Bulgaria appoints new chief of Military Intelligence
Bulgaria’s government has appointed Colonel Svetoslav Daskalov as head of the Military Intelligence directorate from April 1 2016, with commander-in-chief President Rossen Plevneliev promoting Daskalov to brigadier-general.
This is the latest change at Bulgaria’s Military Intelligence after a series of personnel changes at the top.
Daskalov has been acting director of Military Intelligence since November 2015, after his predecessor Yordan Bakalov stepped down because the National Assembly changed the law to require that the incumbent be a senior military officer.
Daskalov acted in the post previously, after Defence Minister Nikolai Nenchev sacked the then-head of Military Intelligence, Vesselin Ivanov, in March 2015. Ivanov, who had held the post since 2010, reportedly was sacked because of Nenchev’s frustations at the high proportion of old-order – pre-1991 – officers in important positions at Military Intelligence, and an inability to achieve consensus with Ivanov on getting rid of them.
The post of Military Intelligence chief has a five-year term of office. Daskalov reportedly is 55, and retirement age for Bulgarian brigadiers-general is 58.
Colonel Svetoslav Daskalov was appointed to the position of Director of “Military Information” higher officer rank “brigadier”.
In an interview posted on the Bulgarian Defence Ministry information centre website in January, Daskalov, commenting on the priorities for Military Intelligence in 2016, said that “the asymmetric nature of the risks and threats, and the speed with which they develop, require manifestation of initiative and creativity and timely replanning of tasks.
“Processes in the world are very dynamic and if we want to be an active and adequate participant in them we must have prior reliable information,” he was quoted as saying.
“Our job is to empower the public and military leadership with such information and on this basis, the country’s foreign policy to be formed, and if necessary, proper measures for reliable protection of national security to be taken.”
He said that Military Intelligence’s most important in 2016 was timely identification, evaluation and faster information about potential risks and threats and the possible consequences for the security and interests of the country, Bulgarian military personnel in international missions, Bulgarian citizens abroad and the country’s allies.
Daskalov said that the priorities would be ensuring transparency and accountability in the work of the directorate, that there was no corruption and conflict of interest, and implementation of effective administrative and financial control.
(Photo: president.bg. Daskalov is on the far right of the photograph.)
