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Bulgarian army recruits 1,200 soldiers in 2016 to tackle personnel shortage: defense chief

Xinhua, December 2, 2016 Adjust font size:

Bulgarian army recruited more than 1,200 soldiers and military officers in 2016 to tackle a staff shortage, the country's chief of defense said here on Thursday.

Personnel development was a focus of Bulgarian army in 2016, General Constantin Popov said at his year-end press conference. According to him, the Bulgarian army has been understaffed for many years.

In 2016, the country has also made efforts on the preparation and training of military personnel, Popov said. Changes in military education programs were made, and more students were admitted to the Military Academy and the National Defense University, he said.

Popov believed an increase in the basic salary of the army was necessary.

"It should be clear that if we want to have a serious, stable army, the basic salary should be increased," Popov said. Endit