Bulgaria joined Nato in January 2004. Five years on, its membership would appear to have brought not only increased security for the country but heightened co-operation with other Nato countries.

Before entering the alliance, Bulgarian military personnel participated in international missions in Cambodia. Its international duties have now been expanded with deployments in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq.

The structure of Bulgaria's armed forces has witnessed a thorough revamping. Starting in January 2008, Bulgaria scrapped mandatory military service, replacing it with a fully professional army. Two years before the infantry became professional, in 2006, naval and air forces were already fully professional.

Since Bulgaria joined Nato, Bulgaria's Special Forces have conducted training with the world's elite: the British Special Air Service (SAS)  as well as other special forces units who were modelled on, and inspired by, the SAS, notably the American Delta Force and the German Kommando Spezialkräfte KSK. Traditionally, Bulgarian elite units also train with the Russian Spetsnaz.

In April 2006, Bulgaria and the United States signed a defence co-operation agreement providing for the development of Bulgarian air bases at Bezmer (near Yambol) and Graf Ignatievo (near Plovdiv), the Novo Selo training-range (near Sliven), and a logistics centre in Aytos as joint US-Bulgarian military facilities.

A two-day international business conference, entitled 60 years Nato, five years Bulgaria in Nato, started on March 26 in Sofia and will conclude on March 27. The conference, trumpeting Bulgaria's five years of Nato membership, was headed by Bulgarian President Georgi Purvanov. The event was set up by the Atlantic Club in Bulgaria and Nato's information centre in Sofia.

In his inaugural speech, as quoted by the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) Purvanov said: "Bulgaria’s membership of Nato has brought not only greater security to the country but also possibilities for co-operation with other members of the organisation and the European Union. Nato membership has also offered us the possibility to achieve our foreign policy priorities." 

Also present at the conference were officials from the Bulgarian Defence Ministry and the Economy and Energy Ministry as well as industrial associations.
Economy and Energy Minister Petar Dimitrov claims that "Bulgaria has so far realised projects valued at 87 million euro and signed agreements valued at another 614 million euro".

Meanwhile, Vice-Admiral Emil Lyutskanov, deputy director of Bulgarian Army’s General Staff, said that Bulgaria had mobilised a total of 40 mixed infantry and mechanised units of its armed forces to participate within Nato's collective defence parameters.