Georgian Land Forces

Georgian Land Forces
საქართველოს სახმელეთო ძალები
Flag of Georgian Land Forces
Founded	December 1991; 25 years ago (1991-12)
Country	Georgia
Type	Army
Garrison/HQ	Tbilisi, Georgia
Motto(s)	"Motherland, Honor, Loyalty!"
Engagements	Military history of Georgia
Commanders
Current commander	Colonel Iveri Subeliani

The Georgian Ground Forces (Georgian: საქართველოს სახმელეთო ძალები) are the land force component of the Georgian Armed Forces. They are the largest branch of the military and constitute the bulk of the GAF.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union Georgia was left with virtually no military. Alongside the National Guard, Land Forces formed the core of the Georgian army. Most of the infantry brigades were created on the basis of old Soviet formations. Previously, the Soviet Army's 31st Army Corps (the former 9th Army) was stationed in the former Georgian SSR. In the July 1993 issue of Jane's Intelligence Review it was reported that the 31st Army Corps was to leave Kutaisi (presumably for Russia) by the end of July 1993.

The 31st Army Corps had at the dissolution of the Soviet Union four divisions, two of which became Russian military bases, part of the Group of Russian Forces of the Transcaucasus. The other two appear to have transitioned into Georgian formations, as Georgian brigades appear in the same locations after the divisions disbanded. The 10th Guards Motor Rifle Division at Akhaltsikhe was replaced eventually by the 22nd Motorised Brigade, and the 152nd Motor Rifle Division at Kutaisi was eventually replaced by the 21st Motorised Brigade. The 25th Motorised Brigade was located in Batumi, with Roman Dumbadze the brigade commander by 2004.

In early 1996 Richard Woff wrote in Jane's Intelligence Review that the ground forces had been commanded since May 1994 by Major General Gudzha Kurashvili. He said they comprised five brigades: the 1st Guards (Georgian National Guard), the 2nd (Senaki), the 11th (Tblisi), the 21st (Kutaisi), and the 25th (Adjara), as well as an artillery brigade. He said the artillery brigade, the 1st Artillery Brigade of the Reserve of the High Command, had been established on 10 November 1993, and had originated from an artillery battalion formed in Tblisi in December 1991.