Bulgarian land forces
Encyclopedia
Military of Bulgaria
The Military of Bulgaria, officially the Bulgarian Army represents the Armed Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria. The Commander-in-Chief is the President of Bulgaria . The Ministry of Defence is in charge of political leadership while military command remains in the hands of the General Staff,...
. Their existence is to be traced back to the establishment of the First Bulgarian Empire
First Bulgarian Empire
The First Bulgarian Empire was a medieval Bulgarian state founded in the north-eastern Balkans in c. 680 by the Bulgars, uniting with seven South Slavic tribes...
in 681
681
Year 681 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 681 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* The Bulgars under Asparukh win...
. In more recent history the Land Forces have played an active role in the Bulgarian participation in the Balkan Wars
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
,World War I and World War II. The Bulgarian Land Forces are scheduled to become fully professional by 1 January 2008, bringing an end to mandatory military service
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
. The Bulgarian Air Force
Bulgarian Air Force
The Bulgarian Air Force is a branch of the Military of Bulgaria, the other two being the Bulgarian Navy and Bulgarian land forces. Its mission is to guard and protect the sovereignty of Bulgarian airspace, to provide aerial support and to assist the Land Forces in case of war. The Bulgarian Air...
and Naval Forces
Bulgarian Navy
The Bulgarian Navy is the navy of Republic of Bulgaria and forms part of the Bulgarian Armed Forces. It has been largely overlooked in the reforms that Bulgaria had to go through in order to comply with NATO standards, mostly because of the great expense involved and the fact that naval assaults...
are already fully professional.
The current Land Forces commander, who took up his post in 2006, is Major General Ivan Kirev Dobrev.
Functions
The Land Forces are functionally divided into Active and Reserve Forces. Their main functions include deterrence, defense, peace support and crisis managementCrisis management
Crisis management is the process by which an organization deals with a major event that threatens to harm the organization, its stakeholders, or the general public. The study of crisis management originated with the large scale industrial and environmental disasters in the 1980's.Shrivastava, P....
, humanitarian and rescue missions, as well as social functions within Bulgarian society.
The Active Forces mainly have peacekeeping and defensive duties, and are further divided into Deployment Forces, Immediate Reaction, and Main Defense Forces. The Reserve Forces consists of Enhancement Forces, Territorial Defense Forces, and Training Grounds. They deal with planning and reservist preparation, armaments and equipment storage, training of formations for active forces rotation or increase in personnel.
During peacetime the Land Forces maintain permanent combat
Combat
Combat, or fighting, is a purposeful violent conflict meant to establish dominance over the opposition, or to terminate the opposition forever, or drive the opposition away from a location where it is not wanted or needed....
and mobilization
Mobilization
Mobilization is the act of assembling and making both troops and supplies ready for war. The word mobilization was first used, in a military context, in order to describe the preparation of the Prussian army during the 1850s and 1860s. Mobilization theories and techniques have continuously changed...
readiness. They become part of multinational military formations in compliance with international treaties Bulgaria is a Party of, participate in the preparation of the population, the national economy and the maintenance of wartime reserves and the infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
of the country for defense.
In times of crisis the Land Forces' main tasks relate to participation in operations countering terrorist activities
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
and defense of strategic facilities (such as nuclear power
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
plants and major industrial facilities), assisting the security forces in proliferation of weapons of mass destruction
Weapons of mass destruction
A weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general...
, illegal armaments traffic and international terrorism.
In case of low- and medium-intensity military conflict the Active Forces that are part of the Land Forces participate in carrying out the initial tasks for the defense of the territorial integrity
Territorial integrity
Territorial integrity is the principle under international law that nation-states should not attempt to promote secessionist movements or to promote border changes in other nation-states...
and sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
of the country.
In case of a military conflict of high intensity the Land Forces, together with the Air Force
Bulgarian Air Force
The Bulgarian Air Force is a branch of the Military of Bulgaria, the other two being the Bulgarian Navy and Bulgarian land forces. Its mission is to guard and protect the sovereignty of Bulgarian airspace, to provide aerial support and to assist the Land Forces in case of war. The Bulgarian Air...
and the Navy
Bulgarian Navy
The Bulgarian Navy is the navy of Republic of Bulgaria and forms part of the Bulgarian Armed Forces. It has been largely overlooked in the reforms that Bulgaria had to go through in order to comply with NATO standards, mostly because of the great expense involved and the fact that naval assaults...
, form the defense group of the Bulgarian Army aiming at countering aggression and protection of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country.
