site.btaDefence Minister Determined to See Three Armed Forces Projects Completed Before His Term's End

September 28 (BTA) - Defence Minister Krassimir Karakachanov is determined to do three things by the end of his term in office: secure in the 2021 defence budget a 10 per cent increase of service persons' pay and see through two Armed Forces modernization projects. The Minister was speaking to BTA on the sidelines of an oath ceremony of the new class of the Air Force School in the northern town of Dolna Mitropolia, where he was a key-note speaker.

He said one modernization project is for the purchase of two multi-role patrol ships for the Navy, where a contract is about to be signed and the project completed by March 2021, and the other is for the acquisition of armoured vehicles for the Land Forces, which "is somewhat lagging behind the Navy project", to use the Minister's words.

Bulgaria is prepared to spend close to 984 million leva after VAT on the patrol ships and 1,464 million leva on the armoured vehicles.

In late February, the government decided to mandate the Defence Minister to prepare a contract for the purchase of patrol ships with Fr. Lurssen Werft GmbH & Co.KG (Germany) which had won a competition for the contract. The procedure has reached the stage of preparation of a report by the Defence Minister which is to be submitted to the Council of Ministers.

The armoured vehicles project has come to the stage of opening the price offers of the two selected bidders, Patria (Finland), and General Dynamics Land System - MOWAG (Switzerland). Deputy Defence Minister Anatolii Velichkov said earlier in September that the project is unlikely to be finalized during the term of the incumbent cabinet which ends next spring, but an agreement will likely be signed in the spring of 2021.

The reopened Air Force School

During the oath ceremony at the Air Force School, the Defence Minister said it has been the first oath-taking there in 20 years.

Opened in 1948, the Air Force School in Dolna Mitropolia existed until 2002 when it was transformed into a faculty of the Defence Academy. Two years prior to the transformation, it stopped admitting students. The school reopened by a decision of Parliament in 2019. "It feels good to see something which had a glorious past, being brought back to life. I hope the school leadership will bring it back to the heights where the school was before it closed down," said the Minister.

He expects that the officers who will be trained at Dolna Mitropolia will be among the future leaders of the Armed Forces and the Bulgarian society.

The Air Force School has 41 cadets, including six women. They will be taught in seven Bachelor's and Master's programmes for military and civilian aircraft personnel.

Karakachanov has not given up on the idea of conscripted military service

The Defence Minister also made it clear in his remarks on the sidelines of the oath ceremony that he has not given up the idea of conscripted military service. It was on the platform of his VMRO party and they argue that conscripted service will boost the morale and solve the problem of understaffing in the professional army. The idea, however, is not supported by the big partner in the government coalition, GERB.

On September 24, Parliament passed on first reading amendments to the Armed Forces Reserve Act, making it possible for Bulgarian citizens aged under 40 to serve in the voluntary reserve for up to six months, provided they meet the requirements of the law. Karakachanov commented Monday: "Restoring the voluntary service was the first step but I continue to believe that we can solve the problems in defence only when we reinstate military conscription like it is in many other European countries."

Asked to comment on the military conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Karakachanov said Bulgarians should be worried because "this is very close to home". LN/



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