Romania is warning their citizens to “prepare for war” and the chief of the Romanian Army, Vlad Gheorghiță said it is their intention to “bring young people” into the armed forces.
Countries within in NATO are uneasy as threats to the Eastern flank grow and Romania is adopting to Poland’s preparation methods for war.
General Gheorghiță said they need citizens within Romania to support the war effort and many will “receive training.”
Speaking to Digig24 Defence Minister Radu Miruță cautioned, “No country can reduce the risk of a drone attack to zero,” and the possibility remains low, but there is still a risk Russian drones could be sent.
The Minister said, “We are strengthening the deployment in the area [Dobrogea, border land with Ukraine] with both personnel and equipment. Relocating existing assets to where strategic analysis indicates the risk is increasing.
“Positioning firing units in areas from which Romania’s inhabited zones can be protected, because one risk is a drone getting through and exploding in the reeds of the Delta, and another risk is a drone getting through in the middle of a village.
“In order for these events to be more likely to happen in reeds and uninhabited areas, and not on rooftops, the Romanian Army is making efforts.
Read more related news:
Papering over the cracks: Missiles over Ukraine, theatre in Davos, and the dangerous rewriting of reality
“Yes, I will say this very openly: despite all efforts, there is a risk that we may see drones in inhabited areas, but the risk is small. The question is: can you guarantee that it won’t happen? No! We work with probabilities and with the capabilities available.”
Miruță added, “The discussion about drones must be held with all the cards on the table.
“There are situations in which certain drones, in certain areas, cannot be seen on radar, and we must say this clearly.
“This is not unique to Romania; it happens everywhere. These drones, which are made of foam or cardboard, have no reflective surface, meaning the radar wave is absorbed and does not return.
“Another issue is terrain. Depending on the terrain and altitude, these objects may be less visible or not visible at all. The fact that news of this kind does not appear every day is because the Army is doing its job very well.”
General Gheorghiță said, “Starting this year, we have a change in the law on the preparation of the population for war.
“Also starting this year, we intend to bring young people to the Ministry of National Defence, on a volunteer basis, to be trained. We will continue these programs, depending on the budget allocations.
“This year we are training about 1,000 soldiers. In the following years we will have two or three training series per year.
“The training capacity is between 2,000 and 10,000 soldiers per year. We need to have a population prepared for various crises, such as fires, earthquakes and so on.
“We also need to have a population prepared to support a war effort. We have many training programs planned in this regard, in collaboration with the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations.”
He said that the Black Sea may not be defended by NATO and it is their responsibility to “defend its infrastructure.”
He added, “Legally, Article 5 cannot be activated to defend the exclusive economic zone. But that does not mean that we do not defend our zones. We will have allies, if necessary.
“If you are referring to the platforms in the Neptun Deep exploitation, all platforms are national territory. Critical infrastructure also means submarine cables. It is the duty of the Romanian state to defend its infrastructure.
“We must invest in the Romanian naval forces. Protecting critical infrastructure is a mission of the Ministry of Interior. The Ministry of National Defense will provide the necessary support.”
