Senior Course 122 (SC 122) continued their Regional Approaches Field Study with a visit to the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, on 18 June.
In the morning, Course Members were welcomed to the Rakovski National Defence Academy (RNDA) by the Commandant, Commodore Dimitar Angelov.
Col Nikolai Dotzev, Head of Department in the Defence Policy Directorate at the Bulgarian Ministry of Defence, gave the first briefing – a detailed presentation on the main Bulgarian defence policy challenges in the context of NATO membership.
The next speaker, Mr Ivailo Grancharov, Business Environment Director at the Bulgarian Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism, gave a fascinating and wide-ranging overview of the current economic situation and highlighted salient trends in trade and industry.
Mr Petko Doikov, Security Policy Director at the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then spoke on the highly topical subject of “Bulgarian foreign policy priorities in NATO and European Common Security and Defence Policy”: relations with NATO, the European Union and Russia were analysed in detail.
He was followed by LtCol Dimitar Dimitrov, an expert in the Strategic Planning Directorate of the Bulgarian MOD, who spoke about the transformation of the Bulgarian Armed Forces and current Bulgarian participation in various missions. He also illustrated Bulgaria’s contribution to international security.
All presentations were followed by interesting, challenging and focused Q&A sessions. These offered a useful complement to the information given in the various lectures, particularly with regard to the strategic impact of current trends in the Bulgarian economy and security sector.
The morning session ended with an informative presentation by Col Lyubomir Simeonov, RNDA DCOM, focusing on the Academy’s mission, responsibilities and structure. Course Members were then able to admire the Academy’s historic Royal Halls, after which the visit concluded with an exchange of gifts between the RNDA Commandant and the NDC DAO.
In the afternoon, Course Members visited the Museum of National History.
The visit to Sofia ended with a reception hosted by Dr Dobromir Totev, Defence Secretary at the Bulgarian MOD. Guests of honour were Deputy Defence Minister Mr Ivan Ivanov, an Ancien of SC 106, and Bulgarian Chief of Defence General Simeon Simeonov. This special evening gave Course Members an excellent opportunity to interact with Bulgarian officials, officers and NDC Anciens in a relaxed and cordial atmosphere.
The final destination on the Field Study, before the return journey to Rome, will be Romania (Bucharest).
More about the Field Study:
Collège de Défense de l'OTAN 
