„The geopolitical situation in the world is strongly pressuring us to reform the army. Things in the Bulgarian Army (BA) are not that bad. The rearmament of the Bulgarian Army is delayed and this has reduced military capabilities”, said in the studio of „Your Day” NOVA NEWS former Deputy Minister of Defense Prof. Rumen Kanchev.
„I am sure that when the first F-16 fighter arrives, we will put it into use”, he said.
„There is constant talk about a shortage of personnel in the Bulgarian Army. I do not agree with the calculation of this deficit of 6,000. Of all the armies in the Balkans, ours is the largest. The armies of the NATO member states from the Balkans, together with Turkey and Greece, provide a total of 625,000 soldiers. In the Balkans, only Serbia, which has 28,000, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which has 14,000 soldiers, are not part of NATO”, Kanchev pointed out.
“If we do a comparative analysis of the NATO armies, which have approximately the same territory and population as Bulgaria, I see that we have a larger army in terms of numbers. We have a larger army than Norway, Finland, Sweden. No one is in combat readiness at the moment, because conditions have not reached that point. The quality of the preparation is evident on the battlefield”, he emphasized.
”There is a big problem with flying hours in the Air Force. You can always find weak points. I think the BA is doing well. It has difficult tasks ahead of it, because by 2032 it must master an entire F-16 squadron, it must master the two new ships and master the work with the infantry fighting vehicle. We must train highly professional personnel in the army,” Kanchev said.
“We must monitor the army under a magnifying glass on what it spends money on”, he specified.
“I do not agree with the increase in salaries in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and with the actions of this structure, because there cannot be 6,000 working pensioners in the system and say that we are making reforms”, Kanchev was categorical.
“The return of conscription is a complex issue. In the conditions of this highly developed technology that is entering the BA, it is best to have a professional army. The younger generation is showing interest in the army,” he emphasized.
“The government is pursuing a correct foreign policy. Bulgaria is returning to the price of European policy”, he pointed out in connection with the vote of no confidence in the “Zhelyazkov” cabinet.
“I think that the form in the Bulgarian Armed Forces and its rearmament is finally beginning. The shortage of personnel is a very serious problem. It is related to the lack of reforms. Their lack is the product of a long resistance, to which hammers and sickles still ring in their voices. The Bulgarian Armed Forces, which is in NATO, cannot have such officers. We need officers like they were in the Tsarist Army”, said for his part in the studio of “Your Day” the co-chairman of the Atlantic Council in Bulgaria, Assoc. Prof. Momchil Doychev.
„The professionalization of the Armed Forces was carried out quite quickly and thoughtlessly. The EU was created for peace, not war, but that is exactly what Putin used and started this unprovoked war. It remains to be seen to what extent this professional army can be prepared and train soldiers. The command staff must be at a much higher level, because this is about management. If we have shortcomings, they are related to management, not to the ordinary soldier staff”, he said.
„No matter how much money is invested, if there are no reforms to turn the Armed Forces into a professional one, we will achieve nothing. The reforms must come first”, Doychev pointed out.
„The professionalization of the army has no alternative. I rather see the improvement of training opportunities after completing secondary education for all young men and women. In the form of initial military training, which should be 2 months. But modern warfare is electronic. Young people must be attracted in a new, modern way. But there must be initial military training, and not the return of conscription,” he stressed.
“Bulgaria's foreign policy has not failed”, said Doychev in connection with the vote of no confidence in the “Zhelyazkov” cabinet.