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

Photo: Embassy of Bulgaria in Washington

Embassy of Bulgaria in USA hosts a Fulbright alumni reception

The Embassy of Bulgaria in USA hosted a Fulbright alumni reception . For over three decades, the Fulbright  P rogram has played a pivotal role in fostering educational and cultural ties between Bulgaria and the United States. ''Thanks to the..

published on 7/11/25 12:26 PM

National Assembly rejects fourth no-confidence motion against Rosen Zhelyazkov's cabinet

The National Assembly rejected the no-confidence motion against the cabinet of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov. This was the fourth motion of no confidence against the government, this time citing ''failure in the environment and water sector''. 83 MPs..

published on 7/11/25 10:11 AM

Skopje lodges a protest with the Bulgarian ambassador over the term “North Macedonian”

Bulgaria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement following the summoning of the Bulgarian ambassador to North Macedonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Skopje.  Skopje lodged an official protest with Ambassador Zhelyazko Radukov, as the..

published on 7/11/25 9:38 AM