February 26 (BTA) - Bulgaria's 42nd military contingent has been found to be "combat-ready" for participation in the NATO-led train, advise and assist Mission Resolute Support in Afghanistan, the Bulgarian Defence Ministry said in a press release on Thursday.

The degree of preparedness, the skills and abilities of the command and the personnel of the contingent designated to carry out assignments during the forthcoming mission were evaluated by a Joint Forces Command (JFC) board chaired by Colonel Yulian Petrov, Chief of the JFC Joint Training Department.

That was the first certification of a Bulgarian Armed Forces element to be conducted according to NATO's new Allied Command Operations Forces Standards (AFS) Vol. VII - Combat Readiness Evaluation (CREVAL).

The national element, the guard company and the staff officers of the 42nd contingent were found to be combat-ready.

The certification was carried out during a two-day specialist tactical exercise in which a company-size element drilled guarding a base, held at the Marino Pole Training Centre (near Plovdiv, South Central Bulgaria). The immediate preparation of the contingent began in December 2020 and was carried out at Military Unit 34840 in Karlovo (Central Bulgaria) and at Marino Pole.

The guard company is commanded by Major Milen Prodanov and consists of service persons from the 61st Mechanized Brigade of the Land Forces. In Afghanistan, the company's tasks include patrolling part of the outer perimeter of the Bagram Airfield and serving on duty at the Base Operation Center. RY/LG//