site.btaDefence Minister to Table Bill on Voluntary Military Service Next Week

July 2 (BTA) - Approached by journalists here on Thursday, Defence Minister Krassimir Karakachanov said that next week he will table at the Council of Ministers a bill on voluntary military service that will give young people the opportunity to obtain useful knowledge in this risky and dangerous world. Karakachanov was in Veliko Turnovo to confer certificates on 20 pupils from the Dr Petar Beron Professional Secondary School of Tourism who underwent a course on "Preparation for Implementation of Obligations for the Country's Defence and Actions in Times of Crisis" at the training area of the Vassil Levski National Military University.

Karakachanov explained that interested young people can undergo voluntary military service in several centres across Bulgaria within two modules lasting three months each. The first module is for preliminary military preparation and the second, for specialized military training.

The bill will guarantee that these people will retain their jobs, regardless of whether they are employed in the public or private sector, the Defence Minister said. After their voluntary military service, they will be at an advantage when applying for a job in the security structures and public administration, under equal conditions with the other applicants.

According to Karakachanov, voluntary military service will be launched with 600 people and a budget provided by the Defence Ministry without the need of additional resources. The volunteers must be up to 40 years of age and will subsequently be listed in the Army's reserve.

The type of preliminary military training currently offered by the Vassil Levski National Military University in Veliko Turnovo, will also be available at the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy in Varna and as of next year, at the Georgi Benkovski Higher Military Aviation School in Dolna Mitropoliya, Karakachanov noted.

Colonel Ivan Malamov, head of the Vassil Levski National Military University, said that the practical preparation builds upon the knowledge obtained in secondary schools. Within five days, the participants in the university's pilot project have obtained applicable military knowledge and skills in 9 disciplines. Another course will be organized very soon, this time with a length of 15 days, greater dynamics and bigger physical workload, so as to give the participants a real taste of military life, he said.

NV/DS

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