“We will shortly need to move our service members out of Afghanistan and this is indeed the right decision,” said Deputy Prime Minister for Security and Minister of Defence Krasimir Karakachanov today, May 5th. Via video teleconference, Minister Karakachanov and Defence Chief Admiral Emil Eftimov congratulated the national commanders of the Bulgarian military contingents participating in missions and operations in Afghanistan, Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Mali on the occasion of May 6th, Day of Valour and Day of the Bulgarian Armed Forces. Lieutenant General Lyubcho Todorov, Commander of the Joint Forces Command, also joined the video teleconference.

At present, 165 service members are performing their military duty abroad. Via the video teleconference, as has already become a tradition, the commanders of the troops conducting tasks under NATO and EU missions and operations reported on the state and condition of the contingents and the missions and tasks they are entrusted with.

Colonel Pavlin Velkov, national commander of the 42nd Bulgarian contingent in Resolute Support, the NATO-led train, advise and assist mission in Afghanistan, reported that in the context of the forthcoming withdrawal the situation remains tense and unstable. The Bulgarian contingent has been performing their mission successfully, and is implementing measures aimed at preventing the spread of Covid-19 among the personnel. No cases of coronavirus have been reported on base.

“I wish you, above all, to stay healthy in the remaining weeks leading up to the start of the withdrawal. Despite the complicated situation in Afghanistan, you continue to perform admirably,” Minister Karakachanov pointed out.

“After NATO made a decision at the extraordinary meeting of the Alliance’s Defence and Foreign Ministers in mid-April to end the mission in Afghanistan and withdraw the allied troops by September, you have a responsible task to conclude the mission in an organized manner, in compliance with security and anti-epidemic measures,” stated Defence Chief Admiral Emil Eftimov.
The commander of the Bulgarian contingent in the EU operation ALTHEA in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colonel Anastas Bakalov, reported that the situation remains relatively calm and stable.
Lieutenant Colonel Petko Popovski, Commander of a military formation of the Republic of Bulgaria’s Armed Forces tasked to participate in NATO Stabilization Mission in Kosovo (KFOR) also reported that the situation is calm despite the dynamic domestic state of affairs. Minister Karakachanov said that this mission is closest to the Bulgarian borders; therefore it is perhaps one of the most important ones. In the context of the global pandemic, Admiral Eftimov was adamant that the political and military leadership of the Ministry of Defence firmly supports the security of our contingents abroad and is ready to respond should any changes in the situation occur.
The head of the medical team and national commander of the Bulgarian contingent in the EU training mission in Mali, Lieutenant Ventsislav Dimov reported that there is no evidence of a threat against the Bulgarian contingent. He expressed his gratitude for the complete support provided by the leadership of the Ministry of Defence and the Military Medical Academy. Minister Karakachanov and Admiral Eftimov emphasized the high level of the Bulgarian military medicine that has been confirmed in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic last year.

Starting May 3rd, 2021, Bulgaria will host the exercise „Trojan Footprint-South - 2021“, led by the U.S. Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR). It aims to promote the exchange of information and increase interoperability between the U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) and the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOCOM) of the Bulgarian Army, the NATO Special Operations Forces and European partners from the Balkans and the Black Sea region.

Servicemen from 68th Special Forces Group (SFG), 86th SFG and 3rd SFG from JSOCOM, U.S Army Green Berets assigned to 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and formations from the Special Forces of U.K., Spain and Republic of North Macedonia will train in the Bulgarian portion of the exercise.

"While the exercise is focused on improving the ability of SOF to counter various threats, it also increases integration with conventional forces and enhances interoperability between NATO SOF and Partner countries," said Col. Mark V. LaRoche, Deputy Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command Europe. "Most importantly, „Trojan Footprint-South - 2021“ fortifies military readiness, cultivates trust and develops lasting relationships which promote peace and stability throughout Europe."

Apart from Bulgaria, „Trojan Footprint-South - 2021“ is held in Montenegro, Republic of North Macedonia and Romania. Other participating allies and partners include SOF units from Georgia, Germany and Ukraine. The SOCEUR-led exercise will provide an opportunity to test and improve upon multi-domain tactics, techniques and procedures in SOF actions on land, air and water.

„Trojan Footprint-South - 2021“ is the annual and largest SOF exercise in Europe and we recognize the responsibility and trust that we are one of the host nations for the training," said MG Yavor Mateev, Commander of Bulgarian Joint Special Operations Command. "This exercise enables all of us to strengthen our capabilities to counter regional threats, and also contributes to improving both our operational capabilities and NATO's capabilities.”

