The compulsory military service in Bulgaria will be abolished on January 1, 2008. From this date on the Bulgarian army will become fully professional, according to the requirements of the NATO. At present, the professional soldiers make sixty-six percent of the army. The army chiefs are looking to recruit new rookies and that is why they have started a large-scale advertisement campaign. The Council of Commanders with the General Staff of the Bulgarian Armed Forces has worked out a special plan for recruitment of professional soldiers. The order of Defense Minister Veselin Bliznakov, regulating the terms and principles of recruitment, was signed at the beginning of the last week.

Source: Standart Daily