United States Supports Inaugural Georgian-Led Strategic Resource Management Course
From 6 to 10 November 2023, the Ministry of Defense of Georgia conducted its first ever Strategic Resource Management Course, with support from the U.S. Embassy’s Office of Defense Cooperation at the NATO-accredited Defense Institution Building School. This Georgian-led training equipped 16 civilians and military personnel from across the Ministries of Defense and Internal Affairs with a broad understanding of the connection between strategic policy and funding, the defense and macroeconomic environment, and the practical application of good resource management principles, including efficiency, accountability, and delegation.
Drawing lecturers from the Georgian National Security Council, the Government Administration, the Ministry of Defense, and the General Staff, this course is a manifestation of the experience, institutional maturity, and professionalism that has come to characterize the staffs of these institutions. The U.S. Office of Defense Cooperation worked with colleagues in the Defense Policy and Development Department to develop and deliver practical examples throughout the course, encouraging participants to apply the principles learned in each lecture.
In her statements at the opening of the course, First Deputy Minister Lela Chikovani emphasized the strategic partnership between the United States and Georgia and stated that this course would be nested in a wider Defense Resource Management training program to support the entire Georgian security sector. U.S. Defense Attaché Colonel Joe Bilbo expressed confidence in the Georgian Defense Forces’ experience and trajectory, and reiterated the U.S.’s friendship towards Georgia and support for its independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.
At the conclusion of the weeklong course, Deputy Chief of Defense Brigadier General Irakli Tchichinadze distributed certificates and commended students for their participation, noting that this is a good start for this resource management training initiative that will impact daily actions of the participants into the future.
Resource management development is one of the six lines of effort within the Georgian Defense and Deterrence Enhancement Initiative (GDDEI), a five-year bilateral U.S.-Georgian agreement supporting institutional capacity building. Delivery of this course, not only supports this line of effort, but also represents a new chapter in the U.S.’s support for Georgian governance, as Georgian professionals take the lead – supported by U.S. partners – in developing their institutional capacity and professionalism.