Balkan Insight: A fresh bill to attract youth to the Romanian army

The Romanian government last week approved a bill introducing an extended military training program for volunteers.

Officials say that the aim is to rejuvenate an ageing reserve corps and fill the staff gaps that have become an expanding problem for this country on the Black Sea, in the context of a decline in the level of safety in the region.

The program is open to men and women aged 18 to 35 who had not previously served in the armed forces. It was designed to be financially attractive: volunteers will receive from 400 to 600 Euros a period along with free accommodation, food, medical care and military equipment. After the course, each associate will receive a bonus of about EUR 5300.

Program graduates will automatically gain reserve status, creating a younger and more competent group of trained staff. They will besides have the chance to prosecute their career as professional soldiers if they want to stay in the armed forces.

Minister of Defence Ionuț Moșteanu said at a press conference that the average age of reservists in Romania – about 48 years – is besides advanced for modern and efficient armed forces.

Romania presently has around 4,700 volunteer reservists. The medium-term goal is to attract about 10,000 fresh volunteers, with peculiar emphasis on younger recruits.

The deficiency of personnel, primarily army officers and specialists, is simply a key problem of the army in Romania, which abolished compulsory military service in 2007 and does not plan to reconstruct it. Currently, military service is entirely voluntary, making recruitment both strategical necessity and challenge.

Although financial incentives may be attractive to some, especially in agrarian or economically disadvantaged regions, officials admit that interest in military service is limited.

The fresh law aims to change this perception by offering a more comprehensive and satisfactory experience of training.

Source: Balkan Insight

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