The national security and defence programme will continue to embody the principles and standards of the Northern Atlantic Alliance. Amongst its underlying principles, national security constitutes the cornerstone of a democratic development and of the inherent economic growth of the country.
The reformation of the Armed Forces in conformity with NATO standards shall boost professionalism, ensure depoliticization, and give dignity and integrity. By doing so, the Armed Forces will turn into an active body to the service of the country, standing up to the standards of the Alliance member countries.
The main steps to attain these goals will start with the institutional work to elaborate a National Strategy Paper. Unrevised since 2004, this important document will be developed in the light of the new security environment and will be based on the New Strategic Concept of the Alliance of 2010. Once the Assembly has passed the aforementioned document, the Government shall elaborate the New Military Strategy that ensure that national ambitions are matched by the financial resources in the field of defence, as provided for by the Document of the Strategic Revision of Defence.
The Government will pave the way to a deep reform in the Armed Forces in terms of the doctrine, conceptual and structural grounds, with a view to enhance professionalism, depoliticize the military structures and boost the fight against corruption.
A solid platform will be in place to increase cooperation with NATO, with its members and partner countries, in order to obtain their further support to meet the required standards and to provide our contribution in the Alliance-led collective defence and peacekeeping missions.
A mid and long-term plan for the development of AFRA will be designed for the period between 2013 and 2020. The scope of the long-term development plan shall be as follows:
• The establishment of a new AF organizational structure, by gradually reducing the current staff;
• Revision of the entire education and training system for the Armed Forces, which will be ultimately aimed at preparing professional soldiers, lieutenant officers, non-commissioned officers, corporal officers and staff sergeants for the Armed Forces, in accordance with the needs of the new force structure.
We will address with priority the achievement of the operational response of the mechanized Infantry Battalion and of the Land Force for Special Operations, which falls under the obligations Albania has towards NATO to ensure the required military capacities for collective defence and peacekeeping operations.
We will review the legal framework that governs the activity of Armed Forces. The fundamental purpose of doing so is to improve the Status of the Military and restore the undermined dignity, while increasing their confidence in the State.
Revising the legal framework in order to improve the financial treatment of the active members of the military is an imperative insofar as, on the one hand, we want to make sure that qualitative human resources are recruited in the Armed forces in the future and, on the other, that reservists and members released from the service receive a dignified treatment.
