US troops will be able to use military bases in Bulgaria starting the spring or summer of 2008, Defence Minister Vesselin Bliznakov said.
The first US troops will arrive in Bulgaria in September 2007 for short periods of training. The facilities still need to be prepared for long-term accommodation and training.
Bulgaria and the US signed in the summer of 2006 an agreement for defence co-operation, envisioning the joint use of military facilities in Bulgaria.
By the end of the year, the two countries will sign additional agreements regulating the usage of these facilities, Bliznakov said.
Before foreign troops are able to utilize fully facilities, the Bulgarian bases need to receive certificates. Modernisation plans will determine the period needed to finalise the process.
Bliznakov said that he will soon present Cabinet members with a report on the manner army modernisation is being carried out.
Comments by Jonathan Mills - 06:47 13 Jun 2007 |
 | Why is Bulgaria looking to the USA for advice on modernising the military. The USA have yet to win a conflict by itself (discounting the assault on the carribean island of Grenada). It takes 430% more american soldiers to achieve the same results as by other NATO forces, and it traditionally spends more cash per soldier than any other nation. I suggest Bulgaria look to Germany, Norway, UK, and possibly Canada. |  |
Comments by David Grube - 16:51 14 Jun 2007 |
| Well Jonathan, if public support wasn’t an ever lurking issue the USA would enter all conflicts independently. One must not forget that the voice of public opinion ways heavily on the minds of US politicians, and therefore it is necessary to use the NATO doctrine to enter all conflicts in such a way as not to exclude its members. As for the winning conflicts one must look no further than any history book to see the huge success of our military’s strength. In most conflicts the US employs many more troops than needed for several reasons the most obvious reason is “real time training” where else can our brilliant military learn and grow than the real atmosphere of an active conflict.
Our military is forced to “soft pedal” its use of force in most modern conflicts so as not to offend the rest of the world. We engage a conflict with far too much compassion for the combatant enemy than I personally feel is necessary, this being said imagine what we could have turned Iraq and the several other countries into if we truly used our entire might! Please remember who the world looks to when any conflict presents itself…USA. If we do not submit an opinion on the issues we are looked at as self preservationists. We are not the enemy; we may have reacted and made some decisions in haste however in history the USA will prevail.
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