November 4 (BTA) - Bulgaria's Chief of Defence, Admiral Eftim Eftimov, met with the Chief of the US National Guard Bureau, General Daniel Hokanson, in Sofia on Thursday, the Defence Ministry reported. The two discussed bilateral cooperation to enhance the capabilities of the Bulgarian Armed Forces and the National Guard of the United States.

The programme for partnership between the Bulgarian military and the Tennessee Army National Guard lays particular emphasis on joint defence training events and exercises, language training and cultural exchange, training in emergency management and disaster response, and development of leadership skills in non-commissioned officers.

It was noted at the meeting that the joint work of Bulgarian and US engineer troops is helping to upgrade the infrastructure of military training areas for the benefit of combat training. The two sides continue to cooperate successfully in improving the infrastructure of the Graf Ignatievo Airfield and the Novo Selo Training Area. Eftimov and Hokanson acknowledged the partnership programme's considerable contribution to interoperability.

They concurred that cyberspace protection is another major field of joint work in which the sides use all available opportunities for interaction. Eftimov noted that the Bulgarian military are studying the experience of the US National Guard in attracting civilian experts to work for the cyber defence of the Armed Forces and the protection of critical infrastructure. ZH/VE

Source: Sofia