site.btaPresident: War in Ukraine Changed Way of Warfare - Tactics, Ways and Means

"The war in Ukraine has profoundly changed not only the global security architecture, but also the way warfare is conducted and the tactics, means and means used to carry out operations," President Rumen Radev said during a meeting with Strategic and International Affairs Adviser to NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Stephen Covington, the President's press service said on Wednesday. Covington is paying an official visit to Bulgaria from June 24 to 26 at the invitation of Bulgaria's Chief of Defence, Admiral Emil Eftimov.

These new realities in the defence sphere should be taken into account in the processes of modernization of the Armed Forces and the conduct of joint exercises, the President said. 

Radev and Covington discussed the growing security risks due to Russia's war in Ukraine, the transformation of NATO's capabilities over the years and the implementation of the Alliance's mission to guarantee the sovereignty and security of its member states.

"Bulgaria has invested considerable financial resources in the major projects related to the modernization of the Air Force, the Navy and the Ground Forces, but in order for the defence capabilities to meet the modern trends, timely efforts should be made to introduce economically and financially viable projects with high efficiency and asymmetric effect," Radev said. In the President's words, an important factor in building defence capabilities is also the training of personnel and the motivation of servicemen. 

For his part, Covington said that unity in efforts to strengthen NATO's defence and deterrence capabilities, as well as the Alliance's support to ensure the security of each member state, is of utmost importance in times of crises. 

Earlier on Wednesday, Covington met with caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev. The two agreed that NATO is at an important stage where the focus is shifting from crisis management to collective security.