Georgian army to replace Kalashnikov assault rifles with American M4
The Ministry of Defense of Georgia announced the beginning of a phased replacement of Soviet-made and Russian-made automatic weapons with their American equivalents, reported News Georgia.
According to the Ministry, as part of the transition of the Georgian army to NATO standards and the GDRP defense program, the Ministry of Defense will purchase from the US a number of M-240 machine guns and M4 assault rifles. The exact number of purchased products is not indicated.
“The US Government will provide annual financial assistance to enhance the defense capability of Georgia within the framework of bilateral military cooperation. The acquisition of military property is part of this assistance,” the report said.
The first batch of M-240 machine guns had already been delivered to Georgia in May. They were received by the military servicemen of the 43rd battalion of the fourth mechanized brigade.
Earlier, Giorgi Kvirikashvili, the Prime Minister of Georgia stated that the country did not need the Action Plan for NATO membership but it needed membership in the Alliance itself.