Bulgarian Army Shows Efficiency in Large-Scale Drills

Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov inspects the troops taking part in the United Force 2011 military exercise at the Koren training ground. Photo by Darik Radio

Various types of land forces of the Bulgarian Army have demonstrated efficiency and coordination during large-scale military drills, Defense Minister Anyu Angelov announced.

A total of 1 400 troops and 500 units of military equipment took part in the "United Force 2011" exercise at the Koren training ground near Haskovo in Southern Bulgaria, which started on April 12, 2011.

"The military formations of the land forces demonstrated total coordination. I am satisfied with the fact that all tasks have been completed successfully," Defense Minister Angelov stated.

The drills tested the coordination of artillery, tank, infantry and special force units of the Bulgarian Army; they practiced responding to an enemy attack and counter-attacking techniques.

The drills were planned by Maj. Gen. Stefan Vasilev, head of the Bulgarian Army; on April 19, Tuesday, they were attended by President and Commander-in-Chief Georgi Parvanov, Defense Minister Anyu Angelov, the Head of Defense Simeon Simeonov, the head of the Bulgarian Air Force Konstantin Popov, among other senior officers.

Defense Minister Angelov told reporters that the last time the Bulgarian Army held such a large-scale military exercise was in 2009. Because of funding restrictions, in 2010, the armed forces completed only 77% of the planned drills.

"We intend to carry out all the drills that we've planned for 2011. Today we observed the actions of a battalion compiled from various types of forces. We are currently in the process of forming a maneuverable battalion group that will be fully armed and equipped, and will be trained year-round," Gen. Angelov explained.

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