The acting Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov enters as an optimist for 2025. The army has taken a step forward in its development, and the new year is encouraging for the armed forces, Zapryanov told journalists about the state of the army and the need to develop the armed forces.
As an argument for his optimism, Zapryanov said that this year Bulgaria should receive its first F-16 combat aircraft, machines and ships, news.bg pointed out. The training of our pilots for the F-16 continues, and this year we will have eight trained pilots. Inspections and repairs of the "Graf Ignatievo" airbase continue in terms of certification of the facilities.
These are realistic things, but all this requires money, since the main problem of the army is its understaffing, Atanas Zapryanov pointed out. The understaffing for the National Guard unit is 62% and it is staffed at 38%. Social spending is vital to staffing the army, Zapryanov insisted.
He also refuted a lie related to the increase in military salaries, stating that the increase in salaries does not increase military spending by 3 or 4%. The Ministry of Defense has proposed a balanced increase in salaries by reducing capital expenditures. The hole in the budget is not from the salaries of military personnel, Zapryanov emphasized.
If there is no regular government, the acting Minister of Defense will have to make the next reshuffle of the senior staff of the Air Force. Zapryanov stated that he is ready with the plan for the deployment of the Air Force and such changes are foreseen. Atanas Zapryanov, however, hesitates whether he will launch the plan or leave it to the regular political leadership of the Ministry of Defense.