Bulgarian Armed Forces

The Bulgarian Army (Bulgarian: Българска армия, romanized: Bŭlgarska armiya), also called the Bulgarian Armed Forces (Bulgarian: Български Въоръжени сили, romanized: Bŭlgarski Vŭorŭzheni Sili), is the military of Bulgaria. The commander-in-chief is the president of Bulgaria. The Ministry of Defense is responsible for political leadership, while overall military command is in the hands of the Defense Staff, headed by the Chief of the Defense. There are three main branches of the Bulgarian Army, named literally the Land Forces, the Air Forces and the Naval Forces.

Throughout history, the Army has played a major role in defending the country's sovereignty. Only several years after its inception in 1878, Bulgaria became a regional military power and was involved in several major wars – the Serbo-Bulgarian War (1885), the First Balkan War (1912–13), the Second Balkan War (1913), the First World War (1915–1918) and the Second World War (1941–1945), during which the Army gained considerable combat experience. During the Cold War, the People's Republic of Bulgaria maintained one of the largest militaries in the Warsaw Pact, numbering an estimated 152,000 troops in 1988. Since the Fall of Communism, the political leadership has decided to pursue a pro-NATO policy, thus reducing military personnel and weaponry. Bulgaria joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization on 29 March 2004.

The patron saint of the Bulgarian Army is St. George. The Armed Forces Day or St. George's Day (6 May) is an official holiday in Bulgaria.