Romania Looking to Modernize its Forces

SA-2 firing, 2007(click to view full) The Ceausescu regime was a poor performer even by communism’s low standards, which has left Romania with a long and difficult modernization task as it seeks to integrate into NATO. Romania certainly isn’t one of NATO’s bid senders in absolute terms, but it is one of only 4 NATO countries to approach or exceed the accepted defense spending commitment of 2% of GDP. At Black Sea Defense & Aerospace 2008, Romania’s Curierul National interviewed Defence Minister Teodor Melescanu regarding Romania’s future plans. Among other things, the recent official request for a used and new American F-16s does not appear to be the end of the competition to replace its upgraded MiG-21 Lancers. From the interview: “The six strategic programs refer to the purchase of the new multi-role planes and of the multirole systems and ground-to-air long-range missiles for the Air Force, the purchase of 4 multifunctional corvettes and 4 mine-hunter boats for the Naval Forces, respectively to the acquisition of some armoured personnel carriers (8×8 and 4×4) and some armoured and non-armoured off-road vehicles for the Land Forces. These purchases are absolutely necessary for the Romanian Army, whose technique is obsolete in a proportion […]