The Romanian Army presents its activity report
The Romanian Army is getting ready for a more difficult year than 2015, given the unpredictability of the international context
România Internațional, 04.03.2016, 14:10
2015 was a year when the Romanian Army reported real progress in re-establishing its operational capacity. According to the annual report of the Romanian Defense Ministry, major programs were run to equip the army with a multirole combat aircraft, planes and an armored transporter and to modernize the IAR 330 helicopter. Supplementing the budget destined for defense also allowed for endowing the army with additional equipment, such as a man-portable anti-tank missiles system, a long-range tridimensional mobile radar and multifunctional transport platforms.
The Romanian Army participated actively in the NATO missions, deploying 764 military staff in the theatres of operations and undertaking more than 400 national and multinational military drills. The Romanian Defense Minister, Mihnea Motoc, says 2016 will be a difficult and more challenging year than the previous one. Mihnea Motoc:
“Expectations from the army are higher, both on the part the population, and of the alliance we are a member of. We have a number of international commitments to fulfill, and the developments in the field are becoming increasingly unpredictable. Deadlines are short and requirements high. The higher the uncertainties at international level, the more flexible the Romanian Army should be. Today, the intelligent use of information can bring about strategic advantages in terms of defense, advantages that can supersede an entire tank division.”
Attending the Defense Ministry’s annual assessment meeting, the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said that some of the priorities for 2016 were the implementation of the national defense strategy and of strategic partnerships, especially the partnership with the US. Klaus Iohannis:
“We will have to adapt permanently to a complex and dynamic reality. To this end, we will need intelligence and anticipation, efficient institutions and inter-institutional cooperation both at domestic and multinational levels, with our allies and partners. The reality we are living today points to the importance of striking solid strategic partnerships and alliances in terms of security and defense”.
In turn, the Romanian PM Dacian Cioloş underlined Romania’s responsibility to strengthen national security and to contribute to ensuring collective defense within NATO. For this purpose, the Government intends to increase the defense budget by at least 2% of the GDP in 2017. Dacian Cioloş:
“We need to further increase the operational capacity of the Romanian Army while allotting the necessary funds for endowment, including major equipment. We mainly focus on the national defense strategy for the period 2015- 2019, the White Paper on Defense, which is currently debated by Parliament, on the program meant to transform, develop and endow the Romanian Army by 2017 and beyond, on the law regarding the status of military staff, of high ranking officers and soldiers, as well as on the new Military Career Guide. The latter are scheduled to be passed this year.”
Ahead of the NATO summit to be held in Warsaw this summer, Poland will host, in June, a large-scale military exercise called “Anaconda 2016”, in which 22 NATO members, are going to participate, Romania included.
(Translated by L. Simion)
