The development of adequate Armed Forces should be the subject of a long-term national security and defence policy, Chief of Defence Admiral Emil Eftimov said here on Thursday at a joint briefing with the NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, Gen. Philippe Lavigne, who is visiting Bulgaria.
As part of his visit, General Lavigne is also scheduled to confer with President Rumen Radev, ougtoing Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov, outgoing Defence Minister Todor Tagarev and the National Assembly's Defence Committee.
Regarding the feasibility of the plans about the adequate armed forces Bulgaria should have now and in ten years' time, Admiral Eftimov said this is a process that should be the subject of a long-term national security and defence policy.
"General Lavigne and I discussed issues within the framework of the Alliance's collective security system, especially in the current deteriorated environment as a result of the war in Ukraine. We talked about the security situation on NATO's Eastern flank," Admiral Eftimov said.
The war in Ukraine is an indicator of significant changes in the nature of warfare, and this requires the Armed Forces to take the necessary measures for adequate transformation. All of this reflects on the planning of national defence capabilities as well as on the Alliance's capabilities, Eftimov explained. "I shared with General Lavigne that we need to apply the lessons learned from the military conflict in Ukraine at the strategic level of defence planning, as the process of building defence capabilities is slow and requires time and resources," Bulgarian Chief of Defence added.
Admiral Eftimov briefed General Lavigne on the challenges facing the development of the Bulgarian Armed Forces in the capability planning and modernization process. "Our goal is to strike a balance between acquiring the most needed capabilities in the short term and developing long-term sustainable solutions in all areas," Eftimov said, adding that he told the visiting General about Bulgaria's efforts to secure the NATO Multinational Battle Group on its territory, stressing the need for more joint funding in building the necessary transport and logistics infrastructure on the Alliance's Eastern flank.
General Lavigne expressed interest in the way Bulgaria is countering the cognitive war being waged against it and the possibility of countering threats in the information space, Admiral Eftimov added.
According to him, the development of a strong defence industry capable of responding adequately to new challenges is a key lesson for all NATO and EU member states.
There are regional plans that are being established at the political level in NATO. For these plans to be implemented, they must have the necessary forces, infrastructure, appropriate command structure and commanders' authority, Admiral Eftimov explained. "We are implementing several decisions of the Council of Ministers, which are in accordance with the decisions of the National Assembly," Eftimov said to a question related to what specific equipment our country has sent to Ukraine.
Bulgaria's contribution to NATO is crucial, especially with regard to the Black Sea region and the Eastern flank, General Lavigne said.
The hosting of a NATO battle group on the territory of Bulgaria, this country's contribution to the KFOR mission and the NATO mission in Iraq, as well as Bulgaria's support to Ukraine are proof of Bulgaria's commitment, General Lavigne said.
Bulgaria and its Armed Forces have played an extremely important role in the establishment of the NATO Battle Group on the territory of Bulgaria, General Lavigne said.
The two main threats to NATO are Russia and terrorism, the NATO General said. He noted that the issue of the Balkans is on NATO's agenda.
As an Alliance of 32 countries, NATO needs to ensure that it is more mobile and more flexible and achieve this through its coordinated course of transformation, General Lavigne said, adding that NATO must continuously adapt and transform, he added.
Today's complex world requires the Alliance to be transformed, General Lavigne said. "We face increasing and more rapidly advancing and comprehensive threats. From data overload or threats in cyberspace to hypersonic weapons. The environment is evolving extremely rapidly. NATO needs stronger, more maneuverable and interoperable forces. We must adapt to maintain our advantage over adversaries," he explained.
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