Bulgarian military officers were eager to start joint trainings with their US colleagues, Defence Minister Vesselin Blizankov said on February 28 2008, after Bulgaria and the US signed 11 agreements expanding the scope of the joint military training agreement sealed last year.

Bulgarians saw the agreements as a chance for Bulgarian companies and experts to take part in building the infrastructure and maintenance of the joint military facilities, Bliznakov said, as quoted by Focus news agency.

The signed documents featured agreements on launching joint military operations and trainings, acquisition of properties, their management, hiring of labour force and environmental issues. Major-General Galimir Pehlivanov, from the General Staff of Bulgarian Army, and rear admiral Richard Gallagher, deputy chief of the US European Command signed the agreements in Sofia.

US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ivailo Kalfin signed a one-year-long agreement for military and defence co-operation on April 28 2006 that included US troops using military bases in Bulgaria.

Since then, there have been a number of joint military training exercises. One of the last was in March 2007 when close to 200 US soldiers from the Ramstein army base completed aviation training at Bulgaria's Bezmer air base.

The training of US and Bulgarian airmen was part of Thracian Spring 2007 joint programme. Bulgaria imposes fewer flight restrictions compared to Germany, which allowed the pilots accomplish low-level missions using transport aircrafts C-130.