One of the most remarkable Directors of a Foreign Intelligence Service from Southeast Europe
In September 2013, Mr. Petru Gabriel Vlase became the first Romanian MP elected in the highest echelon of AP NATO, as Vice-president. Petru Gabriel Vlase said in an interview for Q magazine, “Is useful to mention that this position was not reserved to a country or to me as a person. I had to enter into a competition with another candidate from Holland. The achievement is equally for Romania, certainly. What counted the most in this exercise are the skills acquired in two consecutive mandates, or eight years of working relationship with this institution, first as a member, and afterwards as Head of the Romanian Parliamentary Delegation to NATO PA.” In NATO PA, his duties multiplied. It means to strengthen the Alliance’s ties with the Parliaments of the member states, a more profound awareness and understanding of the key security topics, a higher transparency of NATO’s policies in our today turbulent world. The last, but not the least, is about a better adaptation of the Alliance to the changes of the global security environment.
As for the risks and threats that the White Charter of the Army might bring to Romania, Mr Vlase said “I am not a supporter of the exclusive security and defense approach through the lenses of the external aggression, military or of other type. I think that security problems along this century should be considered in a flexible way, with an inclusive vision on the level of the risk factors. There are already outdated the times when Governments kept working quietly and looked at the security matters only when external relations inflamed, generating crises and armed confrontations. The fight for security today needs approaches on all governing fields and in any format, internal or external, starting with the germinal stages of vulnerability. Global economy’s connections, trans-border ties of the world financial sector, or of the international companies and state’s institutions, are proving that security management is equally present on internal state field and deals with: intelligence, military sector, trade, production, banks and financial sector, environment, social, health, critical infrastructure and so on. I am not sharing the idea that Romania would not be aware about the risks and internal and external vulnerabilities. What the White Charter is doing is an alignment of the present patterns taking into account the actual evolution in the security environment. If I remember well the structure of the Strategy of the National Security of USA, from 2010, I would be sure to say that President Obama would not signed such a document if it included express indications about the security threats from the part of Russia or China. A document like White Charter has to clarify perspectives, and not to bring irritations on the international scene.”
On 4 July, 2018, Mr. Gabriel Vlase had been validated for the Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE) top position by the specialized committee, with only one vote against, following the proposal put forward by President Klaus Iohannis.
“I cannot say I have major goals, in the way that radical changes must be operated starting the second day. There are situations dragging for some years on harmonizing the legislation for the legislation is quite old (…) Meanwhile, Romania became NATO member, with responsibilities in the European and North American areas. Secondly, there are the service’s specific issues, on employment, benefits, the part related to the SIE employees,” Vlase said after the hearing in the SIE control committee.
Prior to the hearings, PSD Senator Şerban Nicolae, a member of the committee, said that Vlase has shown he is good in parliamentary activity “several times, through elections”. As a secretary in the the Special Parliamentary Committee, how Mr Gabriel Vlase deal with unidentified “sources”, which are not accredited? For example, he is given some “sources” that inside the Army, there are many units where the ammunition is not sufficient numerically or operational.
“It is important that our nation knows, in the field of defense things are in order, thoroughly checked, and the standards are scanned by experts that are putting at stake their carrier and do not operate with whispers. I give you an example: if a rumor is expanding that soldiers are not served with the necessary food, there are two possibilities…or the situation is real and are issued immediately orders to restore order, or we have a diversion. Let us assume that stocks of ammunition are insufficient in some military units. Then, the General Military Staff, the Ministry of Defense, and Supreme Council of Defense of the Country come under red alert. Any thing can be said about the White Charter of Defense in its last version, but not that would hide realities, irrespective how grave would be these. The Parliament can be alerted, of course, but competencies for solving these problems are harbored into the above mentioned institutions. I wish to ensure you that within institutional architecture of national security there are not errors such as the ones you mentioned, and I know this system very well in all its components.”
Couple of facts about his remarkable career.
2012-2016 – the head of the Romanian Parliament Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly
2013-2015 – Vice President in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly
2015-2017 – Honorary Vice President in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly
He participated in various meetings, including the ASPEN Forum in Bucharest, 6th Edition, 2017.
December 21, 2016 – member of the Chamber of Deputies in the legislature on the lists of the Social Democratic Party
February 2017-2018 – deputy speaker with the Chamber of Deputies
4 July 2018 – Director of the Romanian Foreign Intelligence Service appointed by Decision No. 23 of the Romanian Parliament
Other Activities
Published the volume “Strategic Challenges”, RAO Publishing House, 2007, in collective with Expert Constantin Onişor – associate professor at the National Academy of Information.
Lectured at the Superior College of National Security on security and geopolitical balance regarding South-Eastern Europe
Mr. Petru Gabriel Vlase has a Doctorate Degree awarded by the National Academy for Intelligence.
One of the conclusions that we can draw from Mr. Vlase’s career is that this person loves his country very much and has dedicated himself entirely to being in her service.
By Ovidiu Stanica
