The Romanian Defense Industry Association is calling for an urgent review of defense procurement procedures

The Romanian Defense Industry Association – ROMDEF is calling for an urgent review of defense procurement procedures, after a drone dropped in Galati, the night of Thursday to Friday, causing a fire on the roof of a building of residences and hurting two people.'ROMDEF is calling for an urgent review of procurement procedures to shorten the extremely long cycle and enable the rapid equipping of the Army with modern systems such as drones, anti-drone systems, and electronic warfare equipment for border areas and strategic targets, as well as for a permanent, institutionalized framework for dialogue between the state and the private defense industry,' according to a statement released on Friday.   The employers' association believes that 'this is not an isolated incident, but a warning: Romania, as a NATO and EU member state, urgently needs a genuine defense capability against low-altitude air threats.‘The serious event in Galati showed us the gap in our defense. It is not an issue of courage or professionalism of the military – it is matter of system. Romania does not need promisses anymore, but speed – speed in decision, speed in acquisitions and real opening to the companies which already have solutions. The private defense industry may contribute responsibly and quickly, if they are offered the framework to do it’, stated Catalin Podaru, the chairman ROMDEF, quoted in the press release.According to the organization, the solution is to expedite the procurement and deployment of defense systems in border areas and around strategic targets—from counties near the border to critical infrastructure such as the Cernavod? power plant. These capabilities exist, including within Romania’s private sector, but the pace at which the state can procure and operate them remains the main obstacle. ROMDEF calls for the immediate establishment of a Permanent Advisory Council, an institutionalized mechanism that would bring together the security agencies, the Supreme Council for National Defense (CSAT), the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Economy, Digitalization, Entrepreneurship, and Tourism, along with private defense sector operators. 'Today, meetings between government officials and companies are sporadic and largely informal, lacking a framework that would ensure rigor, clear resolutions, and concrete steps to follow. There is a need for public institutions to be much more open to the private sector, which has solutions—through a mechanism with a clear mandate, regular meetings, and measurable results," the statement reads.   According to the Romanian Defense Industry Association, the current cycle—from the identification of a need to the actual procurement—takes between 2 and 5 years, from the identification of an operational need to the actual procurement of a system, which is incompatible with the pace of threats on NATO’s eastern border. ‘The European partner states – especially those on the Eastern flank – accelerated dramatically. In the last two years, the acquisition cycles for defensive capabilities, without compromising the procedural rigor. The difference is not a theoretical one: over the last five years, only in the electronic war zone there were several auctions while the operational need was left uncovered. The modernization of the framework for sectorial public acquisitions, so that it could reflect the geopolitical realities, the capabilities and the rhythm of industry is the condition without which no capabilitiy, whatever available, does not get to the field on time’, says the organization.A drone involved in the bombing of infrastructure in Ukraine crashed in Gala?i, causing a fire on the roof of an apartment building and slightly injuring two people.