Do you want to enter the army as a volunteer? What do you have and what benefits you have, explains a NATO general

After many years of delay, the law on volunteer military service arrived in Parliament. “Adevărul” analyzed the access conditions in the training period for the volunteer military and the advantages they will get with General (r) Virgil Bălăceanu.

Volunteers will make a training period of 4 months. Photo: Mapn

The government sent to the Parliament the draft law by which the voluntary military service is introduced, in the form of a military internship. It involves a basic training with a duration of up to four months, which takes place exclusively during peacetime. After the completion of the internship, the participants will be included in the operational reserve of the Romanian Army.

The state offers benefits to those who choose this form of training: accommodation, food, equipment, medical assistance during the internship, as well as a substantial allowance at the end, equivalent to about three gross average salaries, ie 27,000 lei, plus a balance between 4,000 and 5,000 lei a month. Thus, a young man who completes the volunteer internship leaves home with the equivalent of about 6,000 euros.

The conditions for registration provide for the age between 18 and 35 years, Romanian citizenship and stable domicile in the country. Candidates must pass medical, psychological and physical aptitudes. The baccalaureate diploma for participation is not mandatory.

The project is thought of as a measure of rejuvenation and consolidation of the Romanian army reserve. If adopted, the first volunteers could begin the military internship since 2026.

“More accessible scales”

“Adevărul” analyzed the access conditions in the training period and the advantages obtained with General (R) Virgil Bălăceanu, who represented Romania at the NATO Command in Brussels and was head of the Southeast Multinational Brigade.

Regarding the conditions of access to this training shock, Bălăceanu claims that “They are not the classic ones, there will probably be differences, because there is a difference in the physical training test of the candidates graded professional soldiers compared to the volunteer reservists. The evidence for the volunteer reserve candidates are not as demanding as for the professional graded soldiers or for the candidates for the educational institutions.”

The package includes a monthly allowance of 4-5,000 lei plus three average salaries at the end of the internship.

“We can assume that it will be attractive, first of all, through this financial motivation, but not only, because those who will graduate this military internship for four months, can then fall as professional soldiers. They can also be oriented to other educational institutions, such as military education, schools of military masters, duration ”explained Bălăceanu.

In addition, the general is convinced that those who will pass into the voluntary reserve will enjoy, after four months, a monthly allowance, which is quite high.

Regarding the training capacity, of maximum 10,000 people per year, the expert seems quite large. “I do not know if we will succeed. It would be a lot, because there should be a selection and then if we have taken into account 10,000 positions, we should have at least 12-15 thousand candidates. Probably these figures will be lower. We will see after the law is adopted. The army has the ability to instruct and has experience.”he said.

The reason why the baccalaureate is not required, explains the general, is that the selection base is as wide as possible. “And for a reservist soldier, there is no need for a baccalaureate. Of course, those who have a baccalaureate can then aspire to other military education institutions.”

The profile of the volunteer military

The profile of such a volunteer military is, according to Virgil Bălăceanu, the following:

“It should have minimum physical skills, not exceptional, that is, resistance, to run 2,000 or 3,000 meters, we will see if the resistance sample will mean 2,000 or 3,000 meters. It will be able to make a number of floats, a number of abdomens, the scales are different from the boys to the girls. Then it allows them to perform a service that is quite demanding, especially from a physical point of view, but not only. ”

He said that these scales are not expected to be exaggerated but at the usual level, because there is no selection for special operations forces. “There is a selection for a voluntary military service in time. And after completing the four months, the functions on the war organizational states of the soldiers' units will behe detailed.

When the plan is approved, it is will provide the places according to weapons and specialties. “They will have the opportunity to choose their weapon and specialty, but, of course, there will be many candidates from the unit where they will be framed. And then, on that specific, they will also choose the weapon. An example, if they are from Galați, can opt for the tank weapon, being a unit of tanks in Galați.explained the general.

He believes that if the training program is intensive, 4 months reach to acquire a general military training and a specialized one. “Since the training program of the professional graduated soldiers is less than four months, I think 4 months will arrive for the volunteer military. Nor do the professional graded soldiers have previous military training. Their training program varies according to each year, if I do not deceive it now it is from two to three months. ”

After the end of the internship, they can become professional military or remain in reserve, in which case they will have to participate periodically in the training courses paid.

Obligations and advantages. What happens in case of war

“In case of war, they will fall into the positions with the military in the activity. Starting with the state of siege, the compulsory military service is reintroduced. As such in a situation of danger of conflict or conflict and the other young people between 18 and 35 years, only boys, they will do a mandatory military service. Much more effective, that is, preparation during the four months and then that preparation with a certain periodicity over time”, Shows the general.

In addition to the fact that they will be better prepared in case of conflict, there are other advantages. “Other advantages are related to an area of ​​interest for young people. At Voluntari reservists, it is true for the category of officers, there were quite a lot of competitors, 3 to 4 competitors in one place. As such, there is an interest in the military environment and a military career.”

On the other hand, he says, the training program also means training for life: „De la lecțiile de prim-ajutor la lecțiile de supraviețuire. Pregătirea fizică în definitiv este și o fortificare fizică, dar și psihică. Sunt și elemente de educație care apar pe timpul celor patru luni. Cei care vor absolvi această perioadă vor ști mai multe. Și vor fi mai bine pregătiți, nu numai din punct de vedere militar, dar și din punct de vedere al vieții, din punct de vedere civic, din punct de vedere al educației patriotice.”

In addition, the period of military internship is taken into account when calculating the pension. Those who choose to pass into the voluntary reserve will also have a special allowance.

Another important advantage that the general spoke about: “They will belong to a separate community ”.