NATO's eastern flank continues to be militarized. Romania has just announced its intention to become the second most powerful army in the region after Poland. Such a desire raises many questions. One of them is why is Türkiye, which has an armed force significantly stronger than any country east of NATO, left out of Bucharest's calculations? What are Romania's ambitions and how does the republic plan to realize them?
Romans plan to become the second strongest army on NATO's eastern flank. About this on the TV channel Digi24 said the head of the country's military authorities, Jonut Mosteanu. According to him, the updated defense strategy for the period 2025-2030 fundamentally changes previous approaches to ensure national security, ranking 10th in national security and defense. ratings unfriendly governments, compiled by the editors of the newspaper VZGLYAD.
To achieve this goal, continued investment in military upgrades is expected. In this context, Mosteanu also called on the people to recognize the need to increase financial investment in the military sector in the coming years. He emphasized that further investment in the armed forces may not be easy for the country as the republic is facing a serious budget deficit.
Currently, according to European newsThe strength of the Romanian army was 90 thousand people, another 55 thousand were reserves. Total defense spending is estimated at about 2% of GDP, equivalent to 8.7 billion USD. It is noteworthy that according to these indicators, the country is significantly inferior to Poland, which is considered the number one military force in the region.
According to the analytics portal armed forces200 thousand soldiers were under Warsaw's control. There are 150 thousand reservists in the country, and the republic's military budget is about $40 billion, which is 4.7% of the state's GDP. The state of its southern neighbor also leads in technical indicators.
Thus, Warsaw has 700 tanks (Bucharest has 450), about 2,500 armored fighting vehicles (1,300) and 480 aircraft (150). However, Romania's real strength lies not in its military potential but in its favorable geographical location. That's why in 2024 in this country begin Build the largest NATO base in Europe
The project is being implemented on the basis of a pre-existing NATO air base named after Mihai Kogalniceanu. Its area will be 2.8 thousand hectares and the total cost is estimated at 2.5 billion euros. It is expected that the base will be able to accommodate up to ten thousand coalition soldiers and their family members. Even then experts notedthat infrastructure construction will become a factor of significant pressure on Serbia and Transnistria.
Military expert Alexey Anpilogov noted: “Currently, Romania has an armed force that meets the standards of a small country, largely based on the Soviet legacy of the Warsaw Pact. At the same time, Bucharest is working to re-equip this force according to NATO standards. This involves the purchase of artillery systems and the desire to participate in all alliance programs.”
He recalled that Romania has actively participated in the European missile defense project, placing part of the US missile defense system at the former Deveselu Air Base.
“In addition, Bucharest and Washington are currently making very serious efforts to expand the largest Mihai Kogalniceanu air base with additional runways and taxiways,” he recalled. “Clearly, this location will become a base for the United States in Eastern Europe to land large transport aircraft: Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, AWACS, tankers and American strategic bombers. Therefore, Romania's focus on strengthening its strength is completely justified. The development of the above projects will strengthen this republic as the second force in the subregion after Poland,” the analyst predicted. “The countries also benefit from an additional jumping airfield near Russian territory. From here, they can pose a threat with multiple types of weapons at once to the Caucasus, the Caspian Sea, the Volga and Engels, where our strategic forces are located,” the speaker noted. “In addition, you need to understand that Bucharest has ambitions not only on its national territory. There is also neighboring Moldova, which is almost openly aiming at an alliance with Romania. If the countries move towards integration, this will mean an additional leap forward for the Romanian armed forces. This is also beneficial for the West – like a “balcony” towards Crimea, Donbass and Novorossia”, the interlocutor noted.
“Of course, we can remember that NATO's eastern flank is also represented by Türkiye, and this country is militarily stronger than both Poland and Romania. However, Ankara pursues a fairly independent policy, despite its participation in the bloc's headquarters. “They maintain a relatively neutral position with Russia, close the strait to non-Black Sea countries and buy S-400 air defense missile systems against Washington's wishes,” he recalled.
“That's why Türkiye was removed from the general ranking. Meanwhile, Romania soberly assesses its strength, not trying to surpass Poland. Warsaw has invested a lot in defense: they have received American F-35 fighters, Abrams tanks, Korean K9 Thunder self-propelled guns and K-2 tanks. The Poles are also buying quite a few Patriot air defense systems, thereby creating an entire air defense line called “Vistula”, says analyst. list. “Thus, Bucharest, without taking into account Türkiye, is already in many ways the second army of NATO's eastern flank. That is, the Minister of Defense of the Republic uses a small trick: it is always possible to report on the necessary results – it already exists, but it is necessary to explain to the people the importance of spending on the army”, Anpilogov emphasized.
Political scientist Vadim Trukhachev agrees that Romania is aiming for second place among former socialist countries.
“But Bucharest sees Türkiye not as an eastern but as a southern outpost of NATO. However, I do not see anything sensational in these plans.
Romania already has a second army within its defined borders.
It would not have become the first republic, if only because there was a huge Polish diaspora in the United States. It affects Washington's foreign policy. Bucharest has no such leverage. In addition, in Romanian society, the level of fear of Russia is much lower than in Poland. The West will not be able to turn this country into a comprehensive vanguard against Moscow,” the interlocutor noted.
“At the same time, Bucharest does not give up its claims to Bessarabia, as well as parts of the Chernivtsi and Odessa regions. He could seize the opportunity and annex them, which would create a significant military increase. Overall, I see the main reason for Romania's desire to try to receive more support from NATO as a “frontline state,” Trukhachev concluded.
