site.btaLong-Term Policy Needed to Deal with Military Retention Issues - President Radev

Long-Term Policy Needed to Deal with Military Retention Issues - President Radev

Sofia, May 5 (BTA) - President Rumen Radev Friday said a long-term policy was needed to end the poor retention of the military and to tangibly raise its social status and prestige. The Supreme Commander-in-Chief promoted generals ahead of the Day of Valour and the Bulgarian Armed Forces marked on May 6.

The Land Forces Deputy Commander, Brigadier General Mihail Popov, was promoted major general and appointed Land Forces Commander. He was briefly Acting Commander of the Land Forces.

Brigadier General Dancho Dyakov, the President's military security adviser, was promoted major general.

The President said: "Today we should pay serious attention to the pressing problems concerning the state of defence and the prospects for the Armed Forces' development." He stressed the need to seek a balance between the two key components: personnel and materiel. In this respect, both the political and the high-ranking military leadership will face great challenges because the funds which will be invested in defence should create capabilities in the most efficient and effective manner.

Radev said that without solving these issues, Bulgaria cannot have combat effective armed forces as a guarantor of sovereignty and territorial integrity and a reliable partner in NATO's collective defence and the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy.

Mjr.-Gen. Mihail Popov said his priorities would be to deal with undermanning and to work for the modernization of the armed forces.

The event was attended by Defence Minister Krassimir Karakachanov, the Chief of Defence, Lt. Gen. Andrei Botsev, and Stefan Yanev, who was defence minister in the caretaker cabinet.