Generals draw alarm, politicians see their own. “Time is not on our side.” How Germany strengthens its army

General (r) Dan Grecu and General (r) Virgil Bălăceanu warns that Romania is passing on the spot and delays the adoption of some essential laws for the defense of the country. This is while other countries work active to develop their defense, in the event of a possible attack. Germany, for example, takes the first steps to build a strong army.

Less young people are interested in entering the army. Photo: Mapn

At a time when the international context is not at all favorable, Romania is moving when it comes to elaboration and voting of the essential laws for the defense of the country. An example is given by the law that allows the drone's breaking in the Romanian airspace, promulgated only at the beginning of 2025, after years and years of delays. And the situation does not differ in terms of other important laws of defense.

Germany wants a volunteer military service

During this time, other countries work actively to develop their defense, in the event of a possible attack.

Germany takes the first steps to build a strong army. According to the DPA, a draft law for the volunteer military service will enter the Bundestag, the Parliament of Germany. This is after, despite the insistence of Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his party, the Christian-Democratic Union, the project of returning to the compulsory military service was rejected by all other parties. The rejection of the idea of ​​compulsory military service was also taken on the basis of the analyzes made by the Ministry of Defense in this country, but also because of its non -vopularity among the citizens, who do not see with good eyes such a radical decision.

According to the quoted source, the German army would need 260,000 soldiers to cope with an attack from the East. Basically, Germany would need another 80,000 soldiers to reach the fixed target.

If the great powers Germany and France refuse to move to the mandatory military service system and the faithful principles of NATO remain, according to which the armies must be made exclusively from the military, there are countries that do not take into account. Scandinavian and Baltic countries have returned to the compulsory army for their population. Two other countries in which the military service is mandatory, Greece and Cyprus, made this choice against the background of tensions with Turkey.

How is it with us

The appointment of Ionuț Mosteanu in front of the Ministry of Defense seems to have dynamized things a little. But the minister cannot, by himself, change certain things or make decisions instead of others.

Romania seems determined to go to the NATO system in countries such as the United States, France and Germany. Although the chief of the General Staff of the defense, Gheorghiță Vlad, considers that Romania should return to a compulsory form of army, the Minister of Defense, Ionuț Moșteanu, is of another opinion. “Our job as a state is to create motivation for a good part of society to enter and stay in this system. This is my position and here we are, as a country. said the minister.

Generals consulted by “Adevărul” come with a shade. Romania can and must rely on the military system based on volunteering, although it should not be excluded at one point a possible return to the obligation of the army, depending on how things will evolve.

Why not attract the Army Volunteers

General (R) Dan Grecu, the officer decorated by the US, UN and NATO, today president of the Association of Reserve Officers in Romania, warns that there is a tendency to progressively decrease the military reserve. This happens because for the moment there has not been a way for young people to be attracted to a career in the army, in part and because of the lack of information, but also because of the way the reserve officers are treated today.

“We have to restore our own army, but with these ideas in which the legislation is adopted with great delays, and the bills lie by drawers will be difficult for us. In addition, I do not know who can be attracted to the army as long as it is fashionable to play the military pensioners. greater.says the general.

Obviously, although in the public space the idea was propagated that the military pensions were special pensions, and the military were joined to the magistrates, the differences are huge.

“The military are, at least as far as I know, the only category of pensioners who have not been recalculated or updated.says General Dan Grecu.

In addition, in Romania Patriotism is confused by many with ultranationalism. Especially young people, those who should defend their country in case of need, take patriotism in the case and believe that it is in the depth of some well-seen politicians.

“There is no patriotism anymore, for many ashamed to say that they are patriots. There is a risk of being confused with certain politicians and falling into the disgrace of others if you say that Romania matters and that it must be defended in case of need. Nor is history taught as it is taught in the old days, and young people do not see reasons to be interested in what is really happening in this country or to take into account the risks that could exist at any time. “adds General Grecu.

There is a possibility to return to the mandatory military service

Against the background of the lack of attractiveness of the army in the eyes of young people and the reduced number of volunteers, there is also the risk that the compulsory military service will return, over a few years, warns General Dan Grecu.

“Of course, no one wants the compulsory army, but in the absence of measures to ensure the preparation of the population and that could be done more, for a long time, the compulsory military service can come back in the discussion. In 2016 I came with their own proposal regarding the volunteering in the army. regarding the status of volunteer reservists.says General Grecu.

Regarding the solutions that Romania has to increase the number of soldiers, General Dan Grecu sees four variants.

“A variant, by far the worst, is to do nothing. That is, you leave it as it is. The second variant, which is very little possible under the given conditions, is to suddenly reintroduce the compulsory military service over a certain time. And we reach variant three, which is already applied and is not bad at all, but which does not have, at least for now and from my point of view, the desired efficiency. I am referring to the volunteer military service for a relatively short period. Every year, the Ministry of National Defense recruits young people for volunteer service. Officers, non -commissioned officers, soldiers and professionals. The program started badly, but over time it has been perfected, new conditions have occurred, so now it is relatively satisfying, in the sense that the interest of young people has begun to increase the army”Says General Grecu.

A delayed project for almost 10 years

The fourth solution that the general is talking about is taken into account, and for many years there is a special project. It also belongs to a voluntary military service, but with a much longer training.

“Variant 4 is about 9 years old in a project, which is called a voluntary military service, that is, young people interested in doing a voluntary military training, not a mandatory military service. So it is an extended voluntary service during three to six months, depending on the specialty, in which the people are to be paid. Record to the army.says General Grecu.

And General (r) Virgil Bălăceanu is on the same length and argues that if the situation of the reserve is not remedied in the medium term, the compulsory military service should be taken into account.

Time no longer holds with us

He says that it could be reached here and because of the delays for the project that provides for the preparation of the population for defense.

As in the case of the Law on objects with or without a pilot entering the airspace of Romania, the Romanian Parliament delays a decision. As the risk that Romania will have a common border with Russia or a Ukrainian state subordinated to Moscow should not be removed from the calculation, it is incomprehensible with the light with which the elected officials treat the problem. General Virgil Bălăceanu recalls that, before the famous NATO article 5 is activated, which stipulates that if an ally is attacked, the others must help it, an article less invoked, but equally important, which concerns both the individual and the collective defense.

“Instead of doing this from now on, let's move on to a doctrine of the collective territorial defense, in the sense of territorial defense in the ally context, we will be obliged to do it under the pressure of the Russians on the Romanian border. And to achieve the discouragement effect, we should also have the elements that would be a new paradigm, which is the new paradigm, First of all, Article 3 of the Washington Treaty, our forces, our own defense resources, to which we add NATO.says the general. The bad news is that for now Romania does not treat this seriously.

The recipe would not necessarily be complicated, but it seems that Romania is not able to mobilize. In the given situation, it is necessary for the draft law on the preparation of the population for defense to receive the necessary opinions as soon as possible. The project will have to reach the level of the Government, and it will submit it to the Parliament to be voted and to enter into force.