site.btaPresident Radev: "New Wars Unleashed Worldwide Pose New Challenges to Defence Industry, Science"

"The unleashing of new military conflicts in various parts of the world and Russia's full-scale war of attrition against Ukraine are facing the defence industry and science with new, unfamiliar challenges," Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said here on Wednesday, addressing the opening of the 16th International Defence Equipment and Services Exhibition "HEMUS 2024".

He argued that the insufficient capacity for manufacturing of the requisite quantities of weapons and ammunition, the breakthrough and clash of new technologies and artificial intelligence on the battlefield have a highly asymmetric effect.

"Rising to the challenges and ensuring security is only possible by pooling the efforts of the NATO and EU countries. It also takes commitment by the state leaderships, pursuit of new forms of industrial cooperation and technology exchange, enlisting various business entities, governmental and non-governmental organizations, research units and the academic community," Radev pointed out. 

He described HEMUS 2024 as "a highly efficient platform for successful cooperation." "Bulgaria is firmly resolved to develop its own defence potential and to contribute to the strengthening of collective defence on NATO's eastern flank," the President noted.

He recalled that this country has adopted a Programme for the Development of the Defence Capabilities of its Armed Forces until 2032.

Addressing the Bulgarian and foreign participants and delegations at the exhibition, the head of State said that he expects to see their proposals for the major modernization projects as well as for "highly efficient economically reasonable projects providing information superiority and asymmetric advantage."

As an example, he mentioned the types of drones for surveillance, reconnaissance, target acquisition and target destruction, cyber defence systems, information operations and space deployment.

"As Supreme Commander-in-Chief, I insist on seeing these capabilities in our armed forces as soon as possible," the President emphasized.