Military Cooperation between the Republic of Bulgaria and the USA
The military cooperation with the United States of America is among the major priorities in the defense policy of the Republic of Bulgaria, and it has been developing rapidly during recent years.
An indicative example in this regard is the Defense Cooperation Agreement between the government of the Republic of Bulgaria and the government of the United States of America signed on April 28, 2006, which marks a new stage in the relations between the two countries.
The leading areas in the military cooperation between Bulgaria and the USA are:
Joint Participation in the Global War on Terrorism
Bulgarian and American military are part of the NATO troops in Afghanistan – ISAF. In addition, а Bulgarian military unit performs security tasks in Iraq as part of the US led coalition forces.
Bilateral Military Exercises
The participation of Bulgarian soldiers side by side with their American colleagues in different trainings and exercises on the territory of both Bulgaria and the USA is of significant importance for the improvement of the operational capability of our forces in accordance with the NATO standards. The establishment of joint Bulgarian-American military facilities in Bulgaria creates good opportunities for expanding cooperation in this field.
Bulgarian Servicemen are Trained in the USA
Under the International Military Education and Training program (IMET) and to date more than 600 Bulgarian military personnel have attended American military colleges and universities.
Colonel Nikolay Nikolov
Defense Attache
dao@bulgaria-embassy.org