Romania: debate on voluntary military service
Romania's Chief of Defence, Gheorghiță Vlad, has warned that the country's troops are not prepared for an emergency. The army is short of personnel and many reservists are too old, he said, and proposed that adults up to the age of 35 be allowed to volunteer for basic military training - also to be prepared to take on Putin. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu reacted promptly and played down the seriousness of the situation.
A viable model
Political analyst Valentin Naumescu writes in Contributors:
“Defence wars are not only fought by professionals. As we have seen in Ukraine, it takes hundreds of thousands of people who leave their civilian lives for a while, take up arms and know how to use them. ... Yes, voluntary military service for men and women between the ages of 18 and 35 is necessary and makes sense - as long as it is successful, effective and appealing. So far there are some doubts about this. Four months of military training is not much, but if it is done well and the number of applicants is high, the project could represent an important military resource for the country.”
When the chips are down, duty doesn't mean much
Reintroducing compulsory military service would be the wrong approach, republica.ro puts in:
“Gheorghiță Vlad did well to mention the word 'voluntary'. For practical reasons, the notion of voluntarism must be at the centre of such an operation - we see that with the Ukrainians too. If we ever have to fight the Russians, many borders will break down. No matter what laws are passed, there will still be Romanians who bribe border guards to escape, just as Ukrainians have done. ... Compulsory military service would do nothing to change this.”
Ciolacu wants to avoid awkward issues ahead of election
The Romanian service of Deutsche Welle has the following to say:
“The prime minister fears a debate that could swing back and forth between the two options of compulsory and voluntary military service, potentially thwarting his electoral calculations [for the 2024 parliamentary election]. Like most Romanian politicians, Marcel Ciolacu is thinking more about his own interests than those of the country and is telling the army chief not to cross any more red lines in his statements. ... The prime minister apparently believes that what you don't talk about doesn't exist. But just a fortnight ago, the Chair of the Nato Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, asked politicians and companies in the West to prepare for an era in which anything can happen at any time, including war.”