| Armed Forces of the Republic of Moldova | |
|---|---|
| Forțele Armate ale Republicii Moldova | |
 Emblem of the National Army | |
 Flag of the National Army | |
| Motto | Pentru Patria Noastra (For our Motherland) |
| Founded | 3 September 1992 |
| Service branches | |
| Headquarters | Chișinău |
| Website | www |
| Leadership | |
| Supreme Commander |  Maia Sandu |
| Minister of Defence |  ColonelAnatolie Nosatîi |
| Minister of Internal Affairs | Daniella Misail-Nichitin |
| Chief of the General Staff |  ColonelVitalie Micov |
| Personnel | |
| Military age | 18 |
| Conscription | 1 year[1] |
| Active personnel | 6,500 professional personnel + 2,000 annual conscripts (2022)[2] |
| Expenditure | |
| Budget | $112 million (2024)[3] |
| Percent of GDP | 0.55%[3] |
| Industry | |
| Foreign suppliers |  Azerbaijan Czech Republic France Germany Italy Norway Poland Portugal Romania Spain Sweden Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom United States |
| Related articles | |
| Ranks | Ranks of the Armed Forces of Moldova |
TheArmed Forces of theRepublic of Moldova (Romanian:Forțele Armate ale Republicii Moldova) consist of theNational Army (which is divided into theLand Forces Command and theAir Forces Command) and theTrupele de Carabinieri under theMinistry of Internal Affairs.[4] Until 2012, theMoldovan Border Police (then known as the Border Troops) belonged to the armed forces.[5]
On 2 November 1990, prior to the formation of the state of Moldova, the Supreme Soviet of the Moldovan SSR ordered creation of theRepublican Guard (Romanian: Garda Republicană) as a militarized government agency. This force subsequently became the Moldovan military upon independence.[6][7][8]
Moldova has accepted all relevant arms control obligations of the formerSoviet Union. On October 30, 1992, Moldova ratified theTreaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, which establishes comprehensive limits on key categories of conventional military equipment and provides for the destruction of weapons in excess of those limits. It acceded to the provisions of thenuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in October 1994 inWashington, DC. It does not have nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons.
Moldova joined theNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization'sPartnership for Peace on March 16, 1994.
A transition to a professional force of 12,000 to 15,000 volunteers was planned at first, but when fighting erupted in 1991 between supporters of the central government inChișinău and supporters of separatist regions (Transnistria conflict), males between eighteen and forty years of age were mobilized, and the size of Moldova's military was temporarily expanded to meet the demands of theTransnistria War.[9] In early 1995, the armed forces totaled some 11,000 volunteers, and there were plans to gradually create a professional army.
Following theRussian invasion of Ukraine anda series of explosions inTransnistria in 2022, thePresident of MoldovaMaia Sandu declared on 27 April of that year that the Moldovan army had been left largely neglected for three decades and that it was unable to defend Moldova in the face of danger. She said the Moldovan army would go through a process of modernization and professionalization in the future.[10] Later, on 4 May, thePresident of the European CouncilCharles Michel said that theEuropean Union would provide aid to Moldova, including additional military equipment for its armed forces. The support would come from the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace and would not include lethal weaponry. This caused controversy among the socialist opposition leaders of the time, who strove for further cooperation with Russia.[11]
The General Staff of the National Army is currently composed of the following:
At the beginning of 1994, theMoldovan Ground Forces (under the Ministry of Defense) consisted of 9,800 men organized into three motor rifle brigades, one artillery brigade, and one reconnaissance/assault battalion.[9]The Library of Congress Country Studies wrote that its armaments consisted of fifty-sixballistic missile defenses; seventy-sevenarmored personnel carriers and sixty-seven "look-alikes." ("Look-alikes" is aConventional Forces in Europe Treaty term denoting modifications of armored personnel carriers for specialised missions such as anti-tank missile carriage, reconnaissance, or engineer duties). This data appears garbled; in the 1995/96 edition of theIISSMilitary Balance, armored infantry fighting vehicles were listed as 54BMDs (Boyevaya Mashina Desanta, Airborne Combat Vehicle), there were sundryarmored personnel carriers, and 67 "look-alikes".[12]
Artillery included eighteen 122 mm and fifty-three 152 mm towedartillery units; nine 120 mm combined guns/mortars; seventyAT-4 Spigot, nineteenAT-5 Spandrel, and twenty-sevenAT-6 Spiralanti-tank guided weapons; one hundred thirty-eight 73 mmSPG-9 recoilless launcher, forty-fiveMT-12 100 mm anti-tank guns; and thirtyZU-23 23 mm and twelveS-60 57 mm air defense guns. Moldova has received some arms from former Soviet stocks maintained on the territory of the republic as well as undetermined quantities of arms fromRomania, particularly at the height of the fighting with Transnistria.
