DefMin Fifor: First 36 Piranha carriers to equip Romanian forces by year-end

Minister of National Defence Mihai Fifor participated on Saturday in Arad in the Land Forces Day celebrations organized at the Memorial to the Unknown Soldier.

"It is a great joy for me to be here today in Arad to celebrate - two days earlier, indeed - the Day of Romania's Land Forces, but I was keen on coming here because there is a double significance attached to the battalion in Arad, as an elite unit of the Romanian Army and as here in Arad we have the Romanian-Hungarian Joint Peacekeeping Battalion," Fifor said.

The DefMin spoke about military education, about the reopening of the Military Marine College in Constanta, as well as of the need to train an elite military corps.

''We have greatly increased the number of openings in university education because we want to expand the selection base for future physician officers. We are very preoccupied to form an elite military corps capable of dealing with any challenges the Romanian Army will be facing," Fifor said.

The minister announced that the first 36 Piranha armored carriers will enter the Army's fleet by the end of this year.

''The first carriers will arrive in the country by the end of this year. This is a batch of 31 armored carriers produced in Switzerland, plus another 5 which will be assembled in the country, at the Bucharest Mechanical Plant. After that, all the others up to 226 will also be produced at the Bucharest Mechanical Plant. The carriers will be distributed to all the units in the country," Fifor explained, adding that the 191st Infantry Battalion in Arad is among the first units that will be equipped with this type of carrier.

The Archbishop of Arad Timotei Seviciu also attended the ceremony, evoking the Romanian Army's battle tradition in defence of the homeland and the forerunners' faith, and talking about the Holy Great Martyr George, the Victory-Bearer, who is the patron saint of the Land Forces.

Also present at the event held in Arad city's 'Avram Iancu' Square were Arad Prefect Florentina Horgea, deputy Dorel Caprar, Chairman of the Defence Commission, Brig. Gen. Dr. Nicolae Tonu, deputy commander of the 4th Infantry Division "Gemina", representatives of the Interior Ministry's devolved local units, reserve or retired military personnel.