Nicolae Militaru

Nicolae Militaru
76th Minister of National Defense of Romania
In office 22 December 1989 – 16 February 1990
Prime Minister	Petre Roman
Preceded by	Vasile Milea
Succeeded by	Victor Stănculescu
Personal details
Born	(1925-11-10)10 November 1925 Bălești, Gorj County, Kingdom of Romania
Died	27 December 1996(1996-12-27) (aged 71) Bucharest, Romania
Political party	Romanian Communist Party
Alma mater	Frunze Military Academy
Profession	Military officer, communist politician
Military service
Rank	General of the army
Commands	3rd Army (1965–1969) 2nd Army (1969–1978)

Nicolae Militaru (10 November 1925 – 27 December 1996) was a Romanian soldier and communist politician. Rising to the rank of general by the 1960s, his ties to the Soviet Union led dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu to question his loyalty and sideline Militaru in 1978. He re-emerged during the Romanian Revolution, when he was made Defense Minister, serving for nearly two months before street pressure forced his dismissal. Days after Ceaușescu’s execution, he was advanced to general of the army. His final public act came in 1996, when Militaru ran for President, barely registering any support.