At the request of the Bulgarian side, the U.S. will provide 10 Textron Guardian vehicles for the Bulgarian military contingent in Afghanistan, which will be delivered to the troops in Afghanistan in the second half of 2014.
The donation includes nine Guardian troop-carrying vehicles and an ambulance at a total cost of USD 25.6 M.
Bulgaria currently has seven Guardian vehicles, purchased in 2009 - six in Afghanistan and one in the 61st Stryamska Mechanized Brigade in Karlovo used for the purpose of Bulgarian military contingents’ training. Bulgarian experts will be responsible for the service and maintenance of the donated equipment without the need for additional financial resources from the Ministry of Defense budget.
By decision of the Council of Ministers on November 20, 2013, Bulgaria has confirmed its intention to participate with up to 110 Bulgarian troops in the NATO “Resolute Support” mission for training, advising and support of Afghanistan security forces.
