Националната гвардия на България
The National Guard of Bulgaria

Author(s): Ivan Stoychev Vinarov
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, Governance, Security and defense, Military policy, Politics of History/Memory
Published by: Висше училище по сигурност и икономика (ВУСИ)
Keywords: Alexander Star; Guards uniform; National Guard Unit; paramilitary formation; symbol of Bulgarian statehood
Summary/Abstract: In this report we analyze the problem of the National Guard of Bulgaria in two directions. On the one hand, in the years immediately preceding our country’s accession to NATO, initiatives were launched to create a National Guard in the form of paramilitary formation, i.e. „reserve“ army of the Western (American and English) model. However, attempts to create a „fourth armed force“ or „guard for territorial action“ (based on public-private partnership) never materialized. On the other hand, Bulgaria has its own established Guard Corps of a traditional type. It was created by Prince Alexander I immediately after his accession to the throne (1879). Over time, in addition to ceremonial function, it also demonstrated heroism in a real combat situation – in the conflict with Serbia in 1885, during the wars of national unification (1912 – 1918) and the Second World War (1940 – 1944). After the beginning of the changes, the National Guard Unit became one of the symbols of Bulgarian statehood (along with the flag, coat of arms, anthem, ect.). Its structure included the two Guard Battalions, the representative brass hand and the ensemble of the Armed Forces, as well as the „Guard Student Units“.

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