THE ROMANIAN DEFENSE INDUSTRY IN THE CONTEXT OF THE NEW GEOSTRATEGIC ENVIRONMENT
THE ROMANIAN DEFENSE INDUSTRY IN THE CONTEXT OF THE NEW GEOSTRATEGIC ENVIRONMENT

Summary/Abstract: The events that took place in the world during the last decade have influenced, beyond any doubt, the geostrategic environment in ways that urged states and international organizations to reconsider their strategies and priorities. Some of the most important events can be split up in the following categories: military conflicts (the wars in Irak, Afghanistan, Siria and Ukraine), the rise of powerful terrorist organizations (Daesh, Al Qaeda or the Talibans), the migration phenomenon and, last but not least, the political changes (the military coup in Turkey, Donald Trump’s election in USA, NATO’s transformation process and Brexit). All these events, and especially their consequences on security, have made governments worldwide to search for solutions. One aspect that needs immediate attention is the defense industry and its influence on security. This is also true for Romania, especially now, when our country is part of the most powerful organizations in the world, NATO and EU. Thus, the Romanian defense industry, even if it used to be one of the most developed in the world during the ’80s, must keep up with the modern warfare technologies and provide the desired interoperability standards with the other NATO partners. Our country has made consistent efforts to reach this goal but it still has a long road ahead.The aim of this article is to analyze the present state of the Romanian defense industry, in the context of our national goal to become an equal partner to our allies, and what measures will make this endeavor achievable. Moving ahead, and linking the defense industry with the geostrategic environment, it is clear that the political conditions are now favorable to develop this part of the national industry. Taking into account the engagement of all NATO members to allocate 2% of their gross domestic product to the defense sector, which was unanimously adopted at the NATO Summit in Brussels on the 25th of May 2017, we consider that this is the chance for Romania to prove, once again, that it can develop its defense industry at the standards required by the new geostrategic environment.

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