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Romania Reserves and Mobilization
In a concession to the need for economy, the ground
forces
maintained only one motorized rifle and one tank division
at nearfull strength in personnel, weapons, and equipment
(category one)
in 1989. One tank and three motorized rifle divisions were
held at
50 to 75 percent of their wartime strength (category two);
four
motorized rifle divisions were kept at less than 50
percent of
complete readiness (category three). Romania also relied
heavily on
large reserve and paramilitary forces that could be
equipped and
trained at less cost than could regular forces and could
mobilize
rapidly in a condition of imminent hostilities.
In 1989 approximately 4.5 million men, or approximately
20
percent of the country's total population, were in the
reserve
military service age-group of 18 to 50 years. More than
550,000 of
these people had served on active duty in the armed forces
during
the previous five years. They were subject to periodic
recall for
refresher training in weapons and small unit tactics.
In addition to its system of reserve service, Romania had
the
Patriotic Guards, which were staffed by about 700,000
citizens,
both men and women. In keeping with the doctrine of War of
the
Entire People, the Patriotic Guards were a combined
territorial
defense or national guard and civil defense organization,
which was
established immediately after the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact
invasion
of Czechoslovakia. The Patriotic Guards worked closely
with the
Ministry of National Defense but were directly subordinate
to the
PCR and the UTC. Relying more on ordinary citizens than on
the
professional military, the Patriotic Guards served as a
potential
counterweight to or check on the power and influence of
the regular
armed forces.
In 1989 the Patriotic Guards were organized into
company- and
platoon-sized units in almost every judet,
municipality,
town, village, and industrial or agricultural enterprise.
Under the
command of the first secretary of the local PCR apparatus,
they
conducted basic and refresher training in small-arms
handling,
demolition, mortar and grenade-launcher firing, and
small-unit
tactics. In wartime they had responsibility for local
antiaircraft
defense, providing early warning of air attack, defending
population centers and important elements of national
infrastructure, and conducting civil engineering work as
needed to
reestablish essential military production after an attack.
They
would reconnoiter and attack enemy flanks and rear areas,
combat
airborne units and special forces penetrating deep into
Romania,
and mount resistance operations against occupying forces.
In
keeping with their guerrilla image, the Patriotic Guards
wore plain
uniforms with no insignia or badges of rank.
Data as of July 1989
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