Defence Ministry's activity, marked by change of security milieu in Black Sea region (minister Dusa)

The analysis of the activity of the National Defence Ministry (MApN) in 2014 is marked firstly by the change of the security environment in the extended region of the Black Sea, as well as by the growth of instability in the Alliance's southern vicinity, in the Middle East towards Northern Africa, Defence minister Mircea Dusa said on Tuesday at the institution's stocktaking report meeting.

Photo credit: (c) Liviu SOVA / AGERPRES ARCHIVE

Mircea Dusa has specified that these things have generated, through their implications, deep changes in the way of addressing the defence and security matters at the NATO and EU level.

"Under these circumstances, the National Defence Ministry has responded rapidly, by generating a change of priorities as regards the objectives initially foreseen for 2014. The stress was put on measures of increasing the operational capacity of the Romanian Army, simultaneously with accomplishing the commitments arising from Romania's capacity as a member state of the NATO, the EU, the UN and the OSCE. A particular importance was given to implementing the measures set through the strategic partnerships of Romania, with the United States of America especially, with its two dimensions, the project of the anti-missile shield at the Deveselu base and the development of the multimode hub and the Mihail Kogalniceanu transit Centre," the minister highlighted.

According to the Defence minister, 2014 was the best budget year for the army since 2008 up until now.

"In 2014, the financial support ensured by Romania's Government has allowed the Air Forces to continue the strategic Programme for endowment with the F-16 multirole aircraft, as well as the finalization of the programme for the equipping with the C-27J Spartan...