Supreme Council of National Defence

Romania plans to buy 32 latest-generation F-35 fighter jets from US manufacturer Lockheed Martin for 6.5 billion dollars, the defense ministry announced on Tuesday. 

Bucharest increased its defense spending to 2.5 percent of gross domestic product this year from 2 percent last year in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Romanian internal intelligence service, SRI, could see its powers extended under a draft law being debated by the governing coalition, which has drawn opposition from NGOs.

The new law may oblige civilians or companies, as well as public authorities and institutions, to assist SRI inquiries about their operations, according to the news portal G4Media, which has seen the document.

On 26 March 1990 the Romanian Intelligence Service was established through Decree no. 181, the main specialized institution of Romania in terms of intelligence-gathering for national security. On 29 July 1991, the Law no. 51 was issued regarding Romania's national security, by which the menaces to Romania's national security are set.

Romania's Supreme Council of National Defence (CSAT) endorsed, on Tuesday, the budget proposals for 2020 for the institutions with responsibilities in the field of national defence and security.

President Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday that the meeting on Tuesday of the Supreme Council of National Defence (CSAT) looked into reports from the Interior Ministry (MAI) and the Special Telecommunications System (STS) on the Caracal case, adding that the citizens must regain their confidence in the state by definitively eliminating from the system those who do not do their job.

President Klaus Iohannis said on Tuesday that the meeting on Tuesday of the Supreme Council of National Defence (CSAT) looked into reports from the Interior Ministry (MIA) and the Special Telecommunications System (STS) on the Caracal case, adding that the citizens must regain their confidence in the state by definitively eliminating from the system those who do not do their job.

Social Democratic Party (PSD) Chairman Liviu Dragnea declared on Sunday night that President Klaus Iohannis will stop at nothing to block Government and he is the most powerful man in Romania, exercising this power abusively.

The sitting of the Romania's Supreme Council of National Defence (CSAT) was suspended and the Gov't must come up with a new budget project in which it needs to explain the reasons behind the budget cuts in the national security area, in the circumstances of a highly positive budget amendment, President Klaus Iohannis stated on Tuesday.

Former President of Romania, Chairman of the People's Movement Party (PMP) and Senator Traian Basescu stated that, taking into account the public pressure, the risk of disclosing all protocols signed by the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) should be assumed, mentioning that Romania's Supreme Council of National Defence (CSAT) has nothing to declassify from this point of view.

Social Democratic lawmaker Ionut Vulpescu asserts that Premier Victor Ponta, a frontrunner in the upcoming presidential election backed by the PSD-UNPR-PC electoral alliance, is seen as a "regional leader" by the US top officials.