On May 6, the day when the Bulgarian Orthodox Church honors Saint George-martyr for Christianity who died in 303 AD-the Bulgarian Army celebrates the Day of Bravery in this country. The feast was established with a decree of Prince Alexander of Battenberg in 1880. On this day, the Bulgarians praise the brave acts of the Bulgarian military men who fought across the battlefields over the years.

Along with the Day of Bravery, a military order of bravery was established. Thousands of national heroes, who dedicated their lives in the protection of their country and in defence of the national interest, were honored with this order in the past. Just like many other things in this country, the Day of Bravery is also a subject of historical vicissitudes. This day was initially established to render homage to our ancestors who were defending the right of the Bulgarian people for self-determination, unification and development. In the beginning of the Communist regime in 1946, this tradition was abandoned and the Day of Bravery turned into Day of the Shepherd.

The vicissitudes of the history are usually temporary as it happened with the Day of Bravery. In 1993, in the beginning of the democratic changes in this country, this tradition was resumed in times of radical changes in the Bulgarian political and social reality. The fights for national self-determination and the wars which took place in the past and left a permanent trace in the national history remained in the remote past. Currently Bulgaria is a NATO member and there is no direct military threat over the country. This is why Bulgaria now maintains a short-numbered army whose tasks totally differ from the ones set in the past. The main priorities of the Bulgarian armed forces continue to regard the protection of the national sovereignty in the context of a join security system. According to the North Atlantic agreement, each threat over the national security of Bulgaria is viewed as threat over all allies in this pact. In return, Bulgaria has to participate in various foreign military missions, thus giving its contribution to the security and peace worldwide. The bravery and the military dignity, shown in battles for national self-determination and in defence of the motherland, are shown in days when the main priorities regard the protection of the democratic values and combating the international terrorism. Bulgaria recently received acknowledgement of its actions on occasion of the 9th anniversary of its NATO membership. On this occasion, the NATO Secretary General welcomed the role of Bulgaria in maintaining the security in the Balkans and its military mission in Afghanistan.

The Day of Bravery in Bulgaria honors the heroism of the Bulgarian military men and is a good occasion for a review of the role and the problems of the Bulgarian Armed Forces. In this new reality, the role of the Armed Forces in defending the population from natural disasters and accidents has been significantly increased. This contributes to the high approval rate towards the national army which is traditionally higher than the confidence in other Bulgarian institutions such as the National Assembly, the Government, the Bulgarian Court, the Prosecutor’s Office and even the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

The link between the Bulgarian Army and the civil society is proved by the similar consequences they suffer from the economic and the financial crises. The social burdens of the society are not unfamiliar to the army where fears of loss of personnel are growing. The insignificant economic growth which hampers the development of the society obstructs the development of the army as well. The defence budget amounts to 1.5% of the GDP. This money is quite insufficient for the modernization and a proper reform in the Armed Forces as most of the funds are spent for maintenance of the staff. The lack of money affects negatively on all military departments, but the one which suffers the most is the Bulgarian military aviation which is in a desperate need of new planes.

The financial deprivations are not only a test but a reason for strengthening the link between the army and the society. This is why the National Army and the Bulgarian people joined their efforts and started to work together with lots of courage, skills and perseverance for a better future. 

English version: Kostadin Atanasov