Ministry of Defense

Minister of Defense Apparatus was created in 2001 after the reorganization of the Secretariat Directorate of the Ministry of Defense. It is part of the Ministry of Defense set up on February 5, 1992 based on R.M. presidential decree no. 19 on "The reorganization of the State Department of Military Affairs within the Ministry of Defense".

In October 1991, President Mircea Snegur announced Moldova's decision to organize its own national armed forces; Moldova had demanded the withdrawal of Soviet troops when it declared its independence. The decision not to participate in the joint forces of the CIS was made explicit by Parliament's rejection of the Alma-Ata Declaration of December 21, 1991. The number, training, and quality of the armed forces and the police have varied greatly since the republic's declaration of independence. In April 1991, Moldova passed legislation that exempted its residents from service in the Soviet armed forces and that granted immunity from prosecution to anyone declining to serve. A law on alternative service for conscientious objectors was passed later.

Initially, political leaders intended to keep troop levels low. Moldova's plan for the regular armed forces was to recruit Moldovan citizens to serve in the army and national police and take over positions in Soviet military structures and in the Moldovan Ministry of National Security, which replaced the KGB in Moldova. This program would in effect "republicanize" the armed forces. An eighteen-month draft of eighteen-year-old males was introduced. However, students at institutes of higher education were exempted from all but three months of service, which was deferred until graduation. Alternative service was available for those with religious objections to military service.

In addition to the police, Moldova's armed forces consisted in 1995 of border guards under the Ministry of National Security and a national police force of some 10,000 professionals modeled on Italy's Carabinieri. Security forces of approximately 3,500 men (2,500 Internal Troops and 1,000 OPON Riot Control Troops) had been established under the command of the Ministry of Interior.

The conscription process is based on Republic of Moldova Law "on the Preparation of Citizens for Homeland Defense", Republic of Moldova President Decree, Decision of Republic of Moldova Government and Minister of Defense Order. Male citizens of the Republic of Moldova that have reached the age of 18 or would reach the same age during conscription period shall be conscripted to military service. The age limit up to which citizens may be conscripted to military service is 27 years old. The conscription is carried out by local public administration authorities, in common with military centers, through Republic of Moldova Presidential Decree and Government decision. The conscription to military service is carried out twice a year, from May to June and from November to December. The short-term military service (3 months) is done by civil institutions of higher education graduates, who had not fulfilled their military duty before graduation, the first year after graduation.

The Human Resource Management Directorate is part of the central office of the Ministry of Defense. In 1991, an office responsible for the military staff problems was formed together with the foundation of the State Department of Military Affairs. Then, the office was reorganized into Staff Directorate together with the establishment of the Republic of Moldova Ministry of Defense. Basic missions of the Staff Section at the beginning and in the course of its activity were calling CIS-countries Moldovan military men to continue their military service in their native country; selecting and distributing military per units, subunits and institutions of the National Army; and keeping records, awarding military ranks and decorations to the National Army soldiers.

In 1997, the directorate has been also added the task of training the National Army personnel, as well as the task of organization of large units, military units and institutions of the Ministry of Defense. From 1997 to 2000, the tasks and organization of the directorate underwent minor changes. Together with the separation of the General Staff from the central office of the Ministry of Defense, the Staff Organization Section was removed from the Military Education and Personnel Directorate and transferred to the General Staff of the National Army. In 2005, the Military Education and Personnel Directorate was reorganized into "Human Resource Management Directorate".

In the context of National Army reform and the need to harmonize its structure with the similar structures of Western European countries, the tasks of the Ministry of Defense and General Staff of the National Army in the human resource management field have been set. Changes were made in the organizational structure of the Human Resource Management Directorate. Thus, the basic tasks in this area have become the development of human resource management policies, senior officer corps career management, as well as the control over the implementation of the human resource policies into practice. The Section of Military Education was removed from the Directorate and the Policy Section was created instead.

Defense Policy and Planning Directorate [DPPD] reports directly to the Minister of Defense, and is the principal structure of the Ministry of Defense in charge of:

• The defense policy development, execution and oversight in compliance with the Government's policy in term of national defense and protection of the national interests within international organizations or agencies;
• management and coordination of the National Army's development activities, as well as those related to the development of a national defense system meant to ensure the national military security;
• The defense policy coordination, control and oversight of its implementation;
• Analysis, planning and information of the Ministry's of Defense leadership concerning the Republic of Moldova's security environment;
• Planning and management of military cooperation with other countries' armies and international structures.

DPPD follows in succession the former Military Policy and Foreign Relations Directorate, which ceased to exist starting with 2008.

The Financial Economic Directorate was formed together with the foundation of the Ministry of Defense. At that moment, it was called Economic Military Directorate. Initially, the Economic Military Directorate focused its activity on planning and executing the budget, funding different activities related to the wage payment legislation both in the civil and military areas, making reviews in the military units, paying pensions, directing state enterprises, founded by MoD, accountings, etc. In 1996, the Financial Economic Directorate organized the transfer of all military units and institutions of the Ministry of Defense to the new double-entries accounting system, thus insuring methodological support necessary for carrying out this process. In 2006, FED started implementing the automatic accounting system, which aims at creating an upright data base system within the Army, standardizing accounting procedures and facilitating the exchange of accounting information among different structures both at the central and operational level.

The General Inspection Directorate is an independent institution of the Ministry of Defense, carrying out activities of inspection, conclusion and control of the activity of structural subdivisions of the Ministry of Defense and General Staff, troops and services of large units, National Army military units and institutions of the Ministry of Defense. All military categories have direct access to the General Inspection Directorate in terms of all problems related to violation of their legal rights.