Military equipment and national defense
The agenda of the Bucharest Government includes costly acquisitions that are crucial for national defense
Bogdan Matei, 13.07.2017, 13:07
A clear beneficiary and also constant
contributor to NATO’s collective defense system, Romania has eight priority
army equipment programs, which need to be covered by the 2% of the GDP
earmarked for defense until 2026. One of these programs focuses on the purchase
of Patriot defense missile systems, as the Defense Minister Adrian Tutuianu
announced after talks with the Economy Minister Mihai Fifor and the Prime
Minister Mihai Tudose on the national defense industry and prospects of
purchasing military equipment from abroad.
Here is what Adrian Tutuianu told
Radio Romania:
We have a first
announcement about an endorsement of the US Department of State, but there is a
long way to go to before completing the acquisition. On the one hand, there are certain procedures to be followed in
the US, such as getting the approval of the Congress, followed by negotiations
with the manufacturers of these systems. On the other hand, the Romanian side
needs to conduct an assessment of the technical characteristics of a prospective
financial offer.
According to
Minister Tutuianu, this acquisition program will strengthen Romania’s defense
capability, will consolidate NATO’s eastern border and also strengthen and
develop the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the US, which was signed
20 years ago. The estimated cost incurred by the purchase of Patriot missiles,
including technical support and equipment, stands at 3.9 billion dollars. The
US Department of State has already endorsed the potential sale. According to a
communiqué issued by the Romanian Defense Ministry, the US Ambassador to
Romania Hans Klemm has congratulated the Romanian authorities for this
decision.
Military analysts say that another NATO member from eastern Europe,
Poland, has already purchased Patriot defense missile systems and that a
battery of similar interceptors has been installed in Lithuania to take part in
allied military drills these days.
Earmarking 2% of the DGP for defense is the
result of an agreement reached by all parliamentary parties, whose signing was
supervised by President Klaus Iohannis, and which does not only concern the
current government made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of
Liberals and Democrats. The Save Romania Union (USR), in the opposition, has
announced its firm support for the country’s pro-NATO policy and for the
consolidation of its defense capabilities by means of proper investment.
Romania’s NATO membership and the Strategic Partnership with the US are vital
for national security against the background of a difficult European context,
marked by uncertainties about Brexit and the Russian threat in the EU
neighborhood, the Save Romania Union states in a release. On the ground, around
25 thousand Romanian and allied soldiers are taking part these days in the most
comprehensive military exercise held in modern Romania.
