site.btaRear Admiral Kiril Mihailov: Bulgarian Navy Needs More Ships

Bulgarian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Kiril Mihailov told journalists on Friday that the Navy needs more ships, as those currently in the fleet are quite old.

He added that the ships are sufficient for the performance of the tasks, but that every repair makes it necessary to re-plan everything. He expressed hope that the negotiations with Belgium for new mine hunters for Bulgaria will be concluded successfully. "Otherwise, we will be unable to fulfill our tasks in the future," Mihailov stressed, adding that he regrets that the process to acquire submarines has been stopped again. "Bulgaria needs them in order to ensure the much-needed deterrent against any aggression," he pointed out.

The rear admiral stated that 2024 was extremely difficult, but also fruitful for the Navy. According to him, this was the year in which the naval forces prepared the most international exercises since it has started to participate in such. This put the personnel under great strain, as the planning, preparation and conduct of the exercises required the participation of many people, Mihailov emphasized.

He added that there was a focus on combating floating mines, as this problem continues to face the Navy. In 2024, two such mines were destroyed, and the Navy will continue to control and monitor the sea to ensure that the fairways are clean and safe and that commercial ships can sail safely, he said.

Mihailov pointed out not enough attention is paid to these efforts and that the Defense Ministry has been informed about the problem, but there is no way to provide more money. He expressed satisfaction however that the second of the Navy's new multipurpose ships was launched ahead of schedule on Thursday. "This programme is going well, but there is still a lot of work to do in terms of equipment, munitions delivery and crew training," he specified, adding that there is a long process of crew training and certification until the ship can perform its tasks in full volume.

The fleet commander also commented that the shortage of personnel in the Navy is mainly affecting officers, where it is about 20%. He expressed hope that the amendments referring to the defense sector and the armed forces will be adopted by the National Assembly and will be implemented with the adoption of the state budget for 2025. This would give a great incentive to the servicemen to work, Mihailov said, adding that the staff numbers for senior officers have been filled almost entirely and the shortage among sailors is on track to drop below 10%.