Moldova - Doctrine

The military doctrine of the Republic of Moldova adopted in 1995 is the main concept document in the area of military security. An amended draft of this document submitted to the Parliament in 2003, was withdrawn in 2005, since it was outrun by certain amendments to the military legislation as well as evolutions in the foreign policy of the Republic of Moldova.

The status of permanent neutrality means that a country will abstain from joining military alliances. At the same time, it is well known that every state, regardless of its size, bears a certain responsibility to maintain stability and security, both internally, but also on the international level. Given that the army is a fundamental element for maintaining a country's stability and security, the neutral states have the responsibility to preserve their own military troops in order to ensure their neutrality status.

In spite of the expectations related to the end of the cold war, the role of military forces has not decreased considerably. The function of counteracting military threats through the possibility of using armed forces is still one of the most important in a modern state. At the same time, a change of military doctrines and concepts of military building is necessary due to the need to correspond to the considerable change in the structure of dangers and threats and to the dynamics of geopolitical shifts. The level of the Armed Forces' fight possibilities and fight potential is determined by the conditions of the geopolitical situation in the region, the existing danger and probability of an armed conflict beginning. Also, one should take into consideration the economic possibilities of the state, regarding the Armed Forces' maintenance costs.

In 2005-2007, the Republic of Moldova pursued in different ways the process of defining a new vision of its military security, which comprised the following main directions:

• The reform of the defence and security system aims at adapting the armed forces and the entire security sector to strategic circumstances and making them able to achieve their priorities at costs acceptable for the society, and subject to a democratic civil control.
• In reforming its defence and security system, the Republic of Moldova makes use of the mechanisms and instruments offered by NATO in the framework of the Partnership for Peace (PFP), such as the PFP Action Plan to build defence institutions and implements relevant objectives undertaken in the framework of the Planning and Analysis Process (PARP).
• In this respect, and with the aim of adapting the national defence and security policy to the Euro- Atlantic standards, a Strategic Defence Review (SDR) must be carried out, with the support of NATO member and partner states, to include all armed forces and other state institutions with direct and indirect responsibilities in the defence and security area. This process shall start this year, in the framework of implementing the Moldova-NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP).

A number of independent observers are inclined to think that the National Army in general and the Ministry of Defence in particular, were less affected by the demolition fervor of the administration installed after 21 February 2001, by the incompetence of the new "old" ideology-driven leaders, ready nevertheless to adapt to "actual conditions" of "the current moment".

The new text of the National Security Concept was developed by a special commission established based on the Presidential Decree no. 374-IV of 22 December 2005 comprising representatives of the state administration, civil society and academia. On 21 May 2007, the Commission approved the final version of the paper and submitted it to the Parliament for consideration. Approval by the Parliament of the Concept is one of the main commitments undertaken by the Republic of Moldova under the IPAP and should have been accomplished by 5 February 2007. The failure to accomplish this commitment was strongly criticised by the Alliance in its Report on implementation of the IPAP, dated July 2007.

On 08 May 2008 the Parliament voted by a majority the National Security Concept of Moldova. In the Legislative was discussed and approved on the first reading a completely different project than the one prepared a year or so ago. The new project is several times smaller in volume and vague, unlike the previous, which was very well written.