site.btaReport on State of Defence, Armed Forces Shows Undermanning at 21.8% in 2024

The Report on the State of Defence and the Armed Forces in 2024 has been published in the Council of Ministers' legal and information service. The Report, approved by the Cabinet on Wednesday, shows that undermanning in the Bulgarian Armed Forces, the Defence Ministry, and the structures subordinate to the Defence Minister stood at 21.8% last year.

The report also shows that the state of the larger part of the Armed Forces' capabilities remained unchanged from 2023 and unsatisfactory overall. The Armed Forces continue to carry out their tasks, particularly those within the Defence mission, with limitations and risks for the servicepersons.

The salary increase for servicepersons is seen as a step that already gives indications of stopping the outflow and attracting new candidates for military service.

The report states that the low manning rate continued to be a serious challenge for some formations in 2024, with a shortage of 26.1% of officers, 6.1% of officer candidates, 11.2% of sergeants/commissioned officers and 27.6% of soldiers/commissioned officers. Recruitment to the Armed Forces with the voluntary reserve was 16%. The trend of lack of candidates for contracts for service in this reserve continues, the document reads.

There is a growing need to acquire new, modern and interoperable weapons and equipment to NATO standards in a number of important areas. Critical to overcoming the capability gap is the acquisition of new 3D radars, coastal anti-ship missile systems, anti-aircraft missile complexes, rocket systems for volley fire with enhanced mobility, 155 mm self-propelled artillery howitzers, etc.

The number of flying hours in the Air Force remained extremely insufficient in 2024, which has a negative impact on the state of capabilities in this type of armed force and on its level of training and readiness, the document reads. 

The report noted that Russia remained the main destabilising factor and the most significant and direct threat to NATO and the EU last year, mainly because of its unprovoked war against Ukraine, as well as its pursuit of the goal of weakening the EU and its Member States politically and economically. To this end, Moscow used a range of hybrid tools to influence decision-making, divide societies, destabilise economies, introduce divisions between Member States and undermine confidence in democratic forms of governance. Hybrid methods of influence have been used extensively to create tensions in the Euro-Atlantic community and to influence electoral attitudes in European countries.

Due to the continued steady trend of a smooth and gradual nominal increase in defence spending for 2024, the level of 2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) set in the 2024 National Plan has been reached. This level of defence spending is considered to be the minimum necessary and the basis for subsequent increases in line with the accepted Alliance commitments and the country's capabilities, the report reads.