Bulgaria and North Macedonia Advance Stryker Combat Vehicle Capabilities with U.S. Support

Between July 9 and 11, the Central Military Club in Sofia hosted the first coordination conference aimed at developing the core capabilities of Bulgaria’s and North Macedonia’s Land Forces in operating and integrating Stryker combat vehicles. The event marked the beginning of a broader series of working meetings dedicated to building operational capacity around the Stryker platform. Representatives from the U.S. Army also took part in the discussions.

The conference opened with remarks from Major General Deyan Deshkov, Commander of the Bulgarian Land Forces, and was led by Colonel Atanas Georgiev, Deputy Chief of Staff for Resources. The agenda focused on the development of regulatory frameworks, tactical doctrines, training protocols, and support systems necessary for the effective deployment of both combat and auxiliary Stryker vehicles.

Participants included personnel from Bulgaria’s Land Forces, as well as representatives of the National Military University “Vasil Levski,” the “G. S. Rakovski” Military Academy, and officials from the Ministry of Defense’s Operations and Training Directorate and Strategic Planning Directorate. Delegates from North Macedonia and the United States also contributed to the discussions.

Central themes included the organization of future joint exercises, both individual and collective, to achieve initial and full operational readiness among vehicle crews and associated units. As part of the program, attendees visited the "Koren" training area and the "Tyulbe" and "Anevo" training centers, where they were briefed on the existing infrastructure for conducting live fire and tactical training exercises with Stryker systems.

Source: Ministry of Defense press release