.Immediately following the conclusion of the regular meeting of NATO Defence Ministers on June 18th, eleven Member States of the Alliance, including Bulgaria, signed a Letter of Intent (LOI), by means of which they joined the NATO Initiative for multinational cooperation in the field of pilot training in Europe (NATO Flight Training in Europe (NFTE)). For Bulgaria, the LOI was signed by Defence Minister Krasimir Karakachanov.

The initiative aims to establish a network of linked national facilities with standardised training syllabi, which will provide shared pilot training capacities. Bulgarian pilots will be able to train in the countries which are signatories to the Memorandum.

For the purposes of pilot training, Bulgaria will make available for international use the Dolna Mitropolia Air Force Academy, airspace, and firing ranges for practice on ground and aerial targets, and will provide opportunities for joint practice on GBAD systems. In addition, the N. Y. Vaptsarov Naval Academy will offer drone pilot training courses.

The NATO Ministers of Defence held a video teleconference on the 17th and 18th of June 2020. Deputy Prime Minister for Public Order and Security and Minister of Defence Krasimir Karakachanov participated in the VTC for Bulgaria.

The meeting was opened by a session of the North-Atlantic Council (NAC). The Defence Ministers discussed matters related to the deterrence and defence posture of the Alliance and the future of NATO missions and operations, focusing particularly on NATO's presence in Iraq and on Resolute Support Mission (RSM) in Afghanistan.

The Ministers adopted a Concept for Deterrence and Defence of the Euro-Atlantic Area (DDA), which will help improve NATO's actions related to its deterrence and defence posture in terms of credibility and reliability, efficiency and effectiveness, and cohesion and coherence. They also addressed Russian missile systems and NATO's capabilities to respond thereto, including its non-military capabilities.

In his speech, Defence Minister Krasimir Karakachanov underlined that despite the difficulties, the ability to maintain a credible and effective deterrence and defence remains NATO’s primary task. He reiterated that Bulgaria will continue to fulfil its commitments with regard to both its participation in NATO-led missions and operations and with regard to the implementation of our main defence investment projects.

The meeting was resumed on June 18th with a session attended by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR/VP) Josep Borrell and the Defence Ministers of Australia, Finland, and Sweden. The discussions focused on joint efforts in countering the pandemic, as well as the latter's global security implications. NATO Defence Ministers also agreed an operational plan outlining actions needed in the event of a second wave of COVID-19. A number of issues of general interest were also discussed, among which countering hybrid threats, relations with China, and NATO-EU cooperation.

In the course of the session, Bulgaria expressed its support for NATO's operational plan intended to increase the Alliance's resilience in the event of another wave of infection. The strategic partnership between NATO and the EU was given prominence as one of utmost importance, and particular emphasis was placed on the firm belief that it is only with joint efforts that we will be able to deal with the pandemic and most importantly with the dire economic and social consequences that may follow.

"We are sending well-educated and trained young people for transition training on the new equipment. This is the future of Bulgarian aviation." This is what Defence Minister Krasimir Karakachanov said today, June 5th, at a meeting with the first group of four Bulgarian pilots to leave for the U.S. for transition training on the new combat platform, F-16 Block 70, which is to be accepted for service into the Bulgarian Air Force. Those are Maj. Stoyan Petkov, Capt. Aleksandar Velinov, Capt. Todor Todorov, and 1st Lt. Simeon Georgiev from military unit 28000 Graf Ignatievo. "With all due respect and with the warmest feelings and appreciation for our MiG-29s and the rest of our combat equipment, our future lies elsewhere and now we have chosen to rely on a new type of combat aircraft. I wish them every success in their endeavours, and above all, sound health, and I am confident that they will cope with every challenge they may face,” added Defence Minister Krasimir Karakachanov. He gave the four servicemen small religious icons depicting St. George, patron of the Bulgarian Armed Forces, expressing his hope that the saint will guard them and give them strength and confidence.

Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Tsanko Stoykov said a few words of introduction about each of the four servicemen and pointed out that they are responsible and adequately trained to be able to successfully complete all training phases, which will take place in several U.S. Military bases.

Defence Chief Admiral Emil Eftimov also availed himself of the opportunity to wish success to the first batch of Air Force pilots leaving for training in the U.S. He stressed that it will be upon the Defence Staff and the Air Force, with the support of the Ministry of Defence, to solve any issues that may arise in connection with the stay and training in the U.S. not only of them, but of the next batches of pilots as well, so as to allow them to focus solely on their coursework and exercises.

The most senior member of the group, Maj. Stoyan Petkov, affirmed: "We bear a huge responsibility; we fully realize the seriousness of the task we have taken upon ourselves, and we will be up to it.”

