The public patience has been once again put on trial this week with the statements of politicians and military personnel on the forthcoming receiving of US military equipment and personnel by Bulgaria. We say again as there was some excitement of that kind in February due to the mobilization review of the Bulgarian army which some people took for a preparation of a war with Russia. Now the US Secretary of Defense voiced to the public in Talin that Bulgaria, alongside other Eastern and Central European countries, had accepted the deployment on its territory of American tanks, cannons and other military equipment. A deputy commander of the Marine Corps Forces Europe has declared later on that in September in Bulgaria there will be 155 US marines with 4 tanks, 6 armored personnel carriers and 3 howitzers. The news has caused some concern among the Bulgarian public. Not only the strong pro-Russian and anti-American agitation contributed to that but also the statements of a part of the governing elite. At first the defense minister assured there had been no demand on such deployment, instead of explaining the reasons for that demand. He said he had questioned the US ambassador to Sofia. Later on the foreign minister explained that it was a matter of Bulgaria’s commitments, taken yet in 2006 during the rule of the triple coalition, led by the pro-Russian socialist party. That explanation practically shut the mouths of the socialists who had insisted on an emergency parliamentary debate on the subject. At the same time it became clear that during all these excessive excitability, kindled by some political factors Bulgaria itself was ending up its participation within an international tactical training on its territory, named Kabile – 2015. Military personnel of 50 troops was engaged in it from the US land forces in Europe, along with M1 Abrams tanks, MT-LBs, Hammers, Strikers, choppers and planes – but none of that had turned into any concern for the peaceful public. The situation prompts that the society deserves information that is more punctual and trustful, whenever any military issues are concerned within this complicated international environment. Bulgaria could never show aggressiveness towards Russia with heavy land equipment, but still that equipment will be deployed along NATO’s eastern flank that has recently become too vulnerable due to the Ukrainian crisis.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev