Romania's Experiences with Defense Reform Since the December 1989 Revolution and the Dimensions of Civil-Military Relations Viewed as a Trinity
Abstract
The thesis addresses Romania's experiences with defense reform and the development of democratic civil-military relations (CMR) since the collapse of communism in December 1989. The purpose of the thesis is to identify relevant qualitative and quantitative indicators for measuring the progress of Romanian political and military authorities in implementing defense reform initiatives. The author places a special focus on the CMR trinity: civilian democratic control over the armed forces, defense efficiency, and military effectiveness. The thesis argues that civilian democratic control over the armed forces was the key priority during the early stages of defense reform. During this period, attention was focused on establishing and enforcing a democratic constitutional and legal framework, re-defining the roles and missions of the armed forces, and restructuring the military. Once these objectives were achieved, defense reform allowed for finding appropriate strategies and policies for improving defense efficiency and military effectiveness. Consistent progress has been made on these aspects of CMR, especially since the year 2000, after which national efforts were more convincing and NATO's assistance was more targeted. The success of Romania's defense reform is demonstrated by revisiting three areas of defense policy: the defense planning, programming and budgeting system (PPBS); human resource management; and the modernization of military equipment.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA467379
Entities
People
- Ramona Stan
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School