Ministry of Defence's plan to create a register of all young people in the country fans fears of a return to the days of compulsory military service.
Photo: Ivan Ivanov
Bulgaria plans to register all young people, including women, aged 18 to 32, who are eligible for military training in case of war or a national emergency, Defence Minister Nikolay Nenchev confirmed on Wednesday.
The idea forms part of proposed amendments to the Armed Forces Reserve Act and was published on the website of the Ministry of Defence on Tuesday.
Bulgaria's ability to run its defence forces has been constrained since it abolished conscription in 2008.
As a result, a broader range of citizens must be registered who can be summoned for military service in time of emergency or war.
“We are not going to mobilize anyone," Nenchev assured the population on Wednesday, as news about the register sparked fears of mandatory mobilization.
The idea of conscription draws mixed feelings among Bulgarians, some of whom have memories of the days of compulsory military service.
“I wouldn’t like to join the army, I just don’t have the motive. But if it is compulsory, I will have no choice,” Atanas, a 20-year-old student from Sofia, observed.
His friend, Borislav, 26, an IT engineer, joked that even if there is an emergency, the army still won’t have the weapons to arm its soldiers. “There will be absolutely no effect from this idea,” he said.
Martin, a 24-year-old journalist, said the main problem for the military is financial.
“What are they going to do – count the number of men in Bulgaria? How will they find money for this, when they [the army] do not even have money for one plane?” he asked.
Before conscription was abolished in 2008, military service was compulsory for all males in Bulgaria aged 18 to 27.
The length varied depending on their educational level – from six months for students to nine months for those who had only completed high school.
Recently, the idea of restoring military service has been revived in some quarters. The leader of the nationalist VMRO party, Krasimir Karakachanov, on 18 February, said he was working on a proposal to reintroduce conscription.
Yasen, aged 24 and unemployed, said he was “absolutely ready” to start military service, as “the apocalypse is coming”.
But most of the older generation are far less enthusiastic. “If they start mobilizing all the 18-year-old boys, there will be a mess due to a total lack of education and political preparation, as well as a lack of money,” Ivan, a 70-year-lawyer, predicted.
Natalia, a 61-year-old civil servant, was worried that many youngsters would emigrate. “This simply means that young people under 32 will have to leave the country,” she feared.
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