Vakhtang Kapanadze

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Vakhtang Kapanadze
Vakhtang Kapanadze, 2014
Born (1960-08-17) 17 August 1960 (age 63)
Tbilisi, Soviet Union
(now Georgia)
Allegiance Georgia
Service/branch Georgian Armed Forces
Land Forces
Years of service1990–present
Rank
Commands heldGeorgian Armed Forces
  • 2003–2004, Georgian Peacekeeping Battalion in South Ossetia
  • 2004–2005, Chief of General Staff
  • 2008–2012, Deputy Chief of Counter Intelligence
  • 2013–2016, Chief of General Staff
Battles/warsAbkhazian War
Iraq War
Afghanistan War
Russo-Georgian war
Awards

Vakhtang Kapanadze (Georgian: ვახტანგ კაპანაძე) (born 17 August 1960) is a Georgian major general who was Chief of General Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces from 22 November 2013 to 22 November 2016. He held the same command from August 2004 to February 2005. Prior he was in charge of the Georgian peacekeeping battalion deployed in South Ossetia before the war broke out.

Career[edit]

Kapanadze graduated from the Faculty of Geography and Geology, Tbilisi State University, in 1983. He then studied at Georgia's Academy of Interior and has also been trained at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, National Academy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and U.S. Army War College. A veteran of the civil wars of the early 1990s, Kapanadze commanded a Georgian peacekeeping battalion in South Ossetia in 2004 and served as the Chief of the General Staff from August 2004 to February 2005.[1] In 2005, he briefly served as a military aide to the President of Georgia, and was then employed as a special envoy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia in Poland from 2007 to 2008. He was deputy head of the foreign intelligence service of Georgia from 2008 until October 2012, when Brigadier General Kapanadze was appointed Deputy Chief of Joint Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces. He again became Chief of General Staff, succeeding Colonel Irakli Dzneladze, on 22 November 2013.[2][3] On this occasion, he was promoted to major general. His term expired on 22 November 2016 and was succeeded by Brigadier General Vladimer Chachibaia. He was appointed as Georgia's top military representative to NATO.[4] Kapanadze is the recipient of the orders of Honor and Vakhtang Gorgasali, 3rd Rank.

References[edit]

  1. ^ New Chief of Staff Appointed. Civil Georgia. August 25, 2004
  2. ^ New Army Chief of Staff Appointed. Civil Georgia. November 22, 2013.
  3. ^ Heads of General Staff and Investigation Service appointed in Georgia. Trend News Agency. November 22, 2013.
  4. ^ "Ex-head of Georgian Army named country's top envoy to NATO". Agenda.ge. 23 November 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
Military offices
Preceded by Chief of General Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces
2004 – 2005
Succeeded by
Preceded by Chief of General Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces
2013 – 2016
Succeeded by