Reforming the Population’s Defense Training in Romania between Current Regulations and the Modernization Project

Abstract

The accelerated deterioration of the regional security environment after 2014, culminating in the large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, has revealed the structural limits of Romania’s operational reserve. The current regulatory framework, Law no. 446/2006 on the preparation of the population for defense, has proven to be outdated by the suspension of compulsory military service, failing to generate a relevant reserve of forces. Using a combined methodology—doctrinal analysis, comparative analysis and public policy evaluation—one can examine the legislative modernization project that is intended to be adopted in 2025. The study argues that this reform marks a strategic paradigm shift, highlighted by two key measures: (1) the introduction of a basic military training program, on a voluntary basis, financially incentivized (Art. 13¹), designed to quickly generate a mass reserve; and (2) imposing new obligations on reservists and eligible citizens abroad (Art. 8¹). A central thesis of the study is that the legislative process revealed a major institutional tension between the vision of the initiator (Ministry of Defense) and that of the legislature. KEYWORDS: Law 446/2006, military reserve, voluntary military training, Law 270/2015, total defense, legislative reform, Romania, NATO