Moldovan-British military bridge

„What? – British Armed Forces Day.

When? – Every last Saturday in June.

Where? – Across the country with several local events.

Why? – Showing support for the Armed Forces provides a much-valued morale boost   for the troops and their families.

Who?

1. Active British Armed Forces: the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force promote peace, deliver aid, tackling drug smugglers, provide security and fight terrorism. In total, about 200 thousand soldiers.

2. Veterans is anyone who has ever served in the British Armed Forces.

3. Reservists, who give up their spare time to serve in the Reserve Forces, balancing their civilian life with a military career to ensure that should their country require them, they would be ready to serve. Together: 45 thousand people

4. Cadet forces (marine, air, army and combined force cadets), over 130,000 young people in more than 3,000 locations in the U.K.

5. Families. Our Armed Forces couldn’t do their job without the incredible support of their family and friends.

6. Donors. The Armed Forces have the support of several charities in the U.K., and many local events provide opportunities to support them.”

         Such a structured presentation and explanatory urge to support the military found on the website: https://bit.ly/3gsEItm, doesn’t leave you indifferent even to the events themselves or the country’s armed forces the whole.

         The United Kingdom, as the most powerful country in the world, and the seventh-largest country in the world, spending 2.2% of GDP for the military field, knows how to cultivate respect both internally and externally.

         In the 27 years of documented collaboration with the Republic of Moldova (memorandum signed on 20.10.2004), the United Kingdom has been involved in several projects, becoming a strategic partner for our country: „The appointment of the U.K. Defence Attaché with residence in Chisinau has represented a strong indicator of openness and interest of the British Government to support Moldova in the process of reforming the defence sector”, said Lieutenant-Colonel Tatiana Ionel, Head of the Directorate of International Cooperation, Ministry of Defense.

         A review of the Moldovan-British collaboration confirms the above idea.

         First about training

English language courses have become an opportunity for the military and civilians from the National Army since 1996. The number of beneficiaries reaches about 350 people, including KFOR personnel. Moreover, based on the British model, courses are organized at the Language Center of the Military Academy.

         Professional training for the Moldovan military began in 2002 and took place in different European countries. For this section, we can point out some resonance events:

• The Cambrian Patrol Multinational Exercise. National Army has been participating since 2017, and in the next two years, the military students returned with silver medals, proving that discipline and physical endurance are the norms for them.

• The „Commissioning Course” offered by two royal military education institutions from Great Britain. The first beneficiary was Lieutenant-Major Alexandr Croitor, head of the Basarabeasca military administrative department. He studied leadership and communication with civilians for 11 months at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst: „I had emotions, especially at the graduation, when for the first time the flag of the Republic of Moldova was hoisted on that plateau. The studies were interesting and useful with many practical activities, although the first two weeks were more difficult due to British linguistic accents.” Nevertheless, the Moldovan officer performed well, standing out among the 38 international students in and out of school. He also did not miss the tourist offers in Scotland or the mountaineering and hiking in the mountains.

         Another success for Moldova, achieved by encouraging the British, was the first national course, „Managing Defence in the Wider Security Course”. The Ministry of Defence held the event in 2019, targeting several state structures. Other effective interactions focused on Strategic Defense Analysis, the areas of disarmament and control over armaments, military mapping/geodesy, and the professional retraining for militaries go into the reserve (293 beneficiaries).

         DCBI (Defense Capacity Building Initiative) projects.

         From February 2019, a new direction of collaboration starts – the Professional Development Program – PDP (Professional Development Program). The civil servants in the security and defence sector will learn good practices regarding civil and democratic control over the Armed Forces. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland will be the lead country, investing 100,000 pounds. The launch of the project is expected in autumn 2021, but it depends on the epidemiological situation.

         Assistance in the field of defence sector reform

         With British financial support, the Moldovan militaries participate in international peacekeeping missions, such as in Mali. In this way, Moldova increases its contribution as a security provider, added the officer.

         Great Britain was with us during the pandemic period. The personal protective equipment against COVID-19 (more than 17 thousand pounds) helped the National Army overcome this challenge. In gratitude for the multilateral involvement, E.S. Mr Steven FISHER, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was awarded the „Strengthening the Brotherhood of Arms” medal.

         In conclusion, although The English certainly and fiercely pride themselves in never praising themselves, as the writer Wyndham Lewis said, we have allowed ourselves the luxury of boasting of a Moldovan-British collaboration, and we are open to talk about it further.

In Romanian: https://dragostinavicol.org/2021/06/30/podul-militar-moldo-britanic/