Romania to debate status of military personnel
Defence Minister Mihai Fifor has announced changes to the status of the military personnel in the coming period
Roxana Vasile, 09.03.2018, 13:18
The Romanian Defence Minister Mihai Fifor on Thursday attended the homecoming ceremony of the 400 military of the Brave Hearts 280th Force Protection Infantry Battalion. Between August 2017 and February 2018 they carried out a mission in the Kandahar region in Afghanistan, where they ensured the security of the coalition army base and staff, assisted and counselled Afghan armed and security forces, provided humanitarian assistance to the Afghan population, maintained the dialogue with the local authorities and leaders and carried out actions together with the Afghan National Security Forces.
A member of the 280th Infantry Battalion was killed and two others injured during a patrol mission in September, when their armoured vehicle was attacked with an improvised explosive device (IED). On his return home, the commander of the battalion was promoted to the rank of colonel and the two injured military were decorated by the Romanian president with the Faithful Service National Medal Third Class. Defence Minister Mihai Fifor used the opportunity to announce that the status of the military personnel would be modified in the coming period. He said a bill to this effect was already submitted to Parliament, its aim being to improve the lives of Romanian military and make sure the Army receives all due respect from the state institutions and the population.
“All were doing is making sure our military feel motivated on all accounts, because thats the only way we, politicians, can say that we have done our duty before those who go on missions, such as the 280th Infantry Battalion, said Minister Fifor. He recalled that this is the second year in a row that the government has allocated 2% of the GDP to defence, which demonstrates its responsible commitment to the equipping of the army. 2018 will be an important year for the modernisation of the navy with the launch of the procedure for the production of four multifunctional corvettes at a naval shipyard in Romania.
Also, the two frigates Romania bought from Britain will be modernised and the conditions will be prepared for the purchase of mobile anti-ship missile systems. Romania is the most important security provider in the Black Sea area, so it needs to consolidate its military capabilities. In Bucharests opinion, Romania is actually neighbouring Russia after the latters annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, and must be prepared to face all challenges. (Translated by C. Mateescu)
