European Military Culture and Security Governance by Tamir Libel

Author:Tamir Libel [Tamir Libel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Routledge

The strategy document institutionalised the crucial role of Professional Military Education (PME) and Civilian Defence Education (CDE) in the security sector reform. Moreover, it became mandatory to meet formal PME and CDE requirements in order to be eligible for promotion and reimbursement (Matei, 2013: 326). The transformative impact of the PME and CDE reform influence is extended beyond the defence sector itself, as the CDE courses are now open to civil servants in the MOD, parliamentary defence committees, academics, members of civil society and the media (ibid.: 325). The restructuring of the military education system was shaped by two major external influences: first, national laws and especially the Romanian National Education Law no. 1/2011 and, second, NATO guidelines and policies (Codreanu and Maccuish, 2013: 111–112).

Thus a civilian–military governance system of the military higher education system has emerged (ibid.: 325). Consequently, civilian educational agencies now have an influence over certain aspects of the Romanian military higher education system1 (ibid.: 327). However, the Romanian military higher education system is not purely an educational-academic one, but rather predominantly an officer education system. It is structured along the study cycles of commissioning, mid-career and senior military education. The higher military education institutions provide dual specialisations: first a military one in accordance with the type of service and duties the officer fulfills; and second, a civilian one (mostly in management or social sciences) that is aligned with military job requirements. The latter aims to help the officer in his/her transition to a second career upon his/her retirement (Codreanu and Maccuish, 2013: 111). The first level of the military higher education system is comprised of the military academies: the Military Technical Academy, the “Nicolae Balcesca” Land Force Academy, the “Mircea cel Bartan” Naval Academy, the “Henri Coanda” Air Force Academy and the Military Medical Institute (Anonymous, 2008: slide 9; Cioaca and Miron, 2010: 8). The academies are accredited to award BSc and BA degrees (Matei, 2013: 325–326; Vanherweghem et al., 2013: 4). Upon graduating and commissioning, officers attend training schools where they take “course[s] specific to the respective category of armed forces (10–11 months, platoon leader level), [an] Advanced Course (3–4 months, company level) and [a] Battalion Staff Course (4–6 months)” (Anonymous, 2008: slides 9–10).

The majority of the mid-career and senior professional military education of the Romanian MOD and armed forces is conducted in the nation’s premier higher military education institution, “Carol 1” National Defence University (Anonymous, 2008: slide 9).2 Romanian Government Resolution No. 500 dated 17 May 1990 ordered the establishment of the earlier version of the National Defence University, the Military Academy. Romanian Government Resolution No. 305 dated 23 April 1991 renamed the Military Academy the “Higher Military Studies Academy”. Finally, Romanian Government Resolution No. 1027 dated 28 August 2003 reconstituted the Higher Military Studies Academy as the National Defence University (“Carol 1” National Defence University, 2015b). The decision to establish the “Carol 1” National Defence University was made as part of the Ministry of Defence’s annual work plan for 2001–2002 (Centre for European Security Studies, 2001: 116).

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