Defense Minister Nikolay Nenchev has said his institution will be forced to lay off 4600 military and civilian officers due to budget restrictions.

"[This is] something I wouldn't even wish to think about," the Bulgarian National Radio quotes him as saying.

Nenchev has called for an urgent update of the expenditure, especially in personnel costs.

Currently the ministry's budget for 2015 is BGN 987 M and is likely to remain that much at least until 2017.

Bulgaria's 2015 state budget was passed by lawmakers in a marathon session in Parliament in December of last year.

It did not envisage an increase in defense expenditures despite calls from President Rosen Plevneliev to set aside additional funding in line with NATO requirements.

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