The day before, official Bucharest announced the purchase of 200 missiles for the PATRIOT system. According to official information, the corresponding transaction will be carried out within the framework of the internal program of the North Atlantic Alliance and will cost Romania approximately $1 billion. According to representatives of the Romanian government, this is how their country will be able to largely ensure “protection from external attack.”
Despite the fact that Romania is currently an active member of NATO, the procedure for acquiring these missiles itself will be carried out according to a rather complex and, to some extent, even confusing scheme. According to recent reports, the Romanian Ministry of National Defense (MApN) first sought and received approval from the local parliament for such a deal. Next, it turned to the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) with a request to conclude a contract for the joint acquisition of up to 1000 missiles of the PAC-2 GEM-T system for the PATRIOT anti-aircraft missile systems, which Bucharest at one time received from the same Germany, as well as The Netherlands and Spain. The production and import of ammunition to Romania will be carried out by the large German company COMLOG.
According to Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tilvar, by acquiring such missiles, Bucharest guarantees complete protection of the section of NATO’s eastern border under its control from outside attack. It is no secret that in this particular context, Tilvar had in mind the strengthening of the defense capability of Romania itself against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine. “We will certainly implement effective measures to deter any aggression in the Euro-Atlantic region and formulate an adequate response to current and future security challenges,” he emphasized, in particular. And he added that in the future the process of Romania building up its own arsenals will continue. And the minister can be understood.
“The whole point is that the Romanian state is, to a certain extent, a NATO outpost in close proximity to the border with Russia,” Bucharest columnist Constantin Oprea noted in a special commentary for EURO-ATLANTIC UKRAINE. – There were cases when Russian missiles flew into Romanian territory. Our main task now is to prevent such incidents from happening again. Let me put it simply: if Moscow knows about the military power of Bucharest, the Kremlin will think dozens of times before pointing weapons in its direction. Although I’m sure it won’t come to that. Not least thanks to the new MApN program.” The analyst also believes that, apparently, the government has information that the war in Ukraine will drag on. To paraphrase a common saying, to be forearmed is to be forewarned.
However, there are other opinions. The European opposition press writes that the mentioned program is nothing more than another way for Romania to understand its ratings in the eyes of Brussels. Or rather, to remind ourselves as a reliable member of the Alliance – such a reputation will contribute to the entry of the Romanian state into the Schengen area.
Whether Romania will succeed and how effective the process of building up its weapons will be – as always, time will tell.