Tactics
Traditionally, the Bulgarian Army has relied on large numbers of well-trained infantryInfantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
. During the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
the armed forces were expanded to a number of more than 200 000 men, supported by a very large Air Force, thousands of artillery pieces and anti-tank missiles, tactical ballistic missiles, hundreds of SAMs and AA cannons, and more than 1 500 tanks. All that was needed as a deterrence against its large southern NATO-member neighbour - Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, and to a lesser degree, Greece. In case of a conflict with NATO, Bulgaria was to use its anti-aircraft missiles and ATGMs to effectively destroy most of the enemy armor and aircraft, while the tanks and jet fighters were to combat the enemy units until back-up forces from the USSR arrived. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union Bulgaria's army has been reduced significantly in terms of numbers, but the number of defensive equipment (ATGMs and SAMs) has not been reduced drastically.
Structure
The Land Forces in peacetime used to consist of an HQ, Operational Forces Command, two Commands (East and West), Special Operations Forces Command and directly subordinate to the HQ units and formations.- Operational Forces Command comprised two mechanized and one light infantry brigades, two separate mechanized infantry battalions; an artillery regiment, a logistics and material regiment and combat support units. Its predecessor was the 3rd Bulgarian Army, later 3rd Army corps. Third Army appears to have been headquartered at SlivenSlivenSliven is the eighth-largest city in Bulgaria and the administrative and industrial centre of Sliven Province and municipality. It is a relatively large town with 89,848 inhabitants, as of February 2011....
in 1989.
- West and East Commands comprised mobilization bases, centers and training ranges. In wartime the mobilization bases and centers would have deployed mechanized and artillery brigades and regiments. Their predecessors were 1st and 2ndSecond Army (Bulgaria)The Bulgarian Second Army was a Bulgarian field army during the Balkan Wars, World War I, and World War II.-History:After 1907, during times of peace, the territory of Bulgaria was divided in three army inspectorates , each one comprising three divisional district. During war they formed three...
Bulgarian armies, later 1st and 2nd Army corps respectively. First and Second Armies appear to have been headquartered in 1989 at SofiaSofiaSofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
and PlovdivPlovdivPlovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
respectively.
- Special Operations Forces Command comprised special operations brigade with one Special Forces battalion, one Special Forces Paratroopers battalion and one Alpine battalion as well as a separate Psychological Operations company.
All these commands were deactivated in 2006.
Major units
- 78th Staff Battalion - Gorna Banya
- 2nd "Tundzhanska" Light Infantry Brigade (despite its name a Mechanised Brigade) - Stara ZagoraStara ZagoraStara Zagora is the sixth largest city in Bulgaria, and a nationally important economic center. Located in Southern Bulgaria, it is the administrative capital of the homonymous Stara Zagora Province...
, HaskovoHaskovoHaskovo , is a city, an administrative centre of the homonymous Haskovo Province in southern Bulgaria, not far from the borders with Greece and Turkey. As of February 2011, it has a population of 74,843 inhabitants....
, YambolYambolYambol is a city in southeastern Bulgaria, an administrative centre of Yambol Province. It lies on both banks of the Tundzha river in the historical region of Thrace. As of February 2011, the town has a population of 72,843 inhabitants. It is occasionally spelt 'Jambol'.The administrative centres... - 5th "Shipchenska" Mechanized Brigade - PlevenPlevenPleven is the seventh most populous city in Bulgaria. Located in the northern part of the country, it is the administrative centre of Pleven Province, as well as of the subordinate Pleven municipality...
, VratsaVratsaVratsa is a city in northwestern Bulgaria, at the foothills of the Balkan Mountains. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Vratsa Province. As of February 2011, the town has a population of 60,482 inhabitants....
, ShumenShumenShumen is the tenth-largest city in Bulgaria and capital of Shumen Province. In the period 1950–1965 it was called Kolarovgrad, after the name of the communist leader Vasil Kolarov... - 61st "Stryamska" Mechanized Brigade - KarlovoKarlovoKarlovo is a picturesque and a historically important town in central Bulgaria located in a fertile valley along the river Stryama at the southern foot of the Balkan Mountains...
, KazanlakKazanlakKazanlak, formerly Kazanlık is a Bulgarian town in Stara Zagora Province, located in the middle of the plain of the same name, at the foot of the Balkan mountain range, at the eastern end of the Rose Valley... - 68th Special Forces Brigade68th Special Forces Brigade (Bulgaria)The 68th Special Forces Brigade is a special operations formation of the Bulgarian Land Forces. The 68th SF Brigade is also Bulgaria's principal paratrooper unit and includes the 101st Alpine Battalion, which has participated in all conflicts involving Bulgaria.It was established in 1942 under the...
- PlovdivPlovdivPlovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
with:- 1st Special Forces Battalion "Spetznaz" - PlovdivPlovdivPlovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
- 2nd Special Forces Battalion "Para-Recon" - SlivenSlivenSliven is the eighth-largest city in Bulgaria and the administrative and industrial centre of Sliven Province and municipality. It is a relatively large town with 89,848 inhabitants, as of February 2011....