By 2006–7, theMoldovan Ground Forces had been reduced to a strength of 5,710, including three motor rifle brigades, one artillery brigade, and independent Special forces and engineer battalions, plus an independent guard unit. Equipment and weaponry included 44BMD-1 AIFVs, and 266 APCs, including 91 TAB-71s, as well as 227 artillery pieces.[13]
In 2022, during the Russian war in Ukraine, various Western countries pledged to support Moldova's territorial integrity and provide energy and military aid.[14] During a visit to Chișinau, German Defense MinisterChristine Lambrecht said that Germany is prepared to offer purchases of drones and military training to Moldova. Later that month, Moldovan Defense MinisterAnatolie Nosatii expressed that 90 percent of Moldova's military equipment dates back to the Soviet era and is in need of urgent replacement. He also mentioned that the armed forces face equipment shortages due to insufficient funding.[15]
In 1994 theMoldovan Air Force consisted of 1,300 men organized into one fighter regiment, one helicopter squadron, and one missile brigade.[9] Armaments used by the air force included thirty-oneMiG-29 Fulcrum aircraft, eightMi-8 Hip helicopters, five transport aircraft (including anAntonov An-72 Coaler), and twenty-fiveSA-3 Goa/SA-5 Gammonsurface-to-air missiles.
The86th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment had been located atMărculești since October 1951, and had been reequipped with MiG-29s in 1988.[16] It had been part of the 119th Fighter Aviation Division, which had been resubordinated to the SovietBlack Sea Fleet since December 1989.
TheUnited States purchased twenty-one of the MiG-29s in October 1997 to prevent their sale on the world market and for research purposes. All the spare parts for those aircraft were also purchased, as were the accompanying 500 air-to-air missiles.[17] All the aircraft were transported from Moldova to the National Air Intelligence Center (NAIC) atWright-Patterson Air Force Base nearDayton, Ohio, inBoeing C-17 Globemaster III transport planes over a period of two weeks.[18]
As of 2006[update] all the MiG-29 fighters had either been sold or scrapped, and theMoldovan Air Force had only 2 An-2 Colts, 1 An-26 Curl, 2 An-72 Coalers, 8 Mi-8 Hips, and 12 SA-3 'Goa' SAMs in service, manned by 1,040 personnel.[13]
TheTrupele de Carabinieri is thegendarmerie-type force of the military, based on theItalian Carabinieri. The Moldovan Carabinieri is designed to ensure, together with theGeneral Police Inspectorate or independently, public order and the protection of rights and freedoms of citizens.
TheMoldovan Border Police was founded on 3 September 1991, being entrusted to the Ministry of National Security under the subordination of the subunit of the formerSoviet Border Troops deployed on Moldovan territory. On 11 January 1992, Colonel in June 1992, the Border Troops became an official separate branch of the armed forces, In December 1999, it was reorganized into the Department of the Border Guard Troops of Moldova and was withdrawn from the Ministry of National Security a month and a half later. On 1 July 2012, Prime MinisterVlad Filat ordered its shift from the armed forces to the internal affairs ministry.[19][20]
The Danube Forces of Moldova is a small militarized river flotilla. It is based in the port ofGiurgiulesti. They have at their disposal several unarmed and auxiliary boats of various types.
As part ofNATO's Defence and Related Security Capacity Building Initiative since 2014, the Moldovan Armed Forces are receiving modest amounts of equipment from the alliance.[21] The large part of Moldova's military equipment, however, is ofSoviet origin and in need of replacement.[22] The country has no defence-industrial capabilities beyond the basic maintenance of front-line equipment.[21]
With theRussian invasion of Ukraine, theEuropean Union pledged to increase its military aid. As of June 2023, more than €87 million were provided in support for the modernisation of the defence sector.[23]
On 3 September, the National Army marks its professional holiday,Ziua Armatei Naționale (Day of the National Army). ThePresident of Moldova as well as thePrime Minister of Moldova[24] usually present congratulations to all active servicemen. On September 2, the Ministry of Defense organizes large demonstrations on the occasion of holiday.[25] Military and civilian staff lay flowers at theStephen the Great Monument and theEternity Memorial Complex. There is also a ceremony of the decoration of state and National Army distinctions, as well as honor diplomas to the best military and civilian employees. Festive activities are also organized inBalti,Cahul,Edineţ andUngheni, in common with the local public administrations.[26] In 2018, the National Army Daysilver jubilee celebrations were held at the base of the1st Motorized Infantry Brigade "Moldova" inBălți.[27]
On 2 March, the armed forces celebrates its Remembrance Day, which honours the memory of theTransnistria War. Remembrance Day events are usually organized throughout the country from 1–4 March. Flowers are usually laid at theStephen the Great Monument. The participants have also organized the Memory March, walking fromGreat National Assembly Square to the Maica Indurerata (Grieving Mother)Monument at Eternitate Memorial.[28]
Moldovans who served in WWII, theSoviet–Afghan War, asliquidators at theChernobyl disaster, and the Transnistrian War are eligible for a range of benefits such as discounts, medical services, and free use of public transportation. In 1990, the Republican Council of Soldiers-Internationalists was created, it was headed by the military commissar of the then Oktyabrsky District of Chișinău, Colonel Vitaly Zavgorodniy, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan.[34] The Union of Veterans of the War in Afghanistan of the Republic of Moldova is a veteran's group based in Moldova that advocates for the well-being of veterans of the Afghan War.[35] On 15 May 2000, after the Government's initiative to abolish benefits for veterans of the war in Afghanistan, sympathizers went toGreat National Assembly Square. In 2001, theParty of Communists of the Republic of Moldova, which came to power, radically changed the position of all veterans in the country.[34]
Other military forces also remain within Moldova. In early 1994, the government of Transnistria had armed forces of about 5,000 which included the Dniester battalion of the Republic Guard and some 1,000Cossacks.[9]
As of early 1994, the former Soviet14th Guards Army (about 9,200 troops) consisted of one army headquarters, the59th Guards Motor Rifle Division, one tank battalion, one artillery regiment, and oneanti-aircraft brigade. Their equipment and weaponry consisted of 120main battle tanks, 180armoured fighting vehicles, and 130 artillery pieces/multiple rocket launchers/mortars. The remainder of the 14th Guards Army had been over the border in Ukraine and was absorbed by the Ukrainian armed forces.
Around 1994, peacekeepers in Transnistria consisted of six airborne battalions supplied by Russia, three infantry battalions supplied by Moldova, and three airborne battalions supplied by Transnistria.[9]
Since 2007 the Russian force, now designated theOperational Group of Russian Forces in Moldova, under the command of theWestern Military District had withered away to a strength of some 1500 which included two motor rifle battalions, an independent security and support battalion, a helicopter detachment and several smaller, administrative detachments.
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