There will be no increase in the salaries of military personnel in 2027. This was stated by Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov, who explained the decision by citing the limited budget and the need to preserve funding for the modernisation of the army.
“If we increase salaries, we will have to cut capital expenditure,” Stoyanov said. According to him, this expenditure is directly linked to rearmament contracts and the European SAFE mechanism, whose funds are intended for specific projects rather than increasing the incomes of military personnel.
The minister expressed hope that the pay freeze would be temporary. He noted that Bulgaria has additional resources under SAFE, which are expected to be used mainly for modernisation by 2030. At the same time, the state must continue increasing defence spending through the national budget.
The first “Strykers” have already been delivered
Stoyanov’s comment came after the acceptance of the first “Stryker” combat vehicles for the Land Forces. Five vehicles have already been delivered to the 61st Brigade, another 25 are ready, and a further three are expected to arrive by the end of the year.
The project for new infantry fighting vehicles has lasted more than 10 years and has passed through several governments. In 2017-2018, two or three consultative councils were held in connection with the modernisation of the army, while the project was launched during the caretaker government in 2022-2023, when Stoyanov was caretaker defence minister.
The minister described the initiative as an example of “delayed modernisation”. According to him, the reasons for the delay are not Bulgarian but are related to processes between the United States and the manufacturing company in Canada.
There are no specific penalty clauses in the contracts in the event of delays, Stoyanov said. The compensation comes in the form of spare parts and older vehicles, which are used to train Bulgarian military personnel.
Veliko Tarnovo Could Become a Regional Centre
From January 2027, “TEREM-Holding” is expected to carry out deeper assembly of the vehicles, including the additional equipment and armament. The aim is for Veliko Tarnovo to become a regional service centre for the “Stryker”.
The vehicles have three levels of maintenance. The first two will be carried out in Bulgarian military formations, while the Ministry of Defence is also seeking to keep the third level in Bulgaria. The ambition is for the centre to service vehicles belonging to other countries in the region as well.
Stoyanov pointed out that around 34-35% of Bulgaria’s defence spending is allocated to capital expenditure, compared with NATO’s requirement of 20%. Alongside modernisation, however, substantial funds are also needed for military infrastructure and the maintenance of personnel.
According to him, the funds initially earmarked in 2020 for some of the facilities at Graf Ignatievo Air Base had been determined without conceptual designs. After the actual designs were prepared, the value of one public procurement contract increased from 10 million to as much as 18 million leva.
“From now on, we categorically refuse to index any amounts under infrastructure contracts,” the minister said. If the allocated funds are insufficient, the procedures will be terminated and new public procurement tenders will be announced.
Sources: bntnews.bg