2024 Defence spending will be upped by 2%, Minister says

Bulgaria's defence spending for 2024 will be increased by 2% and probably by more than 2% in the coming years, which will make it possible to procure state-of-the-art equipment and training conditions, Defence Minister Todor Tagarev said here on Thursday.

"The armed forces need numerous types of armament, equipment, materiel and training systems," the Minister pointed out. In his words, the massive-scale use of unmanned systems is being studied as a lesson from the war in Ukrainе. This will be part of an investment programme that Tagarev should table in the National Assembly by the end of November.

He added that two public procurement procedures have already been initiated for unmanned aerial vehicles for the Land Forces.

"We expect the investment expenditure project for combat vehicles for the Land Forces to top Parliament's agenda when it reconvenes after the [October 29 local] elections," Tagarev added.

In Plovdiv, he attended observances of Paratrooper Day at the Joint Special Operations Command base.