Romanian Armed Forces

Romanian Armed Forces
Forţele Armate Române
The coat of arms
Founded	1860
Current form	11 April 2000
Service branches	File:Stema Statului Major al Fortelor Terestre.JPG Land Forces Naval Forces Air Forces
Headquarters	Bucharest
Leadership
Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces	Traian Băsescu
Minister of National Defense	Mircea Duşa
Chief of the General Staff	Lieutenant General Ștefan Dănilă
Manpower
Military age	18 years of age
Conscription	No
Available for military service	5,061,984 males, age 15–49 (2005 est.), 4,975,427 females, age 15–49 (2005 est.)
Fit for military service	3,932,579 males, age 15–49 (2005 est.), 4,076,288 females, age 15–49 (2005 est.)
Reaching military age annually	172,093 males (2005 est.), 165,547 females (2005 est.)
Active personnel	73,350 (ranked 52nd)
Reserve personnel	79,900
Deployed personnel	2,187 (total) Afghanistan - 1,821
Expenditures
Budget	€1.78 billion.
Percent of GDP	1.33%.
Industry
Domestic suppliers	ROMARM Romtehnica Industria Aeronautică Română
Foreign suppliers	Current: United States Germany Spain France Italy Israel Austria Switzerland South Africa Russia Canada Dominican Republic Greece Former: Soviet Union
Annual exports	€141,000,000 (2009)
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 Major General Ștefan Dănilă, managed by the Minister of National Defense, while the president is the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces during wartime.

90,000 men and women currently comprise the Armed Forces, 75,000 of them being military personnel and the other 15,000 civilians. The 75,000 military personnel is divided between 60,000 active troops (forţele active) and 15,000 active territorial reserves (forţele teritoriale). As of 2010, the Land Forces have a reported strength of 43,000, the Air Force 9,700, the Naval Forces 7,150, and Joint Forces 13,500. As per the 2011 White Paper, these forces are to be gradually decreased over the 2011-2014 period to reach a total of cca. 65,000 active troops and active reserves.

Budget

Total defence spending currently accounts for 1.33% of total national GDP, which represents approximately 1.78 billion euros (ranked 54th).

Equipment

Main article: Equipment of the Romanian Armed Forces

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, however due to poor funds and economy the plan may easily change. 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. 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.

Manpower

Main article: Romania and NATO

Romanian soldiers on patrol in Afghanistan

Romania joined NATO in 2004. As a consequence, extensive preparations were made to abolish conscription by 2007 and create a professional army in place of a conscripted one.

The new armed forces include 90,000 men and women, of whom about 75,000 are military personnel (the remaining 15,000 or so are civilians). 60,000 of the 90,000 are active forces; 30,000 comprise the territorial forces. Out of the 75,000 troops which comprise the actual military, about 45,800 make up the Romanian Land Forces, 13,250 serve as the Romanian Air Force and 6,800 are in the Romanian Naval Forces; the remaining 8,800 serve in other fields.

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. 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.

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.

Other militarized institutions

Soldiers of the 30th Honor Guard Regiment "Mihai Viteazul" during the 2007 Bastille Day Military Parade in Paris

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

• Romanian Gendarmerie (Jandarmeria Română), subordinated to the Ministry of Administration and Interior;
• 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 (Protection and Guard Service, provides protection to Romanian and foreign officials);
• Serviciul de Telecomunicaţii Speciale (Special Telecommunications Service);
• Serviciul de Informaţii Externe (Foreign Intelligence Service).

Military Ranks

See also: Romanian Armed Forces ranks and insignia for the full insignia

Romanian Land Forces

Other ranks

• Soldat - Private (OR-1)
• Fruntas - Private First Class (OR-3)
• Caporal Clasa III - Corporal (OR-4)
• Caporal Clasa II - Corporal First Class (OR-4)
• Caporal Clasa I Principal - Master Corporal (OR-4)
• Sergent - Sergeant (OR-5)
• Sergent-major - Staff Sergeant (OR-6)
• Plutonier - Sergeant First Class (OR-7)
• Plutonier-major - Master Sergeant (OR-8)
• Plutonier adjutant - Sergeant Major (OR-9)
• Plutonier adjutant sef - Command Sergeant Major (OR-9)

Specialists

• Maistru militar clasa 5 - Sergeant (OR-5)
• Maistru militar clasa 4 - Staff Sergeant OR-6)
• Maistru militar clasa 3 - Sergeant First Class (OR-7)
• Maistru militar clasa 2 - Master Sergeant (OR-8)
• Maistru militar clasa 1 - Sergeant Major (OR-9)
• Maistru militar principal - Command Sergeant Major (OR-9)

Officers

• Sublocotenent - Second lieutenant (Sub-lieutenant) (OF-1)
• Locotenent- First lieutenant (Lieutenant) (OF-1)
• Căpitan - Captain (OF-2)
• Maior - Major (OF-3)
• Locotenent-colonel - Lieutenant colonel (OF-4)
• Colonel - Colonel (OF-5)

General Officers

• General de brigadă - Brigadier General (OF-6)
• General-maior (General de divizie) - Major General (Divisional General) (OF-7)
• General-locotenent (General de corp de armata) - Lieutenant General (Corps General) (OF-8)
• (General colonel) - Colonel General (OF-8)
• General - General (OF-9)

Marshals

• (General de armata) - General of the Army (OF-9)
• Mareșal - Marshal (OF-10)

Romanian Air Forces

Other ranks

• Soldat - Airman
• Fruntas - Airman First Class
• Caporal clasa III - Corporal
• Caporal clasa II - Corporal First Class
• Caporal clasa I principal - Master Corporal
• Sergent - Staff Sergeant
• Sergent-major - Technical Sergeant
• Plutonier - Master Sergeant
• Plutonier-major - Senior Master Sergeant
• Plutonier adjutant - Chief Master Sergeant
• Plutonier adjutant principal - Command Chief Master Sergeant

Specialists

• Maistru militar clase 5 - Staff Sergeant
• Maistru militar clase 4 - Technical Sergeant
• Maistru militar clase 3 - Master Sergeant
• Maistru militar clase 2 - Senior Master Sergeant
• Maistru militar clase 1 - Chief Master Sergeant
• Maistru militar principal - Command Chief Master Sergeant

Officers
Note that those in parentheses are ranks formerly used (stated in italic) or former rank names or literal rank meanings.

• Sublocotenent - Sub-lieutenant
• Locotenent- Lieutenant
• (Locotenent-major) - First lieutenant
• Căpitan - Captain
• Locotenent-comandor - Major (Lieutenant-commodore)
• Căpitan-comandor - Lieutenant colonel (Captain-commodore)
• Comandor - Colonel - (Air Commodore)
• General de flotilă aeriană - Brigadier General (Air Flotilla General)
• General-maior (General de divizie aeriană) - Major General (Air Divisional General)
• General-locotenent (General comandor) - Lieutenant General (Commander General)
• (General colonel) - Colonel General
• General - General
• (General de armata) - General of the Air Force
• (General-inspector) - Inspector General of the Air Force
• Mareșal - Marshal of the Air Force

Romanian Naval Forces

Naval Ratings

• Soldat - Seaman Recruit
• Fruntas - Seaman Apprentice
• Caporal clasa III - Seaman
• Caporal clasa II - Seaman First Class
• Caporal clasa I principal - Master Seaman
• Sergent - Petty Officer Second Class
• Sergent-major - Petty Officer First Class
• Plutonier - Chief Petty Officer
• Plutonier-major - Senior Chief Petty Officer
• Plutonier adjutant - Master Chief Petty Officer
• Plutonier adjutant principal - Command Master Chief Petty Officer
• Maistru militar clase 5 - Petty Officer Second Class
• Maistru militar clase 4 - Petty Officer First Class
• Maistru militar clase 3 - Chief Petty Officer
• Maistru militar clase 2 - Senior Chief Petty Officer
• Maistru militar clase 1 - Master Chief Petty Officer
• Maistru militar principal - Command Master Chief Petty Officer

Officers
Note that those in parentheses are ranks formerly used (as stated) or former rank names or literal rank meanings.

• Aspirant - Ensign (Aspirant)
• Locotenent- Lieutenant (junior grade) (Lieutenant)
• (Locotenent-major) - Second lieutenant
• Căpitan - Lieutenant (Captain)
• (Căpitan-locotenent) - Captain lieutenant
• Locotenent-comandor (Căpitan de rangul III) - Lieutenant Commander (Lieutenant-commodore)
• Căpitan-comandor (Căpitan de rangul II) - Commander (Captain-commodore)
• Comandor (Căpitan de rangul I) - Captain - (Commodore)
• Contraamiral de flotilă - Commodore (Flotilla Counter Admiral)
• Contraamiral - Rear Admiral (Counter admiral)
• Viceamiral - Vice Admiral
• Amiral - Admiral
• Mareșal - Admiral of the fleet (Marshal of the Navy)

See also

• List of the Chiefs of the General Staff of Romania
• List of countries by number of active troops
• Foreign relations of Romania
• Equipment of the Romanian Armed Forces

Further reading

• Daniel N. Nelson, 'Armies, Security, and Democracy in Southeastern Europe,' Armed Forces & Society, Vol. 28, No.3, Spring 2002.

External links

• (English) Official site of the Romanian Ministry of Defense (MoD)
• (English) Official site of the Romanian General Staff
• (English) Official site of the Romanian Land Forces
• (English) Official site of the Romanian Air Force
• (English) Official site of the Romanian Naval Forces
• New U.S. Base in Romania To Be Larger Than Previously Estimated, ThePeacockReport.com, Oct. 11, 2006.