The New Nato Policy on Reserves. A Romanian Project to Implement It

Being under the influence and lessons identified from the existing conventional war in Ukraine, NATO came back to Collective Defense operations, bringing them into a new era of Article 5 that makes the Alliance to become ready today to face tomorrow’s challenges.The new focus on deterrence and defense to safeguard the freedom and security of Allies within 360-degre approach, as it is described in the respective concept for the Euro-Atlantic area (DDA), approved in 2020, necessitates two very important aspects. The first one concerns an adjusted balance between robust in-place forces and reinforcements to strengthen deterrence and the Alliance’s ability to defend. The second is related to build national and Alliance-wide resilience as a national responsibility and a collective commitment. Both aspects involve the existence of robust reserves and reserve forces with vital role played in NATO’s defense and deterrence, as well as in the whole spectrum of national and NATO’s defense structures. This is why NATO has revised its policy on reserves (MC 0441/3 FINAL) at the end of 2024 to highlight their societal, operational and transformative value. Even being considered as a national responsibility and prerogative, the Alliance is keen to support the development of reserves through a whole-of-society perspective and to enhance their utilization in contributing to NATO’s core tasks, operations and missions. By following this new policy, all Allies, including Romania, should take all necessary measures to increase the level and importance of reserves and reserve forces inside their Armed Forces.