The exercise will enhance the skills of air, land and sea forces to execute the full range of Special Operations and increase the readiness of NATO's SOF.

Bulgaria will host a series of multinational military exercises aimed at improving the operational capabilities of the Armed Forces at national and Allied levels in fulfilling tasks specific to defense operations. The exercises will be conducted in the period May-June 2021 in compliance with the principles of transparency and openness. Media Days of the exercises "Trojan Footprint - South - 21", "Balkan Sentinel - 21", "Strike Back - 21" and "Shabla - 21" are planned so that the journalists will have the opportunity to observe the activities performed by the servicemen. These exercises will be held within the framework of the multinational exercise "Saber Guardian - 21" which is a part of "Defender Europe - 21" exercise involving more than 13,000 troops from 17 countries.

"Trojan Footprint - South - 21" will be conducted in the period 1-16 May 2021, and will involve up to 120 servicemen, equipment and technical means of the Joint Special Operations Command as well as servicemen from the UK, Spain, the Republic of North Macedonia and the USA. More than 230 servicemen from the armed forces of the participating countries will take part in the exercise. 13 May 2021 is planned as Media Day at the Tsrancha Training Center.

"Balkan Sentinel - 21" is a tactical exercise with combat live fire and will be conducted in the period 21 May – 4 June at Novo Selo training range. Up to 1,000 servicemen from the Land Forces of Bulgaria, Georgia and the United States will take part in the exercise with armored combat vehicles, tanks, self-propelled artillery units, mortars and other equipment. At various stages of the exercise, the immediate aviation support will be performed by forces and means of the Bulgarian Air Force, including a Su-25 aircraft, Mi-24 and Cougar helicopters. 31 May 2021 is planned as Media Day at Novo Selo Training Range.

"Strike Back-21" is a tactical exercise with combat live fire, and will be held in the period 24 May - 7 June at Koren Training Range. Up to 1,000 servicemen from the Land Forces of Bulgaria, Romania and Greece will participate in the exercise. At various stages of the exercise, armored combat vehicles, self-propelled artillery units, tanks, and 120-mm mortars will be used, while the immediate aviation support will be performed by aircraft and helicopters of the Bulgarian and Greek Air Forces. 4 June 2021 is planned as Media Day at Koren Training Range.

"Shabla - 21" is a national tactical exercise with experimental and joint combat live fire performed by the air defense formations of the Bulgarian Army with international participation. The exercise will be conducted in the period 25 May – 16 June 2021 at Shabla Air Defence Firing Range. Up to 1,500 servicemen from the Land Forces, the Air Force, the Navy and the Joint Special Operations Command of Bulgaria as well as formations from the United States and Serbia will participate in the exercise. 10 June 2021 is planned as Media Day at Shabla Air Defence Firing Range.

Dear colleagues,
If you would like to cover the exercises and attend the designated Media Days, you need to be accredited by providing the following information not later than 15 April 2021:

First name, surname, Personal Identification Number, Number of your ID card, contact phone number, name of the media and your position in it.

Contact address: BGR_PublicAffairs@armf.bg.

By 15 April 2021, Bulgaria is to submit its national report on the Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

The information exchanged on an annual basis between our country and the rest of the OSCE participating States is prepared jointly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defence, and the Ministry of Interior on the basis of answers to the questionnaire adopted by the OSCE participating States. The bigger part of the questions falls under the competence of the Ministry of Defence. Those relate to, among others, the legislative basis regulating defence planning, democratic control, roles and missions of the Armed Forces, the execution of the military service, education in international humanitarian law, the legal and the administrative procedures to protect the rights of the Armed Forces personnel.

In 1994, the participating States of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) adopted a Code of Conduct on Politico-Military Aspects of Security. The Code is a fundamental document setting forth the principles of good governance in the security sector management and playing the role of a monitoring mechanism as regards the observance of the said principles. It became effective as of January 1st, 1995. The exchange of information carried out under the Code contributes to confidence and security building between the countries. As an additional transparency measure, the reports are published on OSCE’s website.

