Defence Ministry’s balance sheet – NATO membership, the essential coordinate for security

President Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday, at the Defence Ministry’s (MoD) balance sheet, that Romania needs a clear, unified and coherent legislation, but also needs less bureaucracy and the endowment and facilities in accordance with the commitments made by our country in NATO security structures and in the EU.

The Romanian President wanted to confess that for him, as President, “there’s no more exciting moment than saluting the battle flag.”

Klaus Iohannis said that we are in a complex strategic context characterized by significant changes at regional and global levels.

“In the proximity of Romania, the military conventional and hybrid actions represent a direct challenge to the violent and legal foundations of the European space security. In this context, the NATO membership, together with its strategic partnership with the United States and the European Union membership, is the foundation for our foreign policy and security. Strengthening Romania’s profile in NATO and the EU is a key priority and component of our country’s security, a specific line of conduct for good governance. And at the same time meets the expectations of our citizens,” the president said in his speech.

He noted that, 11 years after joining NATO and 8 years of the actual accession to the European Union, our country needs to strengthen its ‘strategic credibility’.

“In an area characterized by collision of strategic interests and in a time of rapid geopolitical changes, credibility is an important national value both for our allies and partners, and for our own countrymen. Our credibility as a nation depends on several factors: the continuity in promoting European and transatlantic oriented policies; predictability in taking foreign policy decisions in defining national interests and the strategic objectives that come along with them, transparency in drawing up the public policy and in the resource planning for their implementation,” said the president.

PM Ponta: Political battle must cease when it comes to financing defence

The financing of long-term military spending is an area where the political battle should stop, political consensus and predictability being vital, Prime Minister Victor Ponta said, calling on military specialists to ensure, together with SRI and SIE, the cyber security.

“It is an area where the political battle must end, it is absolutely necessary that political consensus is reached and we have predictability, so that we don’t depend on external events, on the economy, on various policies that can change. It is important for you to have this stability and predictability, especially that Romania should show that it understands the increased challenges in the region and the role that it should play,” Ponta said.

PM Ponta said that Romania’s neighbours, NATO partners, have another option in terms of funding the military.

“I noticed that Hungary has reduced military spending to 0.75% of GDP, Bulgaria, too. The fact that Romania assumes at the level of the entire political class the importance we attach to this fundamental area is a sign of reliability, of stability and brings a lot of respect from our partners. The 2% of gross domestic product for defence (…) this stability and predictability allow us to think on medium and long term. In 2015, I hope to meet the schedule,” said the Premier.

DefMin: Change of security environment in Black Sea region

The analysis of the activity of the National Defence Ministry (MApN) in 2014 is marked firstly by the change of the security environment in the extended region of the Black Sea, as well as by the growth of instability in the Alliance’s southern vicinity, in the Middle East towards Northern Africa, Defence minister Mircea Dusa said on Tuesday at the institution’s stocktaking report meeting, Agerpres reports.

Mircea Dusa has specified that these things have generated, through their implications, deep changes in the way of addressing the defence and security matters at the NATO and EU level.

“Under these circumstances, the National Defence Ministry has responded rapidly, by generating a change of priorities as regards the objectives initially foreseen for 2014. The stress was put on measures of increasing the operational capacity of the Romanian Army, simultaneously with accomplishing the commitments arising from Romania’s capacity as a member state of the NATO, the EU, the UN and the OSCE. A particular importance was given to implementing the measures set through the strategic partnerships of Romania, with the United States of America especially, with its two dimensions, the project of the anti-missile shield at the Deveselu base and the development of the multimode hub and the Mihail Kogalniceanu transit Centre,” the minister highlighted.

Minister Dusa also informed at the balance sheet meeting that the two NATO command centers expected to be set up in Romania will be located in Bucharest. According to the DefMin, the centers will play a key part in ensuring links between the national forces and the ones of the Alliance, delivering command and control services in the area where a fast reaction force is needed to be deployed.

According to the Defence minister, 2014 was the best budget year for the army since 2008 up until now.

“In 2014, the financial support ensured by Romania’s Government has allowed the Air Forces to continue the strategic Programme for endowment with the F-16 multirole aircraft, as well as the finalization of the programme for the equipping with the C-27J Spartan short and medium-courier aircraft. As for the other categories of forces, land and naval, the focus was on the increase of the state of efficiency of the equipment and further implementation of procurement programmes,” Dusa added.

Mircea Dusa has reviewed the Army’s endowment programmes too, which were another top priority of the ministry.

In 2014, the procurement activity focused on the following priorities: the “Air Forces multirole aircraft” strategic programme; the “C-27J Spartan medium-short courier” programme, with all payments done for the goods and services delivered until 2014 and the payment for airplane no.7 (the last of the contract); the Hawk medium-range surface-to-air missile system; the “IAR 330 Puma Naval helicopter” programme; the “8×8 Piranha armoured personnel carrier” programme.

Dusa reminded that the participation in the missions in Afghanistan/ISAF and Kosovo/KFOR operation theatres was the main operational effort in 2014 as regards Romania’s commitment within the NATO.

“Romania’s commitment to the European Union imposed its participation in the operations and missions under the Common Security and Defence Policy. Therefore, in 2014 the MApN contributed to the EUFOR ALTHEA operations in Bosnia and Hertzegovina, in the EUFOR missions in the Central African Republic, in the EUNAVFOR ATALANTA mission of monitoring by the EU in Georgia, as well as in the training and counselling missions meant to develop the capability of the African states to manage crises, in EUTM Somalia, EUTM Mali, EUSEC Democratic Republic of Congo, respectively,” Mircea Dusa said.

Romania’s participation in operations and missions outside the national territory has totalled almost 1,200 troops in 2014.

In 2014, the number of exercises and training activities at national level grew as against 2013 by 25 pct, while those executed at bilateral/allied level have recorded a 133 pct increase.