Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Minister Karakachanov: The Bulgarian army is 5,600 soldiers short

Photo: BGNES

"The Bulgarian army is currently 5,600 soldiers short. One of the reasons is the low starting salary of 608 Leva a month," said Defence Minister Krasimir Karakachanov. In his words the most serious problem is that around 30-40 percent of the people applying for professional soldiers are unfit for reasons of health or education.

He added that before a conscription army can be reinstated, for which he says he will be supported by GERB party, the number of military education classes at school must be increased and voluntary service introduced.

Karakachanov says further that the EU is not ready to set up a single defence structure, an idea Bulgaria supports:

"Bulgaria is in favour of the formation of such a defence structure but that is a process. Seeing as we have NATO, this compatibility must be looked into, how a European defence will fit into the picture. There are European countries which are not members of NATO. There are European countries which are more skeptical, others are more enthusiastic like France and Germany."




Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Autumn weather is coming, but daytime temperatures are still high

On Thursday, the lowest temperatures will be between 8 and 13°C; in Sofia – about 8°C. During the day, there will be variable cloudiness, which will decrease to sunny weather over many regions. The wind will be moderate from the..

published on 9/17/25 7:05 PM

Parliament to vote on the fifth motion of no confidence against the Zhelyazkov cabinet on Thursday

The vote on the fifth motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov's government will take place on Thursday, September 18, at 4:45 PM, said the presiding chair of the parliamentary session, Nikoleta Kuzmanova following the end of..

published on 9/17/25 5:46 PM

The military plant in Sopot: Not only the company, but also Bulgaria is being discredited

Regarding a video published on YouTube, the management of VMZ-Sopot - the largest state-owned military enterprise in Bulgaria, say that the information presented does not correspond to the truth. The enterprise strongly objects to..

published on 9/17/25 5:15 PM