Bulgarian-American Joint Military Facilities
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
in April 2006. Under the agreement, U.S. forces will train at these bases, which remain under Bulgarian command and under the Bulgarian flag.
History
On April 28, 2006, in SofiaSofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ivaylo Kalfin
Ivaylo Kalfin
Ivaylo Georgiev Kalfin is a Bulgarian politician. A three-term deputy, he was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria and Deputy Prime Minister from 2005 to 2009...
and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
signed a Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA), which includes the range, order, and conditions of the shared use of several military facilities on Bulgarian territory. On May 26, 2006, the Bulgarian Parliament ratified the Defense Cooperation Agreement and the Bulgarian State Gazette
State Gazette
The State Gazette is the gazette of record of Bulgaria. It has been published since 1879.The print edition of the gazette is divided into two sections. The "Official section" contains bills promulgated by the National Assembly, decrees by the Council of Ministers, international treaties, and other...
published the Ratification Law on June 6, 2006.
The Defense Cooperation Agreement entered into force on June 12, 2006. Additional agreements, concerning the specifics of the Defense Cooperation Agreement implementation, are expected to be finalized in 2007.
The U.S. has also signed a similar agreement with the Romania and the U.S. military units deployed to both Bulgaria and Romania will be known as Joint Task Force East
Joint Task Force East
Task Force-East is a United States European Command initiative executed by U.S. Army Europe designed to strengthen relationships between the United States and its Eastern European allies...
. Joint US-Bulgarian military bases established according to the 2006 Defense Cooperation Agreement between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
:
Bezmer Air Base
Bezmer Air Base
Bezmer Air Base is situated in the eastern part of the Upper Thracian Lowland, in Yambol Oblast , 10 km west of the city of Yambol and 30 km southeast of the city of Sliven, between the villages of Bezmer and Bolyarsko, and near the Sofia-Burgas railway...
in Yambol Province
Yambol Province
Yambol is a province in southeastern Bulgaria, neighbouring Turkey to the south. It is named after its main city Yambol, while other towns include Straldzha, Bolyarovo and Elhovo...
;
Novo Selo Range
Novo Selo Range
The Novo Selo Training Range is a major Bulgarian military training facility established in 1962, presently used by other NATO nations as well. The range has a surface area of 144 km2 The Novo Selo Training Range is a major Bulgarian military training facility established in 1962, presently...
in Sliven Province
Sliven Province
Sliven Province is a province in southeastern Bulgaria, named after its administrative and industrial centre - the city of Sliven. It embraces a territory of 3,544.1 km² that is divided into 4 municipalities, with a total population, as of December 2009, of 204,887...
;
Aitos Logistics Center
Aitos Logistics Center
The Aitos Logistics Center comprises military storage facilities located near the town of Aitos, designated for development in support of the Novo Selo Range....
in Burgas Province
Burgas Province
-Municipalities:The Burgas province contains 13 municipalities . The following table shows the names of each municipality in English and Cyrillic, the main town or village , and the population of each as of 2009.-Demography:The Burgas province had a population of 423,608 -Municipalities:The Burgas...
; and
Graf Ignatievo Air Base
Graf Ignatievo Air Base
Graf Ignatievo Air Base , is located in the village of Graf Ignatievo, about north of the Bulgaria's second largest city of Plovdiv. It is the sole remaining fighter base of that state and houses two squadrons of jet aircrafts.-Early years:...
in Plovdiv Province
Plovdiv Province
Plovdiv Province is a province in central southern Bulgaria. It comprises 18 municipalities on a territory of 5,972.9 km² with a total population, as of December 2009, of 701,684 inhabitants...
.
Under the agreement, no more than 2,500 U.S. military personnel will be located at the joint military facilities. Most training rotations will have small numbers and will be of short duration. During such a rotation, there might be brief periods when there are two groups of 2500 soldiers at one time in Bulgaria. The soldiers will not have family members with them.
Possible types of units are armor, mechanized infantry, airborne infantry or light infantry. The type of equipment they will use will depend on the unit and the training requirements.
