It is possible that some categories of civil servants employed in the security sector would be required to undergo military training. This was announced by caretaker Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov. He said that this was not returning to mandatory service. According to him, the step could be resorted to if the package of social measures and the increase in the salaries of the military by 30% did not solve the problem of unoccupied staff positions in the army.

The 2023 State of Defense Report indicates that over the period 2010-2020 the reserve has declined by 43% and continues to decline by about 5% to 7% per year. Estimates show that if this rate continues, in 15 years the reserve will be completely depleted.