According to the new Defense Code, which will come into force in 2025, all conscripts will undergo compulsory military service only in the Defense Ministry system, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili said.

On September 22, the Georgian Parliament adopted the Defense Code in the third and final reading, which envisages changes in the order of conscription for compulsory military service. Military service becomes mandatory for students, who either have to take an academic year or combine study and service.

"A number of issues have been settled and a number of safeguards have been introduced both for our military personnel and conscripts in general. The conscription service will be transferred to the Ministry of Defense from January 1, 2024, I also want to say that from 2025 all conscripts will serve in the Ministry of Defense", Garibashvili said.

As the Prime Minister noted, in just three or four years, 9-10 thousand conscripts per year will undergo military training and in a ten-year perspective we are already talking about 100 thousand.

"This strengthens the reserve system and these are initiatives of national importance. Once again, I thank the parliament, the ministry, which took part in the creation of this important document", the prime minister said.

According to the prime minister, the new Code has developed a course of military service for six, eight and 12 months.

"The minimum course will be six months. There are also eight and 12-month courses, depending on who has what plans and how they want to plan their future career. So that conscripts spend a minimum of six months in the army, in the Ministry of Defense", the prime minister said.

As for students, it is enough for them to spend one month in military service during the year, including during vacations. Thus, the student will accumulate four months of military training during his studies, after which he will be enrolled in the service and will be issued a military license. In addition, the new Code increases the amount of compensation for injury, maiming or death of a serviceman. Thus, instead of 7 thousand GEL (2.7 thousand dollars) the amount of compensation in case of wounding and maiming will be 20 thousand (7.8 thousand dollars).

In case of death instead of 15 thousand GEL (5,8 thousand dollars) - 30 thousand GEL (11,5 thousand dollars).

The Defense Code regulates issues related to the planning of the state defense policy, military police, military service, military registration, national military service of conscripts, professional military service, reserve military service and reserve military service of the Defense Forces and military education.