- 3rd Special Forces Training Battalion
- 101st Alpine Bаttalion (101-ви Планински батальон) - SmolyanSmolyanSmolyan is a town and ski resort in the very south of Bulgaria not far from the border with Greece. It is the administrative and industrial centre of the homonymous Smolyan Province...
- 1st Special Forces Battalion "Spetznaz" - Plovdiv
- 9th Brigade Staff with two mechanized infantry battalions - Gorna Banya, BlagoevgradBlagoevgradBlagoevgrad is а city in southwestern Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Blagoevgrad Province, with a population of about 74,302 . It lies on the banks of the Blagoevgradska Bistritsa River....
- 13th Armored Training Center - SlivenSlivenSliven is the eighth-largest city in Bulgaria and the administrative and industrial centre of Sliven Province and municipality. It is a relatively large town with 89,848 inhabitants, as of February 2011....
- Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment - SvobodaSvobodaSvoboda, a word in Slavic languages meaning "freedom". It may refer to:* Radio Svoboda, operated by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty* Svoboda , a daily Ukrainian language newspaper published in New Jersey by Ukrainian National Association...
- 4th Artillery Regiment - AsenovgradAsenovgradAsenovgrad is a town in central southern Bulgaria, part of Plovdiv Province.-History:Asenovgrad was founded by the Thracians as Stenímachos around 300–400 BC. In 72 BC the city was captured by the troops of the Roman Empire as part of the Roman expansion towards the Black Sea. After a long period...
- 55th Engineer Regiment - BeleneBeleneBelene is a town in Pleven Province, Northern Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Belene Municipality. The town is situated on the right bank of the Danube river, close to the town of Svishtov...
, PlovdivPlovdivPlovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
, Stara ZagoraStara ZagoraStara Zagora is the sixth largest city in Bulgaria, and a nationally important economic center. Located in Southern Bulgaria, it is the administrative capital of the homonymous Stara Zagora Province... - 110th Mobile Logistic Support Regiment - PlovdivPlovdivPlovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
- 38th NBC Regiment - Musatchevo, Gorna Oryahovica
- CIMIC, PsyOps and Geophysics Battalion - SofiaSofiaSofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
- Base for Armament and Equipment Storage and Training of Reservists
- Armament and Equipment Maintenance Base
- "Koren" Fire Range
- "Novo Selo" Fire Range
- Land Forces Band
White Paper on Defense 2010 Plans for Reform
Commander of the Land Forces- Land Forces Staff SofiaSofiaSofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
- 61st Mechanised Brigade (Medium) Stara ZagoraStara ZagoraStara Zagora is the sixth largest city in Bulgaria, and a nationally important economic center. Located in Southern Bulgaria, it is the administrative capital of the homonymous Stara Zagora Province...
, covering Southern Bulgaria - 62nd Mechanised Brigade (Medium) PlevenPlevenPleven is the seventh most populous city in Bulgaria. Located in the northern part of the country, it is the administrative centre of Pleven Province, as well as of the subordinate Pleven municipality...
, covering Northern Bulgaria - Independent Mechanised Battalion Gorna Banya, defending the capitol, Gorna Banya is a suburb of Sofia
- 68th Special Operations Regiment PlovdivPlovdivPlovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
- 1st Special Forces Battalion "Spetznaz" - PlovdivPlovdivPlovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
- 2nd Special Forces Battalion "Para-Recon" - SlivenSlivenSliven is the eighth-largest city in Bulgaria and the administrative and industrial centre of Sliven Province and municipality. It is a relatively large town with 89,848 inhabitants, as of February 2011....
, transferred to Plovdiv - 101st Alpine Bаttalion - SmolyanSmolyanSmolyan is a town and ski resort in the very south of Bulgaria not far from the border with Greece. It is the administrative and industrial centre of the homonymous Smolyan Province...
- 1st Special Forces Battalion "Spetznaz" - Plovdiv
- 1st Reconnaissance Battalion SvobodaSvobodaSvoboda, a word in Slavic languages meaning "freedom". It may refer to:* Radio Svoboda, operated by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty* Svoboda , a daily Ukrainian language newspaper published in New Jersey by Ukrainian National Association...
- CIMIC, PsyOps and Geophysical Support Battalion SofiaSofiaSofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
- 4th Artillery Regiment AsenovgradAsenovgradAsenovgrad is a town in central southern Bulgaria, part of Plovdiv Province.-History:Asenovgrad was founded by the Thracians as Stenímachos around 300–400 BC. In 72 BC the city was captured by the troops of the Roman Empire as part of the Roman expansion towards the Black Sea. After a long period...
- 55th Engineer Regiment BeleneBeleneBelene is a town in Pleven Province, Northern Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Belene Municipality. The town is situated on the right bank of the Danube river, close to the town of Svishtov...