The treaty also allows the US to use the bases "for missions in third country without a specific authorization from Bulgarian authorities". The U.S. Embassy has said that Bulgaria and the United States will consult about all aspects of the use of the facilities and training areas.
The Bezmer Air Base is expected to become one of the major US strategic airfields overseas, housing American combat aircraft.
The DCA accords immunity
Immunity from prosecution (international law)
Immunity from prosecution is a doctrine of international law that allows an accused to avoid prosecution for criminal offences. Immunities are of two types. The first is functional immunity, or immunity ratione materiae. This is an immunity granted to people who perform certain functions of...
to US militaries protecting them from any juridical pursuits against them in this country. However, in cases of particular importance to Bulgarian authorities that waiver of primary Bulgarian criminal jurisdiction may be recalled (Paragraph 1, Article X of the Defense Cooperation Agreement). The U.S. Embassy has said that the agreement builds on the NATO Status of Forces Agreement
Status of Forces Agreement
A status of forces agreement is an agreement between a host country and a foreign nation stationing forces in that country. SOFAs are often included, along with other types of military agreements, as part of a comprehensive security arrangement...
(SOFA). Bulgaria retains the right to exercise its jurisdiction when it is in Bulgaria’s interest. In other cases, the United States will exercise jurisdiction over U.S. military and civilian personnel.
Bulgarian Government position on the Defense Cooperation Agreement
On Friday, November 4, 2005, in a speech delivered at Sofia’s National Palace of CultureNational Palace of Culture
The National Palace of Culture , located in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, is the largest multifunctional congress, conference, convention and exhibition centre in Southeastern Europe...
(NDK), Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev
Sergey Stanishev
Sergei Dmitrievich Stanishev is a Bulgarian politician who was Prime Minister of Bulgaria from 2005 to 2009; currently he is Chairman of the Bulgarian Socialist Party and Interim President of the Party of European Socialists...
stated, “I would like to also note that the strategic partnership with the U.S. is defined for Bulgaria by our NATO commitments as well as the agenda of the transatlantic dialogue. … The issue of the shared military facilities in Bulgaria comes also within the context of our bilateral strategic partnership. We believe the proposals for transformation of the military forces and U.S. command in Europe, including the establishment of a rotating brigade stationed in Bulgaria and Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, address adequately the new risks and security threats as well as Bulgaria’s interests and the need for stronger cooperation.“
On May 21, 2006, Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov
Georgi Parvanov
Georgi Sedefchov Parvanov is a President of Bulgaria, whose second and last mandate expires on January 22, 2012; he was elected after defeating his predecessor Petar Stoyanov in the second round of the presidential elections in November 2001 and he came into office on January 22, 2002...
called the Defense Cooperation Agreement with the U.S. “a strategic investment in the security of our country…”.
Another agreement with Romania permits the U.S. to use the Mihail Kogălniceanu
Mihail Kogalniceanu International Airport
Mihail Kogălniceanu Airport is situated in south-east Romania, in the commune of Mihail Kogălniceanu, north northwest of Constanţa. It is the main airport of Dobrogea region and it provides access to the Constanţa County, the Constanţa city port and Black Sea Romanian resorts...
base and another one nearby.
See also
- Foreign relations of BulgariaForeign relations of BulgariaBulgaria has generally good foreign relations with its neighbours and has proved to be a constructive force in the region under socialist and democratic governments alike. Promoting regional stability, Bulgaria hosted a Southeast European Foreign Ministers meeting in July 1996, and an OSCE...
- Foreign relations of the United StatesForeign relations of the United StatesThe United States has formal diplomatic relations with most nations. The United States federal statutes relating to foreign relations can be found in Title 22 of the United States Code.-Pacific:-Americas:-Caribbean:...
- List of United States military bases
- Forward Operating SiteForward Operating SiteA Forward Operating Site or Forward Operating Location is a U.S. military term for facilities, defined as "a scalable, 'warm' facility that can support sustained operations, but with only a small permanent presence of support or contractor personnel...