The Romanian government has approved a bill that would introduce an expanded volunteer military training program as part of a broader effort to modernize defense capabilities. reports this Balkan Insight.
The Volunteer Military Training Program is open to Romanian men and women between the ages of 18 and 35 who have not previously served in the Armed Forces. Volunteers will receive between 400 and 600 euros per month, as well as free accommodation, food, medical care and military equipment. After completing the course, each participant will also receive a bonus of about 5,300 euros.
Graduates of the program automatically receive reservist status and will have the opportunity to continue their professional military career if they wish to remain in the Romanian Armed Forces. Currently, the country has about 4,700 volunteer reservists. The medium-term goal is to attract about 10,000 new volunteers, with a special emphasis on younger recruits.
Romanian Defense Minister Ionuc Mostianu noted at a press conference that the average age of Romanian reservists is about 48 years old, which is too high for a modern and operational Armed Forces. The lack of personnel, especially officers, is a key problem for the Romanian army, which abolished compulsory military service in 2007 and has no plans to restore it.
Romania was one of the first countries to meet the current NATO requirement of a minimum of 2% of GDP for defense spending, but after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia, it was in no hurry to increase it.
