THE GENESIS OF THE GEORGIAN NATIONAL GUARD

Abstract

The establishment of the Georgian National Guard was one of the most important decisions made by the government in the country's security system. It is not just a military-statutory unit ─ it is an institution that, immediately after the restoration of Georgia's independence, became the pillar of the state's defense structure. The need to create the Guard was due to the difficult political, ethnic and social challenges of the early 1990s, which necessitated the rapid and functional formation of a national-type armed formation.The creation of the National Guard was preceded by the experience of the Red and People's Guards - structures that played a decisive role in the protection of national defense, internal stability and civil order in the First Republic of Georgia (1917–1921). This historical background of the Guard model determines the conceptual framework on which independent Georgia attempted to restore a national military institution at the end of the 20th century.The orientation towards a Western-style National Guard was not just a strategic or ideological choice - it was the first step in transforming the security system and establishing a sovereign model of national defense. However, in practice, the politicization of the Guard, the problems of its subordination, and structural instability significantly limited its functional implementation. For this reason, the paper pays special attention to the analysis of the institutional, legal, and political factors that influenced the development of the Guard.The research is aimed not only at describing historical processes, but also at systematically analyzing the challenges that have accumulated around the National Guard - from the lack of discipline to the uncertainty of its legal status. A detailed assessment of the issues is based on both primary sources (official documents and archives) and the recollections of high-ranking individuals who were directly involved in the creation and reform of the Guard.