The Romanian General Staff, officially the General Staff of Defence (Statul Major al Apărării) is the institution responsible for the leadership, organization and planning of the operations of the three branches of the Romanian Armed Forces: the Land Forces, the Naval Forces and the Air Force, subordinate to the Ministry of National Defense. It is led by the Chief of the Romanian General Staff, the professional head of the armed forces. It was established on 24 November 1859 as the General Staff and was renamed in 2018 under its current name.
On 24 November 1859, the General Staff was established by order of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza.[1] On 13 May 1865, the General Staff was temporarily dissolved, with its duties falling to Directorate I of the Ministry of War. In 1894, the General Staff ceases to be a department of the ministry and becomes a "special service" within it. On 28 April 1932, it was declared via law no. 125 that "The Army General Staff is the body through which the Ministry of National Defense directs, manages and controls the war preparation of the army." In July 1994, after the Romanian revolution, the Grand Staff received the name of the General Staff. In 2018, the General Staff becomes the General Staff of Defense.[2]
