Part 36 (2/2)
New styles, several including changes in materials and minor changes in color, were shown and tested in 1970. Issue of the newer varieties to the forces was begun in 1972. Most changes involved tailoring details and the use of more wrinkle-resistant and lighter, tighter woven cloth.
The aim has been to improve the appearance of the men with as little as possible sacrifice in long-wearing qualities.
Officers continue to wear a service uniform consisting of a tailored blouse with patch pockets and trousers that tuck into high boots. A Sam Browne belt and sidearms are optional. The styles introduced in the early 1970s have a vent in the blouse to make it fit in a better tailored fas.h.i.+on, and they are a lighter green than their predecessors.
Ground forces have stripes and piping on caps and rank insignia that vary in color to identify their branch of service (armored forces, infantry, transport, engineer, and others). The enlisted men's uniform is similar in design but has different quality material and less ornate trim. Air forces have the same uniforms but may be identified by their blue stripes and piping. Naval personnel wear the traditional navy blues and whites.
Rank insignia on the uniforms seen most frequently consists of stars or stripes on shoulder boards. Officer ranks are identified by varying numbers of stars. The boards themselves become progressively more ornate with higher rank. Those of the company grades are relatively plain; those of the generals are highly ornate. Enlisted grades are shown by stripes. Privates have none, their shoulder boards are plain; and the number and width of the stripes increase with promotion to higher grades.
Decorations and medals are awarded profusely, and most of them are ornate and colorful. The highest ranking and most respected, however, is a simple gold star, which identifies its recipient as a Hero of the People's Republic of Bulgaria. The Order of Georgi Dimitrov and the newer Stara Planina medal, which has been declared equal to the former in seniority, are the next most important. These three most highly cherished decorations are awarded in only one cla.s.s each. The highest of the orders that are presented in several cla.s.ses are the Order of the People's Republic of Bulgaria and the Madarski Konnik medal, which are equal in seniority. They are awarded in three and two cla.s.ses, respectively.
THE MILITARY ESTABLISHMENT AND THE NATIONAL ECONOMY
Bulgaria's gross national product (GNP) is only about one-third the average of the other Warsaw Pact allies, and during the late 1960s and early 1970s Bulgaria spent a smaller proportion of its GNP on defense than did any of its allies. Although its 1973 estimated population was less than one-half the average of its allies, it maintained about five-sixths as many men in its regular forces. On the surface, therefore, it would appear that the armed forces were a less-than-average financial burden but a greater-than-average manpower burden.
The appearances may be misleading to some degree. The country has been the slowest of the pact nations to industrialize, and its standard of living has been the lowest. It is probably, therefore, less able to afford its relatively moderate defense costs. Its labor force is large enough for the level of the country's industrialization, but there is a shortage of skilled workers. The training and experience that young men receive in the armed forces broaden their familiarity with complex mechanical and electronic equipment and provide many of them with skills that are of value to the national economy. The regime also considers that the disciplinary habits and the political orientation acquired in military service are of positive social value, outweighing the time that young men are withheld from the labor force.
When extraordinary measures are required in an emergency situation--such as during the 1972 drought--the armed forces are able to provide a ma.s.s labor force and to contribute the use of a considerable amount of heavy mechanical equipment. In 1972 force units were called upon to get maximum efficiency from irrigation systems and to add to the sources of irrigation water whenever possible. Military units also do field work on public projects. They are encouraged to contribute the days before public holidays, the holidays themselves, and other time that does not interfere with training schedules.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Section I. Social
_ABC World Airways Guide_, CDLV, May 1972, Dunstable, Bedfords.h.i.+re, England: ABC Travel Guides.
Anderson, Raymond H. ”Bulgarians Like Zip in Wash Cycle,” _New York Times_, May 21, 1973, 7.
Apanasewicz, Nellie, and Rosen, Seymour M. _Studies in Comparative Education._ (OE-14115.) Was.h.i.+ngton: U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, 1965.
Baldwin, G.o.dfrey (ed.). _International Population Reports._ (U.S.
Department of Commerce, Series P-91, No. 18.) Was.h.i.+ngton: GPO, 1969.
”Big Prospects for Education,” _Bulgaria Today_ [Sofia], XX, No. 8, August 1971, 6.
Blumenfeld, Yorick. _Seesaw: Cultural Life in Eastern Europe._ New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, 1968.
Brown, James F. _Bulgaria Under Communist Rule._ New York: Praeger, 1970.
Bulgaria. State Information Office with the Council of Ministers.
_Statistical Pocket Book 1970._ Sofia: Sofia Press, 1970.
”Bulgaria: History.” Pages 385-400 in _Encyclopaedia Britannica_, IV.
Chicago: William Benton, 1969.
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