site.btaBulgaria’s Chief of Defence Attends Meeting NATO Military Committee

Chief of Defence Admiral Emil Eftimov participated in a meeting of NATO Military Committee, which was held on May 16 in Brussels, Belgium, the press centre of the Defence Ministry said here on Friday. In his speech, Eftimov highlighted the challenges faced by the NATO Eastern Flank countries in building infrastructure and providing host nation support for multinational formations that are expected to operate on Bulgarian territory in case of activation of the defence plans.

He presented the current status of the proposals for Bulgaria's contribution to deterrence and defence through the establishment of a multinational force and a staff element, respectively in the land and maritime domains. "Allies geographically located in close proximity to the eventual frontline will need to address challenges differently in the event of a crisis or short notice conflict. Only through coordination and detailed follow-on planning, taking into account national capabilities and constraints, can the set deterrence and defence objectives in the Euro-Atlantic area be achieved," Eftimov stressed.

"Adapting the Alliance to the modern security environment is a huge challenge for all Member States and partners, but through comprehensive, coordinated and collective action, this goal can be achieved," he noted.

A working meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission in the format of chiefs of defence was also held. The visions of the two strategic commanders - on operations and on transformation - were presented. Key military concepts and the implications their update has on the reinforcement of deterrence and defence in the Euro-Atlantic area, the increased demands on the Alliance's force structure and the related need for effective human resources management were discussed.