Data Updates Replace Gunfire: Mobilization Reserve Drills Fail in Romania
Significant issues were discovered in Romania’s mobilization system for reservists during the MOBEX 2025 exercises, which were held in Bucharest and Ilfov County.
DefenseRomania reported on this.
Participants in the drills shared their complaints on social media, which were later picked up by Romanian media. According to these participants, the mobilization process was marked by chaotic coordination between military recruitment offices, incorrect assembly addresses, and a lack of space in the barracks.
There was also significant confusion and delays due to a lack of coordination among military structures. Reservists received call-up papers late, and those who showed up at military recruitment centers had to wait in long lines.
Despite the official goal of testing the army’s ability to rapidly mobilize reserves, MOBEX 2025 became more of a bureaucratic audit than an actual training operation.
Most participants spent their time filling out forms, verifying documents, and submitting medical certificates instead of practicing field operations.
As DefenseRomania noted, some reservists received notifications only a few days before the exercises began. Others reported to the wrong military centers. Some didn’t participate in the training at all and were limited to administrative procedures, such as getting measured for uniforms or updating personal data.
Additional confusion was caused by the lack of clear regulations regarding the age of reservists who are eligible to be called up. The law does not explicitly define these limits; it refers to internal regulations, some of which are classified.
According to the general rules established by Romanian Laws No. 355/2009 and No. 446/2006:
- soldiers and sergeants remain in the reserve until the age of 55,
- officers until 65,
- and volunteers until 50.
However, in practice, this information is not always aligned with military databases, leaving many reservists uncertain about their mobilization status.
Militarnyi previously reported that, over the next four years, the Romanian army must recruit an additional 35,000 soldiers to counter a potential Russian attack.
The Romanian Armed Forces plan to increase active-duty personnel from 81,000 to 100,000 in the coming years. Plans also include expanding the number of volunteer reservists, of which there are currently around 79,000.
