Romanian Land Forces | |
---|---|
Forțele Terestre Române | |
Founded | 24 November [O.S. 12 November] 1859 |
Country | Romania |
Type | Army |
Role | Infantry, mountain troops, artillery, Armoured fighting vehicles, paratroopers, CBRN |
Size | 35,500[1] |
Part of | Romanian Armed Forces |
Command HQ | Bucharest |
Motto(s) | Statul Major al Forțelor Terestre |
Anniversaries | 23 April |
Commanders | |
Chief of the Land Forces Staff | Major General Ciprian Marin[2] |
Notable commanders | Marshal Constantin Prezan Marshal Alexandru Averescu Marshal Ion Antonescu |
Insignia | |
Roundel | |
Military colors | |
Identification flag (obverse) |
The Romanian Land Forces (Romanian: Forțele Terestre Române) is the army of Romania, and the main component of the Romanian Armed Forces. Since 2007, full professionalization and a major equipment overhaul have transformed the nature of the Land Forces.[3]
The Romanian Land Forces was founded on 24 November [O.S. 12 November] 1859.[4][5] It participated in the Romanian War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire, the Second Balkan War against Bulgaria, World War I against the Central Powers (in which it won the decisive battles of Mărăști and Mărășești), and the Hungarian–Romanian War. During most of World War II (until 1944), Romanian forces supported the Axis powers, fighting against the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front. From August 1944 until the end of the war, Romania fought against Germany under the control of the Soviet Union. When the communists seized power after the Second World War, the army underwent reorganisation and sovietization.
Following the Romanian Revolution of 1989, due to shortage of funds, many units were disbanded and much equipment was phased out. Likewise, Romanian military capability declined because of a lack of fuel as well as training. However, since the late 1990s, a number of positive changes have come about and the level of combat readiness has been growing steadily; since 1996, the military budget has grown more than four times, rising from 636 million dollars to 2.8 billion dollars in 2007. Conscription has been abolished and professionalisation has been completed.