Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Civilians in Bulgaria can undergo military training

Photo: BGNES

The Strategic Defence Review will recommend a study on the possibility for civilians to receive military training, interim Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov said. 

The latest defence report recommends urgent legislative measures to create conditions for peacetime training of the military reserve. In the period 2010-2020, it decreased by 43% and the trend continues by 5-7% every year. If this rate continues, in 15 years' time Bulgaria's military reserve will be completely exhausted. 
Another problem highlighted in the report is progressive ageing. In 2020, reservists under the age of 35 accounted for only 5% of the total number of reservists, those under 45 years of age accounted for 46% and those over 45 - 49%. 

"We are not in a hurry to propose compulsory training of citizens to defend the Fatherland, as we need an analysis. This will come into the strategic review as a guideline to be further explored," the military minister summed up. 



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Integrity officers proposed to fight corruption in state-owned companies

Public enterprises are planning to introduce a corruption risk management system . They will have an integrity officer, amendments to the Public Enterprises Act adopted at first reading provide for. The amendments submitted by GERB-SDS were approved..

published on 10/30/25 9:29 AM

Funds allocated for the work of Bulgarian associations abroad in 2025

The Bulgarian government has approved a new program to support organizations of Bulgarian communities from Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, Ukraine and Moldova and citizens of North Macedonia with Bulgarian identity for the period October 15, 2025 - December..

published on 10/30/25 9:13 AM

Varna will host forum on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast in the tourist market

Varna is hosting the 18th Black Sea Tourism Forum on the topic "Positions of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast in the tourism market - challenges and prospects". The organizer of the discussions, which will take place on October 30 and 31 in our Black Sea..

published on 10/30/25 6:10 AM