Chargé d’Affaires Andrea Brouillette-Rodriguez was delighted to join Defense Minister Todor Tagarev in inaugurating the opening of Bulgaria’s new Cyber Defense Center in Sofia, the first of its kind in Bulgaria. The project, valued at $12 million, is funded through the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program and delivered through the U.S. Department of Defense’s Foreign Military Sales program.
This state-of-the-art facility will serve as a hub for cyber-defense training and operations, providing advanced training and education to Bulgarian military personnel and equipping them with the skills and knowledge needed to deter, detect, and defend against cyber-attacks.
The United States has also provided more than $238 million in security assistance to Bulgaria over the last five years to increase military professionalization, human resources capabilities, cyber security, equipment modernization, maritime domain awareness, and NATO interoperability. Additionally, from 2017 to 2022 the Department allocated more than $58 million in FMF to enhance Bulgaria’s capabilities in the areas of military intelligence, secure communications, and defensive cyber security. An embedded State Department-funded senior cybersecurity advisor to the Ministry of Defense complements these efforts by assisting in developing cyber strategy, policy, and doctrine.
Today’s launch of the Cyber Defense Center represents a significant milestone in America’s ongoing partnership with Bulgaria. This Center and associated support program will equip students with the practical and technical knowledge needed to conduct effective cybersecurity operations, integrating new techniques and technologies with the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense’s current cyber security procedures. The United States is proud to support Bulgaria in its efforts to enhance its cyber defense capabilities and look forward to continued cooperation in this critically important area.
Source : Usembassy
