site.btaDefence Minister: Review of Armed Forces, Capacity Should Be Ready by December 10

110 DEFENCE - MINISTER - CONFERENCE

Defence Minister: Review of Armed Forces,
Capacity Should Be Ready by
December 10


Sofia, December 4 (BTA) - A comprehensive review of the armed
forces and capacities will be made, taking into account
resources, the decisions from the NATO Wales Summit and the need
to begin real modernization of defence, caretaker government
Defence Minister Velizar Shalamanov said Tuesday. He was
speaking at a conference about Bulgaria's contribution to the
capacity of the Alliance after the Wales Summit.

Such a review should be ready by December 10 and it should allow
a new plan for the development of the armed forces to be
drafted and passed by the Council of Ministers.

The plan for the development of the armed forces until 2014 is
at its end and there should be a new one for the next period,
one that is based on a review of their structure, Shalamanov
said. The minister and his team had waited for such a report,
ordered by his predecessor, to be ready by September 30, but it
had been inadequate as a basis for drafting a 2015-2020 plan for
the development of the armed forces.

There are basics in defence policy, which have been included in
the agenda of the new review. One is preserving the number of
servicemen in the army. Now that number is 30,000 and any
reduction without radical modernization harbours great risk.
People are the most important factor in defence and it is
important to preserve the highly-trained military - hence all
actions on defending their social status, Shalamanov said.

Then, a rearmament of the army should be launched. Now it is
mainly armed with systems dating from over 25 years, Soviet arms
and equipment dating from the time of the Warsaw Pact. It is
outdated and incompatible with the arms and equipment of the
allies. This is a pressing matter, one of strategic choice and
one that requires resources, as well as good planning and
management, the Defence Minister said.

The report of the caretaker government on what has been done in
the sphere of defence has been sent to the President, the Prime
Minister and the National Assembly./LI/BR