U.S. to invest 90 million dollars in military facilities in Bulgaria

16 October 2008

Bulgaria-The U.S. government will invest over 90 million U.S. dollars in the next two to three years in military facilities for joint use on Bulgarian territory, local media reported Thursday, citing U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission in Sofia Alexander Karagiannis.

Karagiannis was among the official guests invited to a joint military drill between Bulgarian and the U.S. troops on Wednesday at the Novo Selo Training Area in southeast Bulgaria.

Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov and Commander of the U.S. Army in Europe Gen. Carter Ham also watched the drill.

There is currently a temporary military camp at the Novo Selo Training Area, where over 6.5 million U.S. dollars have already been invested. More than 62 million dollars will be spent on the training area's permanent facilities and equipment in the next twoyears, and construction is expected to be completed by then, according to Karagiannis.

"These facilities will be permanent, but we will not have a permanent deployment of U.S. armed forces. They will be located in Novo Selo temporarily, using the rotational schedule," Karagiannis said, adding that U.S. troops will participate in joint military drills and other activities.

The joint military drill, code-named "Bulgarian Panther 2008" which began on Sept. 1, is designed to enhance the compatibility between the two armies necessitated by the joint missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The drill, which ends on Oct. 30, involves a total of 1,200 soldiers -- 300 from the Bulgarian army and 900 U.S. troops.

In November, U.S. warships will call at the Bulgarian ports of Varna and Burgas, and drills involving the U.S. and Bulgarian air forces are also scheduled for next month, according to the report.

Further Reading:

Bulgarians worried by U.S. military presence