In view of the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict and the desolate state of the Bulgarian air force, Spain and the Netherlands are each taking over part of the NATO member state’s active air surveillance.
According to Defense Minister Stefan Yanev, Bulgaria is working on three possible scenarios for the continuation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. “Whether and which decisions will result from this will become clear in the near future.” The Bulgarian government will decide on the deployment of Spanish Eurofighter jets in a few days’ time. A meeting of NATO defense ministers is scheduled for February. “Bulgaria must have a national position by then, which I must represent there,” explained Janew.
Compared to Romania, the economically “poorest” EU state has not yet taken any major steps towards renewing its air force. The few of the twelve MiG-29 jets that are able to fly on a daily basis would not be able to cope with weeks or months of continuous operational readiness, especially in terms of personnel; their pilots only fly around 15 hours per year, as became known after an aircraft crashed into the sea last June. The MiG-21s and Su-25s that are still available are unable to contribute to active airspace surveillance. The situation is not expected to ease (slightly) until 2024, when eight new US F-16/70 fighter jets are due to enter service. NATO member state Romania – where the decision has been made to reinforce the air force with 32 ex-Norwegian F-16s in addition to the ex-Portuguese ones – also has irregularly rotating jet contingents of Western air forces stationed to defend and monitor NATO’s south-eastern border. In 2017, RAF Operation Biloxi, British Typhoons FGR4 visited Mihail Kogalniceanu near Constanta. And since 2011, there has been a kind of “hot pursuit agreement” between Bulgaria and Romania that regulates cross-border airspace protection measures. What is new since 2021 is that this regulation also applies to aircraft of a NATO third country stationed in Romania as part of air defense operations. This means that their pilots can fly into Bulgarian airspace if necessary, which was previously not possible.
Spain and the Netherlands confirm
Air policing over the south-east European EU country involves the deployment of up to nine fighter jets from the two NATO countries Spain and the Netherlands. At the request of NATO, Madrid will deploy six Eurofighters and 100 soldiers to Bulgaria in February, as confirmed by Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles. This mission is intended to protect allied airspace in view of the constant presence of Russian aircraft in Black Sea airspace, explained Robles. Operation Biloxi comprised four aircraft and 143 personnel.
These missions – the mission in Bulgaria is similar to the Baltic Air Policing the NATO pilots are not led from the host country (which provides observers), but from two operational centers, so-called CAOCs in Uedem (northern Germany) and Torrejon (Spain). The latter is responsible for southern and south-eastern Europe. “There is a worrying Russian troop build-up on the border with Ukraine,” Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren told her parliament. “Russia is also behaving more and more offensively. NATO is therefore strengthening deterrence and defense.” The Netherlands will provide the alliance with a number of F-35 fighter jets. In their first “live” deployment, these will be deployed from Bulgaria from April to intercept unknown aircraft in the airspace above the NATO treaty territory, the Ministry of Defense said. “It is important to be prepared for the undesirable scenario if negotiations fail,” said Kajsa Ollongren, who also wants to advocate tough EU sanctions against Russia.
Ex-air force chief now “resolute” president
On 21 January, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev rejected Russian demands regarding the Ukraine conflict for NATO troops to be withdrawn from eastern member states such as Bulgaria as “unacceptable and groundless”. There are no permanently stationed Alliance contingents and systems in Bulgaria. A sovereign decision on this is also up to Bulgaria in accordance with its obligations to the Alliance, explained Radev. “Our country does not accept ultimate demands from anyone,” said Radev. The 58-year-old, who was re-elected in November 2021, began his second five-year term in office the next day with a ceremonial military parade in the center of Sofia. He was formerly a fighter jet pilot and later head of the air force. Regarding a possible deployment of additional NATO troops in Bulgaria, Defense Minister Yanev said: “If it is necessary due to a change in the environment and an escalation of the situation, the Ministry of Defense will propose options to the Council of Ministers for decision-making by the relevant Bulgarian authorities, including the People’s Assembly. So far, our country has no official position on the risks arising from the growing tensions on the Russian-Ukrainian border, as the variants of a NATO response are being discussed at the military-technical level.”
Moscow reacts
In a statement that can certainly be understood as a reaction to the above-mentioned reinforcement of NATO air capacities in the Southeast region, the Russian Foreign Ministry, according to CNN renewed its latest demands to NATO on January 21. According to the statement, the defense alliance must not accept Ukraine under any circumstances and its troops and armed forces must be withdrawn behind the NATO borders of 1997. At that time, NATO had not yet accepted any Eastern European states into its community. The wording explicitly stated: “We are discussing the withdrawal of foreign forces, equipment and weapons, as well as other steps that will ensure that the situation in the countries that were not NATO members in 1997 is restored to what it was then.” Postscript: “This also includes Bulgaria and Romania.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHwMfDQO2nQ
