site.btaCaretaker Defence Minister Comments Pay in Armed Forces

Commenting the question of salaries in the military, caretaker Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov expressed hope that the proposed by parliamentary forces 30% pay increase starting in 2025 will become a fact.

According to Zapryanov, one of the reasons why the Army has not been attractive for professional development in recent years is the pay that is being offered. "The pay that we provide now is not competitive for the training, for the qualifications that people have. A soldier gets BGN 1,450 (per month), a lieutenant - just over BGN 1,800, Zapryanov explained. There is a working group that is examining ways to provide additional financial incentives for some high-risk groups of soldiers, he added. 

Consideration should also be given to the pilots now being trained in the US on how to fly the F-16 fighters, he said.

"We are investing a huge amount of resources - it costs around USD 2 million to train a pilot, who will be flying a USD 150 million aircraft, which can add up to USD 200 million with the armament," he said.

After April 20, specialists from the United States are expected in in Bulgaria to check on the progress of the modernization of the Graf Ignatyevo Airbase, where the F-16 fighter jets will be based, Minister Zapryanov said. 

He admitted that there was a delay in the modernisation, but efforts were being made to catch up. The Minister explained that seven of the aircraft are already on the assembly line, and three of them are expected to be ready by the end of this year. A total of 84 technical staff and two more pilots will be sent to the US to be trained on these machines by March 2025. It is expected, as per the contract, that by the end of next year Bulgaria will have eight F-16s and 14 trained pilots.