Stoyanov: Bulgaria to seek entry into NATO counter-drone programme
A letter to NATO headquarters is due by the end of October. The first new 3D radar is not expected until 2028, and conscription will not return.
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Bulgaria will send a letter to NATO headquarters by the end of October stating its wish to join the Alliance's drone defence programme. Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said so on BNT's morning show. According to BNT, the country had declined to take part in the project about a month earlier.
Stoyanov said allied aircraft will be stationed on Bulgarian territory, while the country's waters will be covered by land and air forces because the Montreux Convention bars warships from entering the Black Sea. He criticised delays in modernising air surveillance: under a 2023 plan, the first 3D radar is now expected only in 2028.
The minister ruled out bringing back conscription, saying there is no money for it and that it is not expected in the next five to ten years. The ministry proposes defence spending of 2.33% of GDP next year. Brig. Gen. Bozhidar Boykov, commander of the Joint Special Operations Command, said lengthy procurement procedures are a major challenge.