Bulgaria is a peaceful country which solves its issues in a peaceful manner. However, it has its armed forced and develops a military industry. The country’s army is small and professional and amounts to nearly 33,000 military men and people employed at the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense. However, this country cannot be proud with the fact that its army is still equipped with weapons dating back to the cold war period.

The Bulgarian military industry went through several crises after the communist period, but fortunately it managed to adapt to the current conditions and requirements and now it is back on its feet. The clients of this industry are mainly foreign companies and in 2017 the export of Bulgarian ammunition, military systems and other military equipment amounted to EUR 1.2 billion, or 20% more as compared to the previous year. Demand of military equipment has increased sharply and the military plants in this country are now recruiting new employees. Nearly 30,000 people are currently employed at all twenty seven military plants in Bulgaria. Bulgaria’s export of military produce is not that big as compared to the export of countries such as the USA and Russia. However, it is of great importance for the whole Bulgarian economy.

Against the backdrop of the recent positive developments in the Bulgarian military industry, the money paid from the state budget on defense and quality of the armaments is unsatisfactory. According to data from Eurostat, in 2016 Bulgaria spent EUR 524.3 million on defense. In 2017 the share of the military spending in the country’s gross domestic product rose from 1.28% to 1.57%. In other words, military spending in this country increased with 26% year on year and Bulgaria placed second in NATO after Romania (50% increase) in this ranking. The authorities are planning to spend EUR 940 million on defense in 2019, or 1.48% of the country’s GDP. The money spent on defense is not that much, taking into consideration the fact that all members of the North-Atlantic Alliance spend USD 957 billion per year, but the annual increase is more than impressive- Bulgaria will spend EUR 240 more as compared to 2018.

All three types of troops- the land forces, the naval forces and the military aviation need money for rearmament and modernization. So far no significant steps have been made in this direction apart from the sporadic and insufficient import of military equipment. Moreover, in 2018 some money allotted by the state budget for the purchase of military equipment will remain unused due to various reasons and cumbersome procedures.

The Bulgarian Ministry of Defense has assured that the negotiations for the supply of new military systems are progressing and that in 2019 the first contracts for modernization of the Bulgarian army are to be signed and the money for this purpose has been already allotted by the state authorities. Now the country has to make the most-appropriate choice of armored vehicles for the infantry, fighter jects for the Bulgarian Air Forces and military vessels for the naval forces. The Bulgarian business admires these plans, because the military industry will have the opportunity to participate in the manufacture of new military equipment. The Bulgarian military industry has the capacity to increase production volumes, which is proved by the increased exports of Bulgarian military systems, equipment and ammunition in the recent years.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov