Impact strategic nr.6-7 - Centrul de Studii Strategice de Apărare şi ...

ACTUALITATEA POLITICO-MILITARĂ
on organization, instructing and teaching levels in concordance
with the implications derived from the relations
between the military institution and society (political
society, civil society). An essential change refers to the
change of recruiting system, to the volunteer adopting for
all the military categories. Adopting the volunteer system
means a transition from a mass army to a professional one.
This transition is required by some economical, political,
military, social, demographic factors. The necessity of
changing the army derives from some multiple internal
and external determinations. By internal determinations
we mean: 1) social, economical, political, cultural changes
taken place in the Romanian society, as a result of adopting
the market economy and of the reform process of the
whole society and its institutions, including army. Therefore,
all activities are appreciated from the efficiency point
of view. That is why the army activity is appreciated from
the economical efficiency perspective. One of the first
consequences refers to stressing the Army’s professionalization.
This does not mean that in present the Romania’s
Armed Forces are not a professional organization (from
the sociological point of view), but the recruiting system
has to be studied (from the economical perspective, too)
of a large part of the military personnel (MAC). In addition,
the state promotes the principle of all the citizens to
be equal in front of the law. As a result, all young people,
able physically and mentally, should answer positively
when asked to join the army. But there are enough young
people who are trying to evade this legal obligation. This is
a common situation in all the countries where conscription
works. Comparing the conscripts with the young people
of their generation not asked to join the army, the formers
might feel the obligativity of the military service and
equality in front of the law are not the same for everyone.
The ones joining the army might lose money (the soldier’s
pay is lower than a civil salary) or might suspend their
studies or a prosperous economical activity. These facts are
used as arguments in favor of giving up using conscription
and adopting the volunteer system; 2) the demographic
factor is another internal determination. After 1990 there
has been a dramatic decrease of population. From 1992 to
2002 Romania’s population decreased by 1.5 million due
to the natality decrease, mortality and migration increase.
Because of the reducing number of those ones able to join
the army, the recruiters face some difficulties. In addition,
there are some legal provisions excluding from conscription
certain young people. That is why from the available
number of young people the recruiters chose the available
ones, neglecting some important criteria selection
(health, abilities, and education). This may be a plausible
explanation for the deviant behaviors (suicidal tendencies,
desertions, and alcohol abuse). For eliminating all these
difficulties, it is necessary the volunteer recruiting system;
3) the size of the budget defense is a very important factor
for professionalization of the army. As the national
economy becomes efficient, the GNP raises and so does
the defense budget size. If so, the allocated amount for
hiring soldiers on a contract basis will increase and will
result into giving up the conscription system; 4) military
reform is another important internal factor that requires
gibing up the conscription and adopting the volunteer
system for recruiting. The reform will require the adoption
of some measures: reducing forces and some fight
means; structures achieving able to fulfil independently
and efficiently the missions assigned; adopting new laws
regarding the army’s leadership; varying the missions
inside and outside the country; increasing the number
of soldiers hired on a contract basis and diminishing the
soldiers number; endowing the army with modern, sophisticated
equipment. All these measures are arguments
for pointing out the professionalization of our army; 5)
Military Romanian participation to some missions outside
the national territory is also an essential internal determination.
Romania has been part of international missions as
humanitarian missions; peace imposing or peacekeeping
operations. These types of operations are only assigned to
professionals, meaning volunteers- due to the specialized
and risky character of mission; 6) the special psychosocial
characteristics of the military professional groups are
another internal factor that requires professionalization.
Research studies done on volunteer soldiers have shown
that unlike the conscripts, they are characterized by: high
cohesion level; consensus; conformity; relaxed work
environment; high efficiency on achieving the assigned
missions; support and collaboration on inter-personal relations;
fully integration in the military medium; affection
and loyalty for the military institution. It is also necessary
a legal framework for making this recruiting way working.
It is also desirable an incentive system (financial, material,
social) in order to stimulate the young man that will
consider the military training a civic duty, additional to
the professional training; 7) the Romania’s civil society
requests of giving up the conscription represent another
internal factor sustaining the professionalization of the
army. NGOs, mass media support lately either reducing
the period of military service or giving up the conscription.
It is possible the civil society to increase its efforts on
eliminating the compulsory military service; 8) increased
efficiency of military actions. The complexity of fights will
increase because of: supplying the army with sophisticated
weapons; cybernetics; keeping under control the dynamics
of the fighting actions. In these conditions the active
presence of professionals in the armed force is a must,
persons characterized by: high competence; increased
responsibility; team spirit.
There are also some external factors. The most notable
24 IMPACT STRATEGIC nr. 1-2/2003