MoldovaNATIONAL SECURITY
Moldovan State University, Chisinau
Courtesy Paul E. Michelson
Museum of National History, Chisinau
Courtesy Charles King
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 (see Glossary)
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
consist 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)
havve
been established under the command of the Ministry of
Interior.
Data as of June 1995
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