Vladimer Chachibaia ( ka, ვლადიმერ ჩაჩიბაია) (born 4 November 1971) is a Georgian

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

and politician who has served as Chief of Georgian Defense Forces from 20 December 2018 to 1 July 2020 and member of

Parliament of Georgia The Parliament of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს პარლამენტი, tr) is the supreme national legislature of Georgia. It is a unicameral parliament, currently consisting of 150 members elected through fully pr ...

from 11 December 2020 to 24 March 2023. His previous top commanding positions included being the Chief of Joint Staff (4 November 2008 – 5 March 2009) and Chief of General Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces (22 November 2016 – 20 December 2018).

Education and early career

Chachibaia was a private in the

Soviet Air Forces The Soviet Air Forces (, VVS SSSR; literally "Military Air Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics"; initialism VVS, sometimes referred to as the "Red Air Force") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Sovie ...

from 1989 until 1991, when he joined the newly established

National Guard of Georgia The National Guard of Georgia (GNG, ka, საქართველოს ეროვნული გვარდია, ''sak'art'velos erovnuli gvardia'') is the gendarmerie, guard of honour, and military reserve force branch of the Defense ...

as a NCO. He commanded a National Guard platoon in the

Georgian Civil War The Georgian Civil War ( ka, საქართველოს სამოქალაქო ომი, ''sakartvelos samokalako omi'') lasted from 1991 to 1993 in the South Caucasian country of Georgia. It began in December 1991 with the c ...

of 1992-1993 and continued his service in the Georgian army as a

reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...

and special task force officer. He studied at the United Military Academy in

Tbilisi, Georgia Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

from 1993 to 1994 and attended several courses of military training in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, including at the

United States Army War College The United States Army War College (USAWC) is a U.S. Army staff college in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, with a Carlisle postal address, on the 500-acre (2 km2) campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks. It provides graduate-level instru ...

in the years 2007-2008; he was added to the

United States Army Command and General Staff College The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

's International Hall of Fame in 2018.

Command

Chachibaia commanded a Georgian contingent within the

Multinational force in Iraq Multinational may refer to: * Multinational corporation, a corporate organization operating in multiple countries * Multinational force, a military body from multiple countries * Multinational state, a sovereign state that comprises two or more na ...

in 2004 and was appointed a commander of the 3rd Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of Georgia in 2005. He has since served in the General Staff and was an acting commander of the Georgian Land Forces in 2006. Having briefly served as Head of Education Department of the General Staff in September–November 2008, Chachibaia replaced General Zaza Gogava as the Chief of JS GAF after the August 2008 war with Russia. He briefly served as Deputy Defense Minister in 2009 and became Deputy Chief of General Staff of Georgian Armed Forces in 2012. In 2014 he was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general. In October 2015, Chachibaia was appointed as High Military Adviser of the

United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan ('UNAMA'') is a UN Special Political Mission tasked with assisting the people of Afghanistan. UNAMA was established on 28 March 2002 by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1401. Revi ...

(UNAMA). From November 2015 to August 2016, he was Rector of the National Defense Academy. He then served as Deputy Chief of General Staff and became Chief of General Staff in November 2016, succeeding General

Vakhtang Kapanadze Vakhtang Kapanadze ( ka, ვახტანგ კაპანაძე) (born 17 August 1960) is a Georgia (country), Georgian major general who was Chief of General Staff of Georgian Armed Forces, Chief of General Staff of the Georgian Armed Fo ...

. On 20 December 2018, he became the first holder of the recently created position of the Chief of Georgian Defense Forces.

References

, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Chachibaia, Vladimer 1971 births Generals of the Defense Forces of Georgia Living people Commanders of the Ordre national du Mérite Commanders of the Legion of Merit