Bulgarian government approves purchase of Stryker combat vehicles
Bulgaria’s government approved on September 21 the project to purchase US-made Stryker combat vehicles, a government media statement said.
As The Sofia Globe reported at the time, on September 1, the US Defense Cooperation Agency said that the State Department had approved the possible sale to Bulgaria of Stryker vehicles and related equipment for an estimated cost of $1.5 billion.
The government of Bulgaria had requested to buy 183 Stryker vehicles, the agency’s statement said.
The Bulgarian government said that the project was among the Defence Ministry’s priorities.
“The goal is to ensure the achievement of interoperability with the armies of our allies in Nato, acquisition and maintenance of capabilities for the defence of the country independently, in a joint operation and in the collective defence system, as well as participation in allied operations outside the territory of the country,” the statement said.
The Cabinet is also proposing to the National Assembly to cancel Parliament’s June 8 2018 approval of an earlier project to acquire combat vehicles.
A statement by the Defence Ministry on September 21 said that it was expected that the Stryker acquisition project would get moving “in the shortest possible time”.
The sum involved is above the statutory threshold that requires ratification by Bulgaria’s Parliament.
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