The Armed Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria are preparing to participate in the largest exercises for 2021 "Defender Europe 21" and "Steadfast Defender -21" which will be conducted in the period May-June 2021 under the leadership of the United States Army Europe and Africa Command and NATO Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. The exercises are focused on performing tasks specific to defense operations. The participation in the exercises is an expression of the Allied determination, unity and mutual commitment to security in the Black Sea region.

"Defender Europe - 21" incorporates a series of related exercises positioned individually in time, place and stages which will be conducted mainly in the Black Sea region of the Balkans and Estonia. The exercise “Defender Europe – 21” begins in March 2021 with the redeployment of US forces and assets from the United States to eight European countries, and will last until mid-June 2021. More than 30,000 servicemen from 26 NATO member states and Partner countries will participate in the exercise. Its main goal is to improve the training and interoperability between the participants in simultaneously conducting defence operations at more than 30 military training ranges in 14 countries.

“Defender Europe-21” includes several interrelated exercises: “Swift Response”, “Saber Guardian”, “Immediate Response”, and “Defender Europe” command-staff exercise.

“Defender Europe-21” exercise conducted by the United States Army Europe and Africa Command is also related to the NATO exercise “Steadfast Defender -21”. It will be conducted in the period mid-May - the beginning of June 2021 under the leadership of NATO Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. The goal is to demonstrate NATO's capabilities of responding rapidly to the full range of threats to security and stability of the North Atlantic Alliance in peacetime, in crisis or in the event of an arising conflict. Bulgaria will participate in the exercise mainly by providing host nation logistic support with respect to transit of forces and assets.

The exercises in which the Bulgarian Armed Forces will participate are incorporated in the Plan for training and preparation of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria in 2021, in the NATO military exercise Plan and in the Plan for joint Bulgarian-American training in the country and abroad in 2021. Exercises of this type were conducted in our country in 2017 and 2019.

In May and June 2021, our country will host the multinational exercise "Saber Guardian" which combines national exercises with international participation "Strike Back – 21”, "Balkan Sentinel - 21" and "Shabla - 21" as well as the tactical exercise "Trojan Footprint - South". The exercise "Swift Response - 21" and the command-staff exercise "Defender Europe" will also be conducted on the territory of the country.

Bulgarian military formations will also take part in the “Decisive Strike” tactical exercise in the Republic of North Macedonia which is also a part of the “Saber Guardian”.

Throughout the duration of all the exercises, the anti-epidemic measures to prevent the spread of "COVID-19" will be observed in order to ensure the protection of the servicemen and the population. Prior to the redeployment, the US-based troops will be tested for COVID and will be put in quarantine before moving to European countries. Participants in the exercises from the armies of the other participating countries will also be tested, and the servicemen will be put in quarantine in advance.

The exercises will be conducted in compliance with the principles of transparency and openness. Media days are planned during which the journalists will have the opportunity to observe the activities performed by the servicemen. Information will be provided concerning the dates on which the Media Days will be held as well as concerning the conditions for the journalists’ accreditation.

* * *

Information on the exercises which will be conducted in May and June 2021 with the participation of Bulgarian troops and forces


“Swift Response” is an exercise performed by a part of the US Immediate Response Force. The exercise will be conducted from the beginning to the middle of May 2021 in Estonia, Bulgaria and Romania with the participation of more than 7,000 servicemen from 11 countries.

“Saber Guardian” includes a series of related tactical live fire exercises, air defence operations and medical evacuation which will be conducted from mid-May to mid-June 2021 in Germany, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, the Republic of North Macedonia and Albania. More than 13,000 servicemen from 16 countries will participate in the exercise. It includes: tactical live fire exercises "Strike Back - 21", "Balkan Sentinel - 21", "Shabla - 21", the tactical exercises "Trojan Footprint" and "Decisive Strike".

"Immediate Response" is an exercise aimed at enhancing the logistic capabilities which ensure the passage of the Allied troops through the territories of the Participating countries, including the provision of the troops’ reception, their accommodation and their subsequent movement. It also includes tactical live fire exercises in which more than 13,000 servicemen from 11 countries will take part. The training activities will be conducted at 31 military training ranges from mid-May to the beginning of June.

“Defender Europe” command-staff exercise will be conducted in June in a number of countries, including Bulgaria, on two continents, and approximately 1,500 servicemen will participate in it.

You can find more information on all exercises at: www.EuropeAfrica.army.mil/DefenderEurope.

Contact information: e-mail: USArmyEurope.MediaDesk@mail.mil.
And: BGR_PublicAffairs@armf.bg.