The Navy (Navy) needs more ships, the commander of the Bulgarian Navy, Rear Admiral Kiril Mihaylov, told journalists today.
According to him, those that the Navy currently has are sufficient for the tasks, but they are quite old.
“Every repair makes us replan everything“, explained Mihaylov.
He expressed hope that the negotiations with Belgium for new mine hunters for our country will continue and will end successfully.
“Otherwise, in the future we will face the impossibility of fulfilling our tasks“, the commander of the fleet also said.
He expressed regret that the process for our country to acquire again has been stopped at the moment submarines.
„Bulgaria needs such in order to provide itself with the much-needed deterrent against any aggression“, said Mihaylov, quoted by BTA.
The rear admiral described the current year as extremely difficult, but also fruitful for the Navy. According to him, this is the year with the most prepared international exercises since the fleet has participated in such exercises.
This put the personnel under great pressure, since the planning, preparation and conduct of the exercises require the participation of many people, explained Mihaylov and specified that each of them contributed to increasing the capabilities of the fleet.
The rear admiral added that the focus has fallen on the fight against floating mines, since this problem continues to face the Navy. This year, two of them were destroyed, Mihaylov reported and emphasized that the Navy continues to control and monitor the sea areas to ensure that the fairways are clean and safe and that commercial ships can sail safely.
„Unfortunately, these efforts of the Navy are not given enough attention and everything we do is within the means for preparation and as additional tasks of our forces“, Mihaylov also said.
According to him, the Ministry of Defense has been informed about the problem, but there is no way to provide more money.
The Navy Commander expressed satisfaction that yesterday the second of the Navy's new multi-purpose ships was launched ahead of schedule.
„This program is going well, but there is still a lot of work related to equipment, the delivery of ammunition and the training of crews“, he said Rear Admiral.
He stressed that the fact that the ship has been built and commissioned does not mean that it will be fully operational the next day.
“There is a long process of crew training and certification until the ship can perform its tasks in full,“ said Mihaylov.
The fleet commander also commented that he hopes that the amendments to the Defense and Armed Forces Act adopted by the National Assembly will become a fact with the adoption of the state budget for 2025, as this will provide a very large incentive for servicemen to work. Mihaylov specified that the shortage of personnel in the Navy is mainly among the officers. According to him, the staff positions for the petty officers have been filled almost completely.
The shortage of sailors is on the way to falling below 10 percent, but for officers it is about 20 percent, the commander said.
For the New Year, he wished all military sailors and civilian employees of the fleet, above all, to be alive and healthy and not to lose confidence.
“To continue working as before, because thanks to them, the Navy successfully performs its tasks“, said Rear Admiral Mihaylov.