Crete Is Just 90 Minutes Away: Direct Summer Flights from Sofia to Heraklion
The island of Crete, a gem of Greek mythology and Mediterranean charm, is now closer than ever thanks to Bulgaria Air.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization will hold military exercises dubbed Steadfast Defender 21 which will involve up to 9,000 servicemen, will be held on NATO’s southern wing, in particular Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and Portugal, between May 20 and June 22 and will train redeployment of reinforcements from the US, Vice Chief of Staff at NATO Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), Lieutenant General Brice Houdet told a briefing in Brussels on Thursday.
"The first phase of Steadfast Defender 2021 focuses on the rapid reinforcement of NATO’s European Allies by North American forces. This phase is led by Joint Force Command Norfolk and will include a maritime live exercise with around 5,000 forces and 18 ships, including the UK’s Carrier Strike Group led by HMS Queen Elizabeth. Meanwhile, a table-top part of the exercise will take part in Ulm, Germany. This will train and test the ability of NATO’s new Joint Support and Enabling Command to coordinate the speedy movement of Allied forces and equipment across European borders. Some 300 personnel will be involved in this part of the exercise. In late May, NATO’s annual Noble Jump will take place under the umbrella of Steadfast Defender 2021.This will see the deployment of the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), led by Turkey, to Romania. Some 4,000 troops from 12 countries will be involved. Other associated exercises will take place in the region as well," NATO said in a press statement.
Houdet underlined that the naval part of the drills will be focused on training of strategic redeployment of reinforcements from the US across the Atlantic Ocean to support allies in Europe. Later, the exercise plan envisages training of redeployment of NATO military units from the west to the southeast where the drills will take place. NATO troops and military vehicles will pass through the territory of Bulgaria in the next two days. They will take part in two exercises in Romania scheduled in May.
More than 400 military, combat and auxiliary equipment will be redeployed from Turkey and Albania to Romania.
The route of part of the military will be from the border point "Lesovo" to the "Novo Selo" shooting range, and then to the "Danube Bridge".
Another part of the military will pass through the border point "Kulata", Vidin and the "Danube Bridge 2".
The number of refugees attempting to cross the Bulgarian-Turkish border has dropped significantly in the past two years
At the invitation of Bulgaria’s Chief of Defense, Admiral Emil Eftimov, a high-level trilateral meeting took place in Sofia on July 2, bringing together General Georgiță Vlad, Chief of the Romanian Defense Staff, and General Metin Gürak
In June, the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) facilitated a joint training exercise involving Special Operations Forces from both Bulgaria and the United States
The newly formed Center for Defense Innovation in Bulgaria will concentrate on the development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and technologies vital to national security
At the NATO summit in The Hague, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov confirmed that Bulgaria will develop and adopt a national defense investment plan aligned with the Alliance’s new target of 5% defense spending
EMKO has issued a firm denial of recent claims suggesting the company has been involved in supplying ammunition and related components from Serbia to Ukraine
Borderless Bulgaria: How Schengen Benefits Are Transforming Trade and Logistics
Bulgaria's Mortality Rate Remains Highest in Europe