Romanian Armed Forces
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| Romanian Armed Forces Forţele Armate Române |
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  The coat of arms and the flag |
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| Founded | 1860 |
| Current form | 11 April 2000 |
| Service branches |  Land Forces Naval Forces Air Forces |
| Headquarters | Bucharest |
| Leadership | |
| Supreme Commander of the Army | Traian Băsescu |
| Minister of National Defense | Teodor Meleşcanu |
| Commander-in-Chief of the General Staff | Admiral Gheorghe Marin |
| Military age | 18 years of age |
| Available for military service |
5,061,984 males, age 15–49 (2005 est.[1]), 4,975,427 females, age 15–49 (2005 est.[1]) |
| Fit for military service |
3,932,579 males, age 15–49 (2005 est.[1]), 4,076,288 females, age 15–49 (2005 est.[1]) |
| Reaching military age annually |
172,093 males (2005 est.[1]), 165,547 females (2005 est.[1]) |
| Active personnel | 90,000 (ranked 45th) |
| Expenditures | |
| Budget | €2.21 billion.[2] |
| Percent of GDP | 2.05%.[3] |
| Related articles | |
| Ranks | Romanian Armed Forces ranks and insignia |
The Land Forces, Air Force and Naval Forces are collectively known as the Romanian Armed Forces (Romanian: Forţele Armate Române or Armata Română) . The current Commander-in-chief is Admiral Gheorghe Marin, being managed by the Minister of National Defense, while the president is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces during wartime.
The total defence spending currently accounts for 2.05% of total national GDP, which represents approximately 2,9 billion dollars (ranked 39th). However, the Romanian Armed Forces will spend about 11 billion dollars in the next five years, for modernization and acquirement of new equipment. [4]
90,000 men and women currently comprise the Armed Forces, 75,000 of them being military personnel and the other 15,000 civilians. The Land Forces have a reported strength of 45,800, the Air Force a strength of 13,250 and the 6,800-strong Naval Forces, while the remaining other 8,800 serve in other fields.[5]
The Land Forces completely overhauled their equipment in the past few years, and today they are modern army, with multiple NATO capabilities. They are participating to peacekeeping missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, together with the other NATO countries. The Air Force currently operates modernized Soviet MiG-21LanceR fighters, which are becoming obsolete and due to be replaced by new advanced 4.5 generation jet fighters, such as Eurofighter Typhoon, JAS 39 Gripen,Dassault Rafale, or F-16.[6] Also, the Air Force ordered 7 new C-27J Spartan tactical airlift aircraft, in order to replace the bulk of the old transport force.[7] Two modernized ex-Royal Navy Type 22 frigates were acquired by the Naval Forces in 2004 and a further four modern missile corvettes will be commissioned in the next few years. Three native-made IAR 330 Puma NAVAL helicopters were also ordered by the Naval Forces, and should be commissioned by late 2008.
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[edit] Manpower
Romania joined NATO in 2004. As a consequence, extensive preparations have been made for the abolishment of conscription and the transition to a professional army by 2007. The new armed forces include 90,000 men and women. About 75,000 of these are the military personnel, while 15,000 is made up of civilians. 60,000 of the 90,000 will be the active forces, while 30,000 comprise the territorial forces [8]. Out of the 75,000 troops which comprise the actual military, ca. 45,800 make up the Romanian Land Forces, 13,250 are the Romanian Air Force and 6,800 are in the Romanian Naval Forces, while the remaining 8,800 serve in other fields [9].
[edit] Modernization
The Romanian Military will essentially undergo a three-stage restructuring. As of 2007, the first short-term stage has been completed. 2015 marks the end of the second stage when the armed forces will reach a superior compatibility with NATO forces. [10]. In 2025, the long-term stage is to be completed. The stages aim at modernizing the structure of the armed forces, reducing the personnel as well as acquiring newer and more improved technology that is compatible with NATO standards[11].
[edit] Other militarized institutions
The following Romanian institutions have military status but are not part of the Army:
- Romanian Gendarmerie (Jandarmeria Română), subordinated to the Ministry of Interior and Administrative Reform
- Inspectoratul General al Corpului Pompierilor Militari (Military Firefighters) and Comandamentul Protecţiei Civile (Civil Defense), merged into the Romanian Inspectorate for Emergency Situations within the Ministry of the Interior
- Serviciul Român de Informaţii (Romanian Intelligence Service)
- Serviciul de Protecţie şi Pază (provides protection to Romanian and foreign officials)
- Serviciul de Telecomunicaţii Speciale (Special Telecommunications Service)
- Serviciul de Informaţii Externe (Foreign Intelligence Service)
[edit] See also
- List of the Chiefs of the General Staff of Romania
- List of countries by number of active troops
- Foreign relations of Romania
[edit] Notes
- ^ CIA World Factbook, Military of Romania
- ^ (Romanian) MoND Budget as of 2007, Ziarul Financiar, October 30, 2006
- ^ (Romanian) MoND Budget as of 2007, Ziarul Financiar, October 30, 2006
- ^ (Romanian)MoND Budget as of 2007, Ziarul Financiar, October 30, 2006
- ^ (Romanian) Ministry of National Defense. Press conference
- ^ (Romanian)SUA şi UE se intrec să ne doboare MiG-urile (Replacement of the MiG-21), from Cotidianul, January 2007
- ^ "Spartan Order", Aviation Week & Space Technology, December 11, 2006.
- ^ Ministry of National Defence, Press conference
- ^ Adevărul, România, cel mai important dintre viitorii membri ai NATO ("Romania, the most important among the future NATO members"), November 20, 2002
- ^ Ministry of National Defence, Strategia de transformare a Armatei României ("Strategy for the transformation of the Romanian Army")
- ^ Ministry of National Defence, Strategia de transformare a Armatei României ("Strategy for the transformation of the Romanian Army")
[edit] External links
- (English) Official site of the Romanian Ministry of Defense (MoD)
- (Romanian) Official site of the Romanian Army General Staff
- New U.S. Base in Romania To Be Larger Than Previously Estimated, ThePeacockReport.com, Oct. 11, 2006.
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