Romanian Armed Forces

Romanian Armed Forces
Forţele Armate Române
Statul Major General.jpg 1 1 SMG steag.jpg
The coat of arms and the flag
Founded 1860
Current form 11 April 2000
Service branches Stema Statului Major al Fortelor Terestre.JPG Land Forces
Stema Statului Major al Fortelor Navale.jpg Naval Forces
Stema Statului Major al Fortelor Aeriene.jpg Air Forces
Headquarters Bucharest
Leadership
Supreme Commander of the Army Traian Băsescu
Minister of National Defense Gabriel Oprea
Chief of the General Staff Admiral Gheorghe Marin
Manpower
Military age 18 years of age
Conscription No
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 47th)
Reserve personnel 104,000
Deployed personnel  Afghanistan - 1,010

KFOR - 145
Expenditures
Budget €2.21 billion.[2]
Percent of GDP 2.05%.[2]
Industry
Domestic suppliers ROMARM
Romtehnica
Industria Aeronautică Română
Foreign suppliers Current:
 United States
 United Kingdom
 Germany
 Spain
 Italy
 Israel
 Austria
 Switzerland
 South Africa
Former:
 Soviet Union
Annual exports €141,000,000 (2009)[3]
Related articles
History Military history of Romania
Ranks Romanian Armed Forces ranks and insignia

The Land Forces, Air Force and Naval Forces of Romania are collectively known as the Romanian Armed Forces (Romanian: Forţele Armate Române or Armata Română) . The current Commander-in-chief is Admiral Gheorghe Marin, managed by the Minister of National Defense, while the president is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces during wartime.

Total defence spending currently accounts for 2.05% of total national GDP, which represents approximately 2.9 billion dollars (ranked 47th).[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 13,250 and the Naval Forces 6,800, while the remaining 8,800 serve in other fields.[5]

The Land Forces have overhauled their equipment in recent years, and are today a modern army with multiple NATO capabilities. They are participating in a peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan, together with the other NATO countries. The Air Force currently operates modernized Soviet MiG-21 LanceR fighters, which are due to be replaced by new fighters by 2013, according to present plans. The Air Force has also ordered 7 new C-27J Spartan tactical airlift aircraft, in order to replace the bulk of the old transport force.[6] 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 domestically-produced IAR 330 Puma NAVAL helicopters were also ordered by the Naval Forces, and were commissioned in late 2008.

Contents

Manpower

Romanian soldiers on patrol in Afghanistan

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 [7]. 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 [8].

Modernization

Romanian soldiers during training

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.[9]. 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[9].

Current deployments

Romanian soldiers in Southern Afghanistan during a joint operation with American forces

Romanian troops participated in the occupation of Iraq, reaching a peak of 730 soldiers before being slowly drawn down to 350 soldiers. Romania terminated its mission in Iraq and withdrew its last troops on July 24, 2009.

Romania currently has troops deployed in Afghanistan, and is planning to nearly double its troop strength there to 1,800 by September 2010, according to an announcement made by President Traian Basescu in Prague on April 8, 2010.[10]

Other militarized institutions

Romanian National Guard during the Bastille Day Military Parade (2007)

The following Romanian institutions have military status but are not part of the Armed Forces:

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ CIA World Factbook, Military of Romania
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 (Romanian) MoND Budget as of 2007, Ziarul Financiar, October 30, 2006
  3. ↑ http://stiri.rol.ro/Industria-de-armament-nu-se-preda-478645.html
  4. ↑ (Romanian)MoND Budget as of 2007, Ziarul Financiar, October 30, 2006
  5. ↑ (Romanian) Ministry of National Defense. Press conference
  6. ↑ "Spartan Order", Aviation Week & Space Technology, December 11, 2006.
  7. ↑ Ministry of National Defence, Press conference
  8. ↑ Adevărul, România, cel mai important dintre viitorii membri ai NATO ("Romania, the most important among the future NATO members"), November 20, 2002
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Ministry of National Defence, Strategia de transformare a Armatei României ("Strategy for the transformation of the Romanian Army")
  10. ↑ YAHOO News, WHITE HOUSE NOTEBOOK: Obama in Prague

External links