- 38th NBC Defense Battalion Musachevo, near Sofia
- 110th Mobile Logistic Support Regiment PlovdivPlovdivPlovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
- Training Centers
- "Koren" Fire Range
- Land Forces Band SofiaSofiaSofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
- 61st Mechanised Brigade (Medium) Stara Zagora
The plans state that 53% of the manpower of the bulgarian military should be in the Land Forces, which according to the level of 26,000 servicemen envisioned calls for about 13,800 soldiers.
Inventory of the Bulgarian armed forces
| Statistics | |
| Personnel | 18,000 |
| Main Battle Tank Main battle tank A main battle tank , also known as a battle tank or universal tank, is a tank that fills the heavy direct fire role of many modern armies. They were originally conceived to replace the light, medium, heavy and super-heavy tanks. Development was spurred onwards in the Cold War with the development... s |
160 T-72 T-72 The T-72 is a Soviet-designed main battle tank that entered production in 1970. It is developed directly from Obyekt-172, and shares parallel features with the T-64A... |
| Infantry fighting vehicle Infantry fighting vehicle An infantry fighting vehicle , also known as a mechanized infantry combat vehicle , is a type of armoured fighting vehicle used to carry infantry into battle and provide fire support for them... s |
114 BMP-23/A BMP-23 The BMP-23 is a Bulgarian infantry fighting vehicle which was first introduced in the early 1980s. Despite its name, the BMP-23 is very different from the BMP-1 and more similar to BMP-2. The hull is based around that of the Soviet 2S1 Gvozdika, but with thicker armour and a more powerful diesel... ; 100 BMP-1 BMP-1 The BMP-1 is a Soviet amphibious tracked infantry fighting vehicle. BMP stands for Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty 1 , meaning "infantry fighting vehicle". The BMP-1 was the world's first mass-produced infantry fighting vehicle... P |
| APC Armoured personnel carrier An armoured personnel carrier is an armoured fighting vehicle designed to transport infantry to the battlefield.APCs are usually armed with only a machine gun although variants carry recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles , or mortars... |
150 BTR-60PB-MD1 BTR-60 The BTR-60 is the first vehicle in a series of Soviet eight-wheeled armoured personnel carriers. It was developed in the late 1950s as a replacement for the BTR-152 and was seen first time in public in 1961... 8x8, MT-LB MT-LB The MT-LB is a Soviet multi-purpose fully amphibious auxiliary armoured vehicle which was first introduced in the late 1960s... (tracked) |
| Armored patrol vehicles | 7 M1117 4x4, 12 BRDM-2 BRDM-2 The BRDM-2 is an amphibious armoured patrol car used by Russia and the former Soviet Union. It was also known under designations BTR-40PB, BTR-40P-2 and GAZ 41-08... 4x4 |
| M1114 Humvees | 52 |
| G-class armored jeeps Mercedes-Benz G-Class The original 460-series Geländewagen went on sale for civilian buyers in 1979, after having debuted in February of that year. It was offered with two wheelbases, a short wheelbase of 2,400 mm and a long one of 2,850 mm. One could choose between three body styles: A two-door short... |
600 |
| Plasan Sand Cat Plasan Sand Cat The Sand Cat is a composite armored vehicle designed by Plasan of Israel. It is based on a commercial Ford F-Series chassis shortened to a 2.84 m wheelbase by Ford Qualified Vehicle Modifier, Manning Equipment of Louisville, Kentucky, United States... s |
25 |
| Artillery Artillery Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons... pieces over 100 mm (excl. mortar) |
192 |
| SAM Surface-to-air missile A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles... s |
208 |
| AAA | ca. 300 |
| SS-21 | 18 |
See also
- SOBTSOBTThe SOBT- is a Bulgarian Special Counter-terrorist Unit that is similar to the GSG 9, Alpha Group and other counter-terrorist units. It is expert in unconventional warfare and special operations...
- Bulgarian special forces - Although not part of the Armed Forces the operators of that Ministry of Interior unit have enhanced close quarters combat, firing, driving (including APCs), parachute skills. The primary Counter-Terror asset of the Republic of Bulgaria, the unit is directly subordinated to the minister. Operatives are called unofficially "The Berets" because of their specific caps - beretBeretA beret is a soft, round, flat-crowned hat, designated a "cap", usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, or wool felt, or acrylic fiber....
s. Unit is supported by the special forces of the Gendarmery National ServiceBulgarian GendarmerieThe Bulgarian Gendarmerie is a part of the Bulgarian Ministry of Internal Affairs or "MIA". In Bulgaria the initials "MBP" are used in a fashion similar to “FBI” in America when describing the national police forces.Bulgarian “MBP" is divided into five...
.