Bulgaria Seeks Approval for US Tanker Aircraft at Bezmer Base

The Bulgarian government is seeking National Assembly approval to temporarily deploy up to eight U.S. KC-135 tanker aircraft and 250 service members at Bezmer Air Base from July 24 until October 1, 2026. Rumen Radev announced the proposal following a July 17 diplomatic request from the United States to support American operations in the Middle East under a 2006 Defense Cooperation Agreement.

On July 21, the Parliamentary Defense Committee approved the measure in an 11-1 vote with two abstentions, sending the proposal to the National Assembly for a final vote. Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov defended the move, citing military intelligence that found no direct threat to national security, though some lawmakers questioned if the deployment makes Bulgaria a legitimate target.

Radev explicitly contrasted this transparent process with a previous deployment at Sofia's Vasil Levski Airport in February, accusing the former administration of misleading the public and bypassing parliament. The announcement occurred alongside a conference of Bulgarian ambassadors, where President Iliana Yotova and Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova emphasized the importance of NATO and the European Union while calling for a more active diplomatic presence in the Western Balkans.