site.btaUPDATED Winners of Warrior Challenge Military Tournament Awarded at Tsrancha Training Complex

Participants in the Warrior Challenge international military tournament were awarded at the Tsruncha Specialized Training Centre near Pazardzhik (South Central Bulgaria) on Wednesday. Six teams participated in the tournament: Tennessee National Guard (USA), Multinational Battalion Battle Group, Joint Special Operations Command, Army, Air Force, and Navy. The service members of the Joint Special Operations Command were the team winner in the various disciplines during the two-day tournament. 

The award ceremony was attended by the Deputy Chief of Defence, Lieutenant General Mihail Popov, the head of Joint Special Operations Command, Major General Yavor Mateev, Brigadier General Trent Scates of the Tennessee National Guard, representatives of the Multinational Battalion Battle Group, commanders of the military formations participating in the tournament, representatives of the US Embassy and senior Ministry of Defence staff. 

They watched a presentation on the conditions and conduct of the military tournament as well as demonstrations of firing and of capturing a perpetrator with the help of a trained dog. The attendees also saw part of the special forces’ military and technical equipment. 

Lieutenant General Popov told reporters that such competitions are valuable in that service members from several countries work together and get to know each other. It is team work that matters, not which team ranked in which place, he added.

Major General Mateev said that the tournament was dedicated to the cooperation and interaction between Bulgaria and the US, which is a strategic partner of Bulgaria, particularly in the field of special forces. Joint participation in missions, operations, and trainings allows each side to learn from the other, and that is good for the development of the two armies as part of the Alliance, he added.

The Warrior Challenge tournament is part of the events marking the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Department of Defence's partnership programme with the Tennessee National Guard. The partnership was initiated by the US National Guard Bureau in 1993 and developed as part of the bilateral military cooperation between Bulgaria and the United States. It encompasses a wide range of activities, including bilateral and multinational training at home and abroad as well as humanitarian support in various regions of Bulgaria, according to the Ministry of Defence website.