Romanian Chief of Defense Staff General Gheorghita Vlad has called for ordinary citizens to be trained for war with Russia, arguing that such a conflict could break out “in the immediate future.” Multiple European politicians and generals have issued similar statements in recent weeks.
“The Russian Federation has become a problem for the world order,” Vlad said in an interview with the US state-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty outlet on Thursday. The general claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin will “not stop” at victory in Ukraine, and will attack either Moldova or the western Balkans “in the immediate future,” and that NATO states must “prepare the population accordingly.”
Romania’s professional military is not ready for war, he stated, noting that 6,000 of its roughly 80,000 full-time soldiers left the ranks last year. The Romanian armed forces should increase its number of full-time troops to 120,000, he recommended, while also training large numbers of 18-35 year old civilians “in the basic principles of warfare.”
Asked whether he was calling for conscription, Vlad said that such a system would be voluntary, with training offered only to “those who wish to participate in such a program.”However, the general described the end of conscription as “a negative not only for Romania, but for all NATO countries.”
However, Romania’s parliament is currently considering a bill to introduce the kind of system described by Vlad. The general told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that it will be “discussed with priority” after elections later this year.
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