George Scutaru, Director General of New Strategy Center, was invited on August 20 as a speaker at the debate “The Invisible Shield. The Will of a People to Resist,” held as part of the Râșnov Film and History Festival, alongside Marius Ghincea, political scientist, postdoctoral researcher and European security expert at ETH Zurich, and Sorin Ioniță, President of Expert Forum. The debate was moderated by Claudia Indreica, founder of Psihoselect.

He pointed out that Romania is facing the greatest security threat of the past 35 years and that the risk of confrontation with Russia is real. Russia is using drone incidents to test the response of Romania and NATO and will continue to put pressure on the Eastern Flank and, implicitly, on Romania. Political instability, the budget deficit, the lack of national cohesion, and low levels of trust in institutions represent vulnerabilities that Russia is exploiting. At times, the Romanian political class’s approach is merely contemplative when it comes to measures aimed at preparing the population for national defense or increasing deterrence and defense capabilities.

We do not have the luxury of being several thousand kilometers away from Russia geographically. Therefore, we need to accelerate defense programs, reform procurement procedures, increase the pace of acquisitions, especially in the area of unmanned systems, provide greater funding for civil protection, and incorporate the lessons learned from the war in Ukraine. Our neighbors can provide significant assistance by sharing tactics and capabilities that can help us better address the threats posed by Russia.

We need to recognize the danger to Romania’s security and understand that the defense of the country cannot be the sole responsibility of the armed forces. We have the example of measures adopted by Poland, the Baltic states, and the Scandinavian countries, aimed at increasing the population’s level of preparedness for national defense.