The minimum defense spending should rise to 2.5% of GDP. This was explained to BNR by Atanas Zapryanov, the official minister of defense.
“Russian aggression against Ukraine has generated a need for much greater capabilities and this has led to an increase in military spending in some countries. Poland reached 4.7% of GDP. Greece and Turkey have long been spending above 2.5%, Romania – too.
NATO is already talking about 2% as a minimum. The recommendation is to make a decision very soon on the increase in defense spending – no less than 2.5%”.
For now, we do not propose to the Bulgarian parliament to return conscriptionhe also pointed out in the show “Sunday 150”.
“Parliament itself made a change in the pay of military personnel from the first of January next year. The political expectation is that with the increase in salaries, we will increase interest in the armed forces and to fill our vacant positions in the next few years”.
But if this does not happen, the question of the return of conscription may be on the agendaexplained the minister.
“So far, the war in Ukraine has shown that the professional armed forces dominate.
The question of conscription does not stand, even the countries that return it do so in a different form – in some countries it is on a voluntary basis, in others it is only for initial military training”.
Atanas Zapryanov commented on the military aid that our country sends to Ukraine.
“In our armed forces, all weapons and equipment, including self-propelled howitzers, are available. We have wartime formations that, if we have to mobilize them, we have such artillery available for them as well. We also have over stock artillery which is also maintained. Our staffing is not affected in any way“.
The minister pointed out that the tension in political life in our country does not affect him or the department he leads.
“The armed forces are depoliticized. Things are developing normally for us, but as a citizen I can say that it would be good for Bulgaria to have a politically elected government with a long-term horizon. This is also good for the defense.”
He believes that rearmament of the Bulgarian army does not happen in slow steps.
“The introduction of new technologies, above all unmanned systems, in this war that Russia is waging against Ukraine, has led to a change in the views on the conduct of hostilities, but the classic combat systems are not at all falling away. Our defense strategy, like NATO’s, emphasizes the integrated use of armed forces.
Bulgaria buys really the best for the funds it wants to spend. I, as a minister, trust the military expertise”.
The Army has a vision to arm itself with modern means of warfarenoted Zapryanov.
“Drones are foreseen in the rearmament program. We want to introduce a new artillery system in the ground forces”.
States join military-political organizations to build up armed forces and within the framework of collective defense. In this way, military capabilities become affordable for the budget, he added.
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