From 7 to 12 September 2025, the civilian-led exercise "BULGARIA 2025", co-organised by NATO's Euro Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC) and the Bulgarian Ministry of Interior, took place in Montana, Bulgaria.
Following the official opening by NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska and Bulgarian Interior Minister Daniel Mitov, over one thousand participants from 28 NATO Allies, 18 partner countries and 14 civilian and military organisations exercised together, to improve their ability to keep our citizens safe in a crisis.
In possibly the largest and most complex civil emergency exercise in the world this year, soldiers, scientists, and first responders worked together, to hone their skills and cooperation in responding to a natural disaster, technological incident, or act of terrorism.
Some 100 emergency vehicles, including medical helicopters, hyperbaric chamber trucks, ambulances and rescue boats were part of the exercise. The training took place across 21 diverse exercise sites; some 140 victims of various emergencies were saved in the different simulations.
In parallel with the field exercise, a strategic component in Sofia for decision-makers addressed civil-military coordination during emergencies, monitoring of and response to information threats, building preparedness, and the whole-of-government approach to crisis management. Participants learned about the impact of emerging disruptive technologies on crisis management, and on their work in future.
The exercise served as an example of how NATO's partnerships bring concrete benefits to national and collective security. It strengthened cooperation between civilian and military actors in responding to a range of crises, including facilitation of vital civil cross-border transport, logistics, and emerging security challenges. It supported partners' defence capacity-building, and helped improve Bulgaria's ability to coordinate international crisis response operations, including as a host nation.
