleek new GCG vessel underway, new buildings, radar stations and proud people.

They have an important job to patrol Georgia’s 309 kilometers of coastline. The GCG must defend the country’s maritime border against all manner of contraband—illegal shipments, drugs, arms, people and even radioactive substances. It must protect the littoral environment and resources. It must enforce navigation and port safety regulations. It must undertake search and rescue missions in any conditions. Moreover, carrying out these functions in Georgian territorial waters off the coast of the separatist Georgian region of complicates the GCG mission.

“We had nothing at the beginning,” said Gulua. “We had no vessels, no radar stations, no trained personnel—we started from zero!”

The American Border Security and Law Enforcement Program offered to help with training, infrastructure, material and border security technologies.

Jonathan Trumble was the Maritime Adviser to the program from 2002 to 2008. “The most important thing the Georgians did,” he said in an interview for this article, “was to take the time not to address equipment problems, but to address organizational issues and the organizational structure that set them up for success.” With modern organization and effective controls, Trumble added, “corruption dropped dramatically.”

1 The GCG set out a modern, logical Concept of Development—threat assessment, definition of missions and objectives, determination of resources needed, performance indicators.

For the US, helping to develop the GCG is worthwhile because, with worldwide maritime interests, America needs the cooperation of like-minded countries. For Georgia, the GCG protects the country’s interests, enforces its laws, helps preserve stability and safeguards Georgia’s role as fulcrum of the east-west corridor.

Moreover, “There is about a $7 to $1 ratio of gain to expenditure on maritime security,” Trumble said. What Georgia spends on the GCG is repaid seven-fold in safer transportation, pollution reduction, law enforcement and tax revenue.

The people of the GCG are the key. 250 of the 500 GCG personnel have received some kind of training from Americans. However, there are also courses being developed in Georgia. “They talked the talk and walked the walk with regard to personnel training,” said Trumble. Most interesting is a GCG-developed system of Field Training Officers—people who teach their own specialty by traveling from location to location.

Now GCG people operate 3 ships and 9 patrol boats, bases at and , and radar stations at , Supsa and Chakvi. All meet NATO standards. When the new Gonio radar is complete, “We will have the whole coastline covered,” said Gulua.

In May, the radar stations were integrated into the International Maritime Safety and Security Information System, linking the GCG with counterparts worldwide.

Radiation detectors are emplaced in the ports of Batumi and Poti to warn of illicit nuclear material.

The results are that since 2006, the GCG seized 53 ships engaged in illegal activity; arrested 22 fugitives; saved 43 lives and 18 vessels; and collected fines of 5 million Georgian Lari.

Gulua looks forward to the next decade. GCG objectives are further training; intra-governmental coordination; equipment standardization; and strengthening joint maritime surveillance, counter- terrorism and counter-crime capabilities. Moreover, Georgia chairs the non-proliferation working group of the Black Sea Littoral States Border Coast Guard Cooperation Forum.

After ten years of hard work, the GCG lives up to its motto—Courage, Loyalty, Dignity—a beacon to anyone else wondering whether it can be done. It can be!

*David J. Smith is Director, Georgian Security Analysis Center, Tbilisi, and Senior Fellow, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies, Washington.

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