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Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Bulgaria

www.mod.bg

Setting up an Army was one of the first steps taken by the Bulgarian Authorities after the Liberation of 1878. The Bulgarian Territorial Army was established by force of Order dated 15 July 1878, and the structure of the very first Government of free Bulgaria, headed by Prime Minister Todor Burmov, included the War Ministry as one of the central institutions of the state.

Мотиви от витражите в сградата на Министерството на отбранатаIt was founded by force of Decree No. 23 dated 17 July 1879, on the grounds of Article 161 of the Tarnovo Constitution.

Being the highest military administrative institution in Bulgaria, the War Ministry was tasked to protect the state sovereignty and national independence, to guard and defend the territorial integrity of the country, and to uphold the interests of the society of Bulgaria and our national identity.

Over the first few years of the 20th century, the War Ministry persistently worked on the development of a modern mass army. Its structure underwent alterations aimed at bringing it into line with the changes introduced to the organization, training, logistics support and manning of the armed forces.

In 1905, a Military Council was established as an advisory body under the War Minister, followed by an Information Bureau in 1907. The structure of the War Ministry remained unchanged until 11 July 1911, when by force of amendment to the Tarnovo Constitution, it was renamed Ministry of War.

The Ministry of War was tasked with the training and mobilization of the reserve forces and the formation of new units. Manning the Army with Commanders became a priority task for the Ministry of War.

Мотиви от витражите в сградата на Министерството на отбранатаThe process of democratization of the Bulgarian Society, which started in 1989, led to changes in the organizational structure of the Ministry.Decree No. 168 dated 20 December 1990 gave it the name Ministry of Defence.Pursuant to the Constitution as adopted by the Seventh Grand National Assembly in 1991, the President is the Supreme Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. The leadership of the Ministry of Defence is accountable for its activities to the national Assembly.

Exercising civilian control over the armed forces and the special services stems from the values of democratic civil society and is stipulated in the national legislation. The acts of legislation of the National Assembly establish the main regulatory mechanisms in the field of defence and national security.

The organizational structure of the Ministry of Defence is aligned with the priorities of the state policy of Bulgaria in the light of the membership in NATO and the EU.