Constantin Croitoru

Constantin Croitoru
Born	5 May 1952 Diţeşti, Prahova County
Allegiance	Romania
Service/branch	Romanian Air Force
Years of service	1974–present
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands held	Chief of Staff of the Romanian Air Force

General locotenent Constantin Croitoru (born May 5, 1952 in Diţeşti, Prahova County) was the Chief of the Romanian Air Force Staff until January 30, 2009.

He was discharged by the Minister of National Defense, Mihai Stănişoară, after it has been discovered that various weapons were missing from a military depot near Ciorogârla, Ilfov County.^[1]

Military career

He joined the military in 1974 after graduating from the Air Force Military School. He attended the courses of the Academy of High Military Studies from 1981 to 1983. After graduation, he was appointed Chief Instructor of the 70th Air Division. During his career he also was assigned as air base and air division commander at the Air Operational Command, Chief of Operations Directorate, and Deputy Director of the General Staff. His most recent appointment was Director of the General Directorate for Defense Intelligence.

Croitoru has considerable flight experience; he has lodged some 1,500 flying hours on a variety of aircraft, including MiG-15, MiG-21 LanceR, MiG-29, and IAR 316.

Personal life

Constantin Croitoru is married and has a son.

Education

• Air Force Military School, 1974
• Military Academy, Air Force and Air defense Branch, 1983
• Brigade/Regiment Commander Course, 1993
• Improvement Course for Strategic Operation Management, 1996
• National Defense College, 2001
• English language advanced course, Canada, 2002
• Teaching Personnel Training Course, Bucharest, 2006

Appointments

• 1974-1984 – pilot, chief-pilot and patrol leader, 57th Fighter Regiment
• 1984-1990 – Chief Instructor, 70th Air Division
• 1990-1994 – staff officer, Methodical Training Office, Air Force and Air Defense Staff
• 1994-1995 – Deputy Commander, responsible for flying operations, 70th Air Division
• 1995-1998 – Deputy Commander, responsible for flying operations, 1st Air Corps "Siret"
• 1998-2000 – Deputy Chief, Doctrine and Training, Air Force Staff
• 2000-2001 – Chief of Staff, 1st Air Division "Siret"
• 2001-2002 – Commander of the 90th Airlift Base
• 2002-2003 – Commander of the 1st Air Division
• 2003-2005 – Commander Main Air Operational Command
• 2005-2006 – Deputy Director General Staff
• 2006-2007 – Director of the General Directorate for Defense Intelligence
• March 2007-January 2009 – Chief of Air Force Staff

Promotions

• 1977 – Second Lieutenant
• 1978 – Lieutenant
• 1981 - Captain
• 1986 – Major
• 1990 – Lieutenant Colonel
• 1994 – Colonel
• 2001 – Brigadier General
• 2004 – Major General
• 2006 – Lieutenant General

External links

• General Croitoru's biography on the Romanian Air Force website
• Reviewing the troops

References

1. ^ Mediafax, Romanian Def Min Sacks Staff Over Missing Weapons Case, accessed on January 30, 2009

Military offices
Preceded by Gheorghe Catrina	Chief of the Romanian Air Force Staff 2007–2009	Succeeded by Ion-Aurel Stanciu

Persondata
Name	Croitoru, Constantin
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	5 May 1952
Place of birth	Diţeşti, Prahova County
Date of death
Place of death