site.btaUPDATED President, Defence Minister, Present, Former Defence Chiefs Comment on Armed Forces Issues

In media appearances on Monday, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev (who is also Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Bulgarian Armed Forces), caretaker Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov, the Chief of Defence, Admiral Emil Eftimov, and his predecessor, General Konstantin Popov (Ret.), commented on a variety of issues concerning the military.

Modernization

Radev: Recently, we started to get used to the frequent change of governments and parliaments, but in the present of crises, wars and insecurity we cannot afford to get used to the neglect of the Bulgarian Armed Forces, where the modernization processes and personnel care are making rather slow progress. Setting in motion the modernization process at long last took me several successive convocations of the Consultative Council on National Security. The incumbent Parliament took almost a year to adopt the investment programme for modernization drafted and submitted by the [Galab] Donev caretaker cabinet. I have long been calling for "emergency" rather than urgent measures to halt the alarming depletion of military personnel.

Zapryanov: We have yet to modernize a large part of our armed forces and capabilities that are declared as part of the collective defence. This process has started and is making successful progress. Defence infrastructure is being developed under three projects. More than BGN 300 million and maybe up to BGN 400 million are being invested in building a state-of-the-art base meeting NATO standards at Graf Ignatievo, and accommodating the F-16s is not the only reason for this. The first F-16 fighters are expected to arrive at the end of the first quarter of 2025, and I hope that they will be part of the next May 6 parade. Fourteen Bulgarian pilots are being trained in the US to fly the new aircraft.

Popov: The transition to the F-16s should be smooth, and the MiG-29s should not be given up entirely. The Air Force must be viable, if we ruin it, its revival will take a very long time. Let us maintain what we have with the available resources so as to transition seamlessly to a better future.

Pay Rise and Personnel Depletion

Radev: I congratulate the National Assembly and the parties on taking notice and passing a resolution on a pay rise for service members. A comprehensive package of measures is necessary in order to make the military profession attractive again. Our military have always been a mainstay of Bulgaria's statehood and people during the worst ordeals. Bulgarians pay well deserved respect to their soldiers. I wish all servicemen and servicewomen the best of health and strength in their responsible mission.

Eftimov: Judging from the unanimous approval of the pay rise resolution, we see a change in the public attitude to the military. We will be attracting ever more young people to the Armed Forces.

Popov: I congratulate the MPs of the 49th National Assembly on a resolving on a 30% pay rise for servicepersons as from 2025. I hope that this will not change when the 2025 State budget is drafted and will not be at the expense of Armed Forces modernization financing. Salaries are an important factor, but they are not the only one. Consideration should be given to the working and living conditions of the military, and they should be shown respect. Before discussing a return to conscription, we should first fill up the professional military personnel and, next, we should see what we can do about the reserve which is far from flourishing. Then, we should consider how part of the Bulgarian population could get military training, whether in school or elsewhere, so as to be able to respond to emergencies.

Defence Spending

Radev: The volatile security environment necessitates an increase of defence spending, and 2% [of GDP] is no longer enough. Most NATO countries already target expenditure exceeding 2%. We should realize the need of more flexible and adaptive defence policy and resource planning and spending so as to build adequate defence capabilities, and so that people could see the Armed Forces as a reliable defender of their security within the framework of collective defence.

Zapryanov: More money is invested in defence, and the military budget is growing. This year it reached 2.05% of GDP. Thanks to Parliament's resolution on a pay rise for servicepersons, this proportion will exceed 2% next year. If the 2.5% target set in the Programme for the Development of the Defence Capabilities of the Bulgaria Armed Forces until 2032 is met, this will be sufficient for personnel stabilization. The under-resourcing of defence that has been drawing criticism for a long time now is coming to an end. The State is allocating ever more financial and other resources for the maintenance of the country's defence capabilities. I hope that the next government and the next - regular - defence minister will not start from scratch but will build on these achievements.

Eftimov: Key modernization processes have got underway in the Land Forces, the Air Force and the Navy. The resources are expensive, so we are seeking an adequate mix of new and second-hand capabilities. There are problems with maintaining the equipment in the inventory, but we are coping. The MiG-29s will be used until this is expedient.

Bulgaria in NATO

Zapryanov: As part of NATO, Bulgaria is protected by its collective defence system. NATO enjoys absolute military superiority over any other country. We are building our defence within the coalition defence framework. Collective defence provides absolute guarantees for our territorial integrity and independence. If we are to pursue self-contained national defence, our armed forces would have to be far larger, and our defence spending would have to be manifold higher. We cannot just be a military security beneficiary under Article 5 [of the Washington Treaty], we must also invest in defence capabilities of our own under Article 3. We must honour our commitments to contribute to coalition defence, and this is the greatest challenge.

Eftimov: We are working constructively in NATO, Bulgaria has a say in decision making in the Alliance. We are acquiring ever more visible role in building NATO's command architecture on the eastern flank.