KARLOVO, Bulgaria (BulgarianMilitary.com) – Yesterday, the soldiers of the 61st Stryama Mechanized Infantry Brigade – Karlovo of the Bulgarian Land Forces, welcomed with military honors President of the Republic of Bulgaria Rumen Radev, who was there to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, learned BulgarianMilitary.com.

During his visit, Bulgaria’s President was accompanied by the Chief of Defence General Andrey Botsev, the Commander of the Bulgarian Land Forces, Major General Mihail Popov, Security and Defence Secretary of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Stefan Yanev.

Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Bulgarian Armed Forces congratulated all troops on the occasion of the approaching Day of Bulgaria’s Land Forces– 19 November and said: “The 61st Stryama Mechanized Infantry Brigade is the backbone of the Land Forces. I can say that the 61 mechanized brigade, the largest Land Forces’ formation, is an important pillar in our national security system.”

President Radev took the opportunity to become acquainted with the displayed military equipment and armaments, and to get on a highly mobile, self-propelled missile system – 9K33 Osa. His visit included a flower-laying ceremony at the Memorial of the Fallen in Wars 1912-1918, in the area of the 61 mechanized brigade, as well as a meeting with the military personnel and journalists.

Read more: Bulgarian Land Forces Expect Another 12 Projects for Their Complete Modernization

In response to the journalists that covered the yesterday’s event, the Head of the State said: “Overcoming the lack and motivation of the military staff is the most important problem facing the Armed Forces.”

According to him, if urgent solutions and measures are not taken, at the moment, on the shortage of military personnel, lack of motivation and a clear vision of how the military profession can become attractive to young people, in the future this will have a very negative effect on the national security system. President Rumen Radev added that these issues were permanently on the agenda of the Consultative Council for National Security (CCNS) meetings.

“The measures are comprehensive, not only social, they are extremely important, as well as the conditions and opportunities for conducting complete military training, the acquisition of new equipment, the building of capabilities and the motivation of the people,” he commented further.

In reference to the procedure for the acquisition of new fighters for the Bulgarian Air Forces, the President pointed out that he expects a response from the Ministry of Defence to present the committee’s protocol. He explained: “I expect that there will be no violation of the requirements for transparency, objectivity and equal treatment, because in the course of the procedure itself such indications already exist.”

Read more: President Rumen Radev Calls on “Radio Silence” During the Evaluation of the Bids for the New Bulgarian Fighter

President of the Republic of Bulgaria pointed out that Bulgarian soldiers are highly intelligent and think about the future of their country. According to his word, they are mainly focused on how to become better in their activities and how to acquire new and modern capabilities.

Follow us everywhere and at any time. BulgarianMilitary.com has responsive design and you can open the page from any computer, mobile devices or web browsers. For more up-to-date news from us, follow our Reddit, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Google+ pages. Do not miss the chance to subscribe to our newsletter.

BulgarianMilitary.com

Sources: News.bg, Armymedia