Romania has only 377 T-55 and TR-85 tanks and hopes that NATO will help in the war with Russia
Romania has only 377 T-55 and TR-85 tanks and is not currently developing its own defence plans in case of war with Russia, although it is part of NATO's Eastern Flank, where the threat from the Kremlin is the most acute.
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In this matter, the Romanian authorities do not rely on their own combat potential, but on the strategic planning of the Alliance's leadership and the French military contingent, which clearly demonstrates how the principle of collective defence is implemented in practice. The Defence Romania portal reports that Romania's acting president, Ilies Bolozhan, said in an interview with Digi24 that the country's leadership is not currently considering any plans "in case the situation in the region escalates".
At the same time, NATO leaders have strategic plans to deal with threats to any member state, especially on the eastern flank, and these plans include the Romanian army. Interestingly, this was Bolozhan's response to a question about possible additional security measures in the event of increased tensions in the region.
A French Rafale fighter jet. Illustration: Dessault
The authors of Defence Romania point out that France, which leads the NATO contingent in the country, as well as the US military, are stationed in Romania. In addition, the Romanian airbase "Mihail Colgicănu" is actively used by NATO aircraft for operations in the region.
Defence Express draws attention to the fact that the Romanians themselves openly state that in the event of possible Russian aggression, they primarily rely on protection from other Western countries, and only then on their own combat potential.
The Romanian leadership is probably avoiding making loud statements about the country's security due to election fever. At the same time, the approach of "stronger countries protecting us anyway" demonstrates quite clearly how Romania sees the implementation of the principle of collective defence.
Source: Defence Romania
