The acquisition of the Himars artillery missile systems is unfortunately not part of the immediate prospects of the Bulgarian Army, the Deputy Chief of Defense, Lieutenant General Mihail Popov said after the completion of the largest exercise of the Land Forces "Thracian Warrior 24", which was held simultaneously at the "Koren" and "Novo Selo" military ranges. More than 2,000 personnel, 700 units of combat and auxiliary equipment, as well as aircraft of the Bulgarian Air Force participated in the maneuvers. The Himars rocket artillery was also included in the exercise of the 2nd Mechanized Brigade.

Deputy Minister of Defense Radostin Iliev announced that work was underway on 13 priority defense projects part of the investment program. Defense spending has already reached over 2% and this is a sign to NATO partners that Bulgaria is a stable and predictable partner, Iliev said.