The Ministry of Defence (MoD) will start, on Monday, the process of recruiting and selecting volunteer reservists, Defence Minister Adrian Tutuianu stating on Sunday, for News.ro, that this action represents an adaptive response to the realities of Romanian society and seeks to provide personnel with adequate military training, against the backdrop in which conscription is no longer in force.
“The volunteer reservist law is in force since 1 January 2017. It represents an adaptive response to the realities of today’s Romanian society and its objective is to ensure personnel with adequate military training, against the backdrop in which conscription has no longer been in force for many years in Romania,” the Defence Minister pointed out.
Adrian Tutuianu added that 2,200 positions for volunteer reserve corporals and privates are available in 2017 in 24 counties and the Bucharest municipality.
“I want to point out that the law stipulates specific recruitment criteria, namely criteria differentiated based on the branches of the armed forces – military branches similar to those available for the candidates for active service, certain military and psychological standards specific to volunteer reservists, more permissive than those for active soldiers, and a criterion of differentiation based on categories of personnel for those recruited from among citizens without prior military training. (…) The first stage of the recruitment and selection process will start on Monday, 10 July 2017. This year we are not recruiting officers,” the Social Democrat added.
The Defence Minister pointed out that “the work rapports between volunteer reservists and the MoD are established via contract; the first contract spans a period of four years, and the following contracts span a period of three years at most.”
“When they do not take part in training or in missions within the structures whose members they are, they continue to be declared within the public pension system, the health insurance system and the unemployment benefits system and benefit from a monthly stipend representing 10 percent of the pay for the position they hold in line with the contract and the pay for the rank held,” he added.
The Minister added that the recruitment process is taking place at county recruitment centres where the candidates will have to present “their ID – original and copy; their criminal record – released six months prior at the latest; education diplomas and/or other documents certifying skills obtained in civilian life – originals and copies; driver’s licence – original and copy; military record book – original and copy – only for those who are reservists.”
Adrian Tutuianu reiterated that volunteer reservists will receive the pay corresponding to the rank and position held when they are summoned for training or domestic/external missions and will receive 10 percent of this income when they are not summoned to such activities.
“It’s the first time (when volunteer reservists are being selected – editor’s note), the law was adopted in 2015; after two years, the law is being implemented and it seeks to ensure qualified military personnel, against the backdrop in which we no longer have conscription,” Adrian Tutuianu concluded.
According to an MoD press release, “the first stage of the process of recruiting and selecting the volunteer reservists of the Romanian Armed Forces will start on Monday, July 10, with the selection of candidates who want to become volunteer reserve privates and corporals, the recruitment for the positions of volunteer reserve officers, warrant officers and NCOs set to take place in the second stage, based on a timetable that will be announced in due time.”
“When they show up at the recruitment centre, the candidates will be informed about the stages of the process of recruiting and selecting the volunteer reservists, namely the military unit where they will undergo the selection trials, the military medical unit where they will undergo the medical examination, the military unit/training centre where they will carry out the initial training programme (if they have been selected). Likewise, candidates without prior military training will be advised in what concerns their options, in the sense of directing them toward the branches/services and military specialities for which they show aptitude,” the source points out.
The MoD emphasised that “volunteer private and corporal reservists recruited on basis of Law no.270/2015 represent a category of reserve military personnel, distinct from that of professional privates and corporals who are recruited on basis of Law no.384/2006 and are part of the active military personnel.”