Bulgarian army to hold more, bigger drills in 2017: defense chief

Bulgarian Armed Forces will hold more and bigger exercises in 2017, the country's chief of defense, General Constantin Popov, told reporters at the National Military Training Complex "Charalitsa" on Thursday.

The number of exercises would definitely be higher compared to 2016, "but more importantly, they will be much larger and much more complex," Popov said.

Of course, the number of participants would be significant, Popov said.

To work out the largest possible number of tasks that are as close as possible to reality was the priority, Popov said.

"Saber Guardian" is to be the biggest military exercise in Bulgaria in 2017, he said. It would also be conducted on the territories of other countries such as Hungary and Romania, and would involve a total of more than 35,000 personnel from more than 15 countries, Popov said.

NATO's annual Crisis Management Exercise CMX17 would be another key drill for Bulgaria next year, Popov added.

In 2015, Bulgarian armed forces conducted 264 national and 25 international exercises. In addition, military units of the Bulgarian army participated in 82 joint trainings and drills with the U.S. army, according to data from the country's defense ministry. Endit