Moldova: A Defence Reform Assessment

The Moldovan Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Moldovan Armed Forces have, despite its very low defence allocations compared to other European countries (measured as per cent of GDP) made real progress in their efforts to reform the defence sector. Yet, much remains to be done before the MoD can implement its ambitious defence reform agenda. As such, international donors have various avenues in which they can give assistance. This report seeks to provide insights that will allow the Swedish Armed Forces to attain a better understanding of the reform needs within the broader defence sector. This information can make it easier to determine within which specific areas to provide assistance to the Moldovan defence sector. The report analyses five specific areas of the defence sector, namely management, combat training, technical military cooperation, logistics and professional development. The study includes an appendix with specific reform assistance requests for Sweden communicated to the authors by the Moldovan Ministry of Defence.