site.btaFormer Air Force Commander Presents Reasons for Resignation

Former Air Force Commander Presents Reasons for Resignation

Sofia, August 16 (BTA) - "I have never been against the joint guarding of Bulgaria's airspace with the country's allies," former Air Force commander Roumen Radev said at a BTA-hosted news conference on Tuesday. Radev presented the reasons for leaving the army and talked about the condition of the Bulgarian air force.

Already at the beginning of the news conference Radev said that he will not discuss political topics and will not answer such questions.

As he has pointed out in the report for his resignation, Radev objects against the concept for the joint fulfillment of the mission for air policing of the country's air space within NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence System (NATINAMDS) approved by the Defence Minister in February 2016. Radev said that regardless of his written denial to approve the documents and the openly expressed positions of the defence councils, the concept was confirmed by the Defence Minister and sent to the Bulgarian representation to the NATO Allied Command Operations. Its implementation is already a fact given that an expert group of a NATO country arrived in July to get familiarized with the Graf Ignatievo Airport and they sent a technical agreement with financial and technical parameters to the Defence Ministry for the start of joint patrolling as of the beginning of September.

Radev said he continues to believe that the concept is unfavourable and degrading for the Bulgarian Air Force and Bulgaria, because similarly to the Baltic States, which do not have their own air forces, Bulgaria is inviting air force formations from allied countries to conduct air policing in return for a solid payment, including hotel accommodation, catering, transport, fuel, etc..

According to Radev, Bulgaria's allies are left with the impression that the State is lacking a will to develop its own defence capabilities, and provides a free-of-charge training to allied air forces, which are much better off in general. A heavy blow is dealt to the motivation of Bulgarian pilots and aviation experts, while their work and the huge risk they are exposed to are left unappreciated, he noted. According to him, out of all NATO members who have their own air force, Bulgaria is the only one to have submitted a document, inviting allied countries to conduct joint air policing that is paid. Radev views this concept as "more degrading than the Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine" - forcefully imposed from the outside (the Treaty required Bulgaria to cede various territories, after it had been one of the Central Powers defeated in World War I).

The former Air Force chief noted that he and the Minister of Defence have failed to agree on the way the joint air policing was going to happen, adding that he had proposed legislative texts, which would have guaranteed the survival and future development of fighter aircraft, but were rejected by the Defence Ministry. In addition to that, Radev said he was firmly against Bulgaria covering the costs of a visiting country. He gave as an example Romania, which accepts joint air policing, but requires the visiting country to cover all of its operational costs.

"I have nothing against the air force of any allied country, and especially nothing against the Polish air force, as we have a great interaction with them. But I can't understand why we will be paying for the training of the Polish pilots, who fly around three times more than our pilots," Radev commented.

"I left the Bulgarian Army, because I can not remain subordinated to a Defence Minister who does not want to hear my expertise," Radev said. According to him, in the past two years the Defence Minister has been neglecting the important national security issues, which Radev had brought to his attention. The fighter aircraft could have been saved in those two years, and making these overly risky decisions could have been avoided if there was understanding and a will to solve problems, Radev commented.

Radev highlighted the plight of the Bulgarian Air Force. He said that in the past two years except for an agreement with Poland for the repair of MiG-29 engines no other contracts for supply and repairs have been concluded although there is a pressing need. As a result all fighter aircraft have been grounded for two years.

The former Air Force chief said that no single aircraft is considered airworthy according to the MiG-29 operational specifications. Radev said that the reasons for the plight of Bulgaria's Air Force lie in the incompetence of the Defence Ministry leadership combined with neglect of military expertise.

A sustainable solution could be found only through the purchase of a new fighter aircraft, said Radev who credited the government and the Defence Minister with the progress made but said there has been a delay.

Radev resigned on August 1, citing attainment of the compulsory release age. Immediately after that, it was reported that he was approached by the Bulgarian Socialist Party and other Left-wing parties with a proposal to run for President in the November 6 elections.

He said that he had been consistent in his views and had always put Bulgaria's interests first, at the expense of his personal interests. Radev dismissed accusations that he is motivated politically. Asked whether he is ready to become Supreme Commander he said that he refuses to fly if he is not ready.