Georgian Armed Forces
In 2009 Kalandadze was promoted to the position of deputy commander of the Georgian Land Forces and became first deputy chief of joint staff. Simultaneously, from 2010 to 2011, he served as acting commander of the land forces. In October 2012, President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili appointed him Chief of Joint Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces. The appointment came a week after Saakashvili's United National Movement suffered defeat in the parliamentary election. Critics said Kalandadze's promotion was a "political decision". The Georgian media speculated that the appointment was likely to be reconsidered by the incoming government of the Georgian Dream coalition, which favored the candidacy of Vakhtang Kapanadze, a veteran officer and ex-Chief of the General Staff of the Georgian Armed Forces (2004–2005).