Transition training on the new air platform will be effected by means of specialised training for Bulgarian service members at various Air Force Bases (AFBs) in the U.S., according to a schedule and programmes used when training U.S. Air Force pilots. To begin with, Bulgarian pilots will receive a nine-week course in specialised English at the Language Training Centre at Lackland AFB, San Antonio, Texas. Upon successful completion of the language course, the pilots will proceed to basic training in flying the F-16. It will last about three years and four months.

A tactical-special certification exercise with the goal to evaluate according to CREVAL an explosive ordnance disposal platoon was conducted in the period 27 - 29 May 2020 at the grounds of the 55th Engineer Regiment in Belene. It was attended by 72 servicemen who worked with specialized equipment. The topic of the exercise was "Actions of an explosive ordnance disposal platoon in the universal system tasked to neutralize unexploded ordnance and improvised explosive devices (IED), surveillance and notification of a brigade battle group while conducting a defence operation". The leader of the exercise was the commander of the 54th Engineer Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Nikolay Nikolaev, and the commander of the explosive ordnance disposal platoon was Senior Lieutenant Milen Sotirov.

The participants in the exercise demonstrated capabilities related to disposing of explosive ordnance. The platoon performed activities in a real situation and revealed different possibilities of how to react to threats. While performing the assigned tasks, the servicemen also demonstrated activities on medical evacuation of a wounded person.

The tactical-special exercise of the explosive ordnance disposal platoon was monitored by a commission of the Land Forces Command. The Commission checked the required documents, the individual equipment of the personnel, the readiness of the servicemen, the armament and the equipment necessary for the implementation of the tasks. The Commission evaluated as "Combat ready" the explosive ordnance disposal platoon of the 54th Engineer Battalion which is ready to perform duty in the NATO Follow-on forces to NATO Response Force (NRF-21).

Today, 27 May 2020, the Chief of Defence Admiral Emil Eftimov was the first guest in an online discussion focusing on the Bulgarian Army as well as on issues related to the sphere of defence and security. The discussion is organized by the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria and 16 young people from across the country as part of the program “Youth Ambassadors of NATO” supported by the Ministry of Education and Science and the Public Diplomacy Division of the Alliance.

"For Bulgaria, NATO is a civilized choice and a guarantor of our security and sovereignty. Bulgaria is a loyal and reliable ally of the Alliance. This explains most accurately our country’s geopolitical choice dictated by our European identity and by sharing the Euro-Atlantic values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law," Admiral Eftimov said.

The topic of security in the Black Sea region was also discussed in the course of the conversation. "As a result of the crisis in 2014, measures have been taken with respect to the NATO tailored forward presence. Bulgaria supports its position to host a naval coordination center - it is really important for us, being on the periphery of security zones to provide relevant information on the maritime situation in the Black Sea, so that we can activate the mechanism of the Alliance at political and military levels ", was the categorical statement made by Chief of Defence."We have a strong interest in maritime situational awareness as well as in what is happening at sea in order to be able to guarantee our national interests," he added.

Admiral Eftimov declared that the political and military leadership of the Ministry of Defence considers the modernization projects of the Bulgarian Army in their coherence. "There has to be relevant interoperability between the capabilities we build, especially in terms of information and information exchange. If we acquire modern aircraft, it has to function not only in the interest of the Air Force, but also in the interests of the Navy and the Land Forces. For it, we need to build the appropriate information and communication environment, so that this information can reach all users in a timely manner," he said.

In the discussion, the Chief of Defence also shared his personal experience of working in a coalition environment at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. He emphasized the advantage of functioning by following well-established operational procedures which cover all fields of activities at a particular headquarters, describe the processes and enable everyone, regardless of nationality and the level of English language proficiency to be a full member of the working team. "The same holds true when we work on interoperability in the course of exercises, trainings, operations and missions because the operational procedure is a way of working based on common language, clear procedures and interoperable means of communication," he explained.

When asked about the motivation to join the ranks of the Bulgarian Army, Admiral Eftimov pointed out his willingness that the Army should become a hub attractive for young people. He was adamant that the process of modernization both of the armed forces and of the military educational system is of major importance. "I am a supporter of the open system - young people like you should come in contact with the Bulgarian army in order to assess whether they will have opportunities for personal and career development here, whether it is a challenge to them to serve in the army and acquire new skills," said the Chief of Defence. "I will try to justify this worthy choice the young people will make, and we will work in such a way as to keep in touch with the young people, so that they can join the ranks of our army or at least to be interested in the army life," concluded Admiral Eftimov.