Brigadier General Ariton Ionita was appointed as Chief of Land Forces Staff during a ceremony attended by the Minister of National Defence Gabriel Oprea, organized at the Land Forces Staff location, on Thursday, January 13.

The ceremony was also attended by state secretaries Viorel Oancea and Mihail Vasile-Ozunu, the Chief of General Staff, Major General Stefan Danila, generals and officers of the defence ministry, defence attaches of NATO member countries.

The order of the defence minister was read for the vesting of Brigadier General Ariton Ionita with his new office. There followed the hand over/take over the command of Land Forces Staff and of the service Colours.

Minister Gabriel Oprea spoke highly of the activity of Lieutenant General Ghica-Radu while in command of the Land Forces Staff and wished him a fruitful activity in his new position as deputy chief of General Staff. The minister said he strongly believed Brigadier General Ariton Ionita will honor the office he was vested with.

'I am highly concerned with the safety of our troops operating abroad and this should be one of the first priorities on the agenda of the team you are now leading, General Ionita. We have the will and the necessary solutions to achieve the assumed missions and goals despite financial constraints. I will make it my personal business seeing that the financial rights of the defence ministry personnel are observed and that the retired military personnel have their pension rights defended: also, I will see that health care service for armed forces personnel is working properly, that people have good living and eating conditions, that the human resources are properly selected, trained and improved. This is also a guideline for the Land Forces that are the main personnel provider for missions abroad' the defence minister Gabriel Oprea said.

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Brigadier General Ariton Ionita was top of his class both at the Military School for Engineer Officers in Ramnicu-Valcea (1982) and the Staff and Command College, Engineering section in the Military Academy (1989).
He attended the Postgraduate course for brigade commanders within the Staff and Command College, in 1995 and the National Defence College in 2007.
He began his career at the Military School for WOs and Engineer NCOs as platoon and company commander.
From 1989 to 1991, he was commander of the Training-Experimental Battalion within the Center for Engineer Training; later he held different positions in the Engineer Troops Command and the Land Forces Command.
As of 1999, he held command positions at different levels in the Land Forces Staff.
In January 2009, he was appointed commander of the 10th 'Dunarea de Jos' Engineer Brigade and of the Braila Garrison.

MoND Press Office