Vice Admiral Alexandru Mirsu

Commander Romanian Navy

Vice Admiral Alexandru Mîrşu was born in Constanţa on the 17th of June 1962.

He graduated from "Mircea cel Bătrân" Naval Institute in 1984. His first assignment was as the Chief of Minesweepers artillery department, and afterward as the Chief of the corvettes underwater weapons department. Following those assignments, he served as artillery specialist, Chief of Operations and Combat Training office, and as Commanding Officer of Corvette 31, all of them in the Corvette Squadron.

He began his military education development with a "Ship Squadron specialist" course. He attended two courses in the Naval Academy, a "ASW Ship’s command" course and a "Ship’s unit echelon" postgraduate course. From 1997 to 1999 he attended the English language intensive course and the courses of the Joint Services Faculty within the Academy of Higher Military Studies in Bucharest (currently the Romanian National Defense University).

After NDU graduation, he was assigned as the Commanding Officer of Minesweeper 29 and then Commanding Officer of the Minesweepers 1st Section. Starting with 1st of July 2001 he served as Chief of Staff of the Squadron, and from 2004 as the Deputy Commander of MCM Squadron. In 2005 he was promoted as the Chief of Operations of the Naval Operational Component Command and as the Chief of Operations of the Romanian Naval Forces.

From 2000 to 2004 he attended the Surface Warfare Officers School (Newport, USA), "The Maritime Dimension of Peacekeeping Operations" course (Pearson Peacekeeping Center, Canada), the Staff Officers Orientation international course (Netherlands Defense College), the NATO led Peace Support Operations Course (NATO school, Oberammergau, Germany), the Advanced Command and Staff Course (Joint Services Command and General Staff College Shrivenham, UK), the postgraduate specialty course on the command of naval brigade-sized units and the postgraduate course on strategic command (War College, National Defense University). In 2004 he graduated from the Royal London College master's degree program (London, UK), and in 2008 he graduated from the NATO Defense College in Rome, Class 112.

From 2005 to 2006 he was the Commanding Officer of the Black Sea Naval Cooperation Task Group – BLACKSEAFOR, when Romania assumed command of the Black Sea regional initiative. 

From 2006 to 2009 he was assigned as the Commanding Officer of the Frigate Flotilla 56. At the end of this tour he was selected as the Deputy Commander of Fleet Forces Command and on the 7th of July 2010 as the Commander of Fleet Forces Command.

On the 25th of December 2010 he was promoted to Rear Admiral Lower Half, to Rear Admiral Upper Half on the 1st of December 2013, and to Vice Admiral on the 15th of August 2016. 

Starting with the 18th of December 2013 he was selected as the Chief of Romanian Naval Forces.

During his career he was awarded with the "Faithful Service Cross" National Order; Officer of "The Maritime Virtue" Order, Knight of "The Maritime Virtue" Order, Armed Forces "Emblem of Honor", the General Staff "Emblem of Honor", the Air Force "Emblem of Honor", the Naval Forces "Emblem of Honor", Honorific Insignia "Service in the Armed Forces" for his 15, 20 and 25 years of activity.

He is married to Dorina–Mihaela and has one daughter, Oana.