site.btaBulgarian Armed Forces Participate in Bulgarian Defender 25 Multinational Military Exercises

The Bulgarian Armed Forces will participate in a series of multinational military exercises to improve operational capabilities at national and allied level, Bulgarian Defender 25. They will be held from May 26 to June 9 on the territory of Bulgaria and allied states, the press centre of the Ministry of Defence announced on Friday.

The exercises are part of the Defender 25 exercise, led by US Army Command in Europe and Africa. Similar exercises, whose aim was to enhance interoperability between NATO allies and regional partners, to improve strategic readiness, and demonstrate collective defence capabilities, were held in 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023.

Defender 25 includes several related exercises: Swift Response 25, Immediate Response 25 and Saber Guardian 25, which will be held in the Baltic, Balkan, Black Sea and Mediterranean regions.

The Bulgarian segment, Bulgarian Defender 25, integrates multiple individual drills under a unified scenario and operational concept tailored to regional defence conditions. It is under the general framework of the exercise Immediate Response 25.

Under the leadership of the Joint Forces Command, a national structure for command and control of the exercises with Bulgarian participation will be deployed at ​the Charalitsa National Military Training Complex. The structure will carry out the collaboration with the joint control of Defender 25 in Wiesbaden, Germany.

Bulgarian Defender 25 includes the following exercises with real actions in the area:

A command and staff exercise of the 31st Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Brigade of the Alabama National Guard, which will be held from May 27 to June 9, 2025, at the Charalitsa National Military Training Complex. The Bulgarian side will deploy the Nuclear, Chemical, Biological Protection cell formation from Bankya and the cell from the Land Forces to the brigade headquarters.

A tactical exercise will be held from May 27 to 30, 2025, in the area of ​​the Todorovo military vehicle practice range near Pleven with the participation of a convoy support centre and support company from the Logistics Support Command.

A command and staff exercise, Balkan Wall 25, will be held from May 27 to June 6, 2025, at the Koren and Novo Selo training grounds with the participation of the 61st Stryamska Mechanized Brigade of the land forces. The headquarters of the NATO Multinational Battlegroup in Bulgaria, staff and students from the Military Academy and a group providing communication and information support from the military formation in Gorna Malina part of the Joint Forces Command, will take part in the exercise.

An international tactical exercise related to the overcoming of a water barrier, will be held from May 25 to June 7, 2025, at the Petrochori training ground in Greece. A mechanized company from the 61st Stryamska Mechanized Brigade and a Military Police platoon with weapons, combat equipment and gear will take part in the exercise.

A tactical firing exercise, Balkan Sentinel 25, will be held from May 27 to June 9, 2025, at the Koren training range under the command of the Land Forces. The Land Forces, the Air Force, a manoeuvre enhancement brigade from the rotational US Armed Forces at the Novo Selo training ground, formations from the NATO Multinational Battlegroup in Bulgaria and a mechanized infantry platoon of the Romanian Armed Forces will take part in the exercise.

The series of related international exercises Bulgarian Defender 25 are part of the training plan of the Bulgarian Armed Forces, the NATO exercise plan and the plan for joint Bulgarian-US training in the country and abroad in 2025.

The Defender 25 drills involve approximately 25,000 troops from the US, 29 Allies, and partners working together to improve coordination, tactics, and equipment compatibility. The aim being to strengthen teamwork and military readiness, to help ensure US, NATO Allies, and partner forces are able to respond decisively with lethal force to dominate and win against military forces that threaten regional national sovereignties.