Capabilities demonstrated during Exercise Defensive Shield 2023

Participants in the tactical live-fire exercise Defensive Shield 2023 are demonstrating capabilities at the Novo Selo Training Area (Southeastern Bulgaria) on Monday, the Defence Ministry said. President Rumen Radev, who is also Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, reviewed the troops. Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov and the Chief of Defence, Admiral Emil Eftimov, are attending the demonstration.

Defensive Shield 2023 is part of the Multinational Exercise Defender 2023 and is being held between May 17 and 29. More than 400 Bulgarian service persons are participating. A multinational battle group will be deployed, which will include a mechanized battalion reinforced with a tank company, a self-propelled artillery battery and nuclear, chemical and bacteriological protection units from the Bulgarian Land Forces, US Army units, an Italian unit from the NATO Multinational Battle Group in Bulgaria, and close air support forces and assets from the Bulgarian Air Force, the Defence Ministry said.

The main purpose of Defensive Shield 2023 is to enhance the preparedness of participants in a multinational environment to conduct defence operations. Defender 2023 comprises multi-stage exercises conducted in three successive phases: Swift Response, Immediate Response and Saber Guardian.