Strategic Communication – Essential Tool in Support of Romania’s National Security in the Current Geopolitical Context

Strategic communication plays an essential role for improving security culture. While the term has grown in popularity, its meaning often gets muddled as various forms of communication – whether organizational, public affairs, or crisis communication – are labelled as strategic. In Romania, strategic communication has evolved similarly to neighbouring countries, aligning with NATO and EU practices. However, the lack of a national framework has led to fragmented efforts, with no single institution coordinating these activities. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has adapted NATO’s Strategic Communication (StratCom) approach, integrating public relations, psychological operations (PSYOPS), and information operations (InfoOps) to enhance security on NATO’s Eastern Flank. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) uses StratCom to combat disinformation, following the EU model. Despite adopting a National StratCom strategy in 2021, Romania lacks a unified body to synchronize communication at the national level, hindering support for national objectives. This paper proposes an empirical analysis of the author to improve institutional strategic communication to strengthen Romania’s security culture, offering recommendations for improvement.