Admiral Emil Eftimov has asked to leave military service, filing a report with three months' notice. The defense ministry's press office confirmed this to BTA in response to a query.
No reason was given for the report.
Eftimov has served as chief of defense since March 30, 2020 — more than six years in the top military job in Bulgaria. Once his notice period ends, a new chief will take over command of the armed forces.
He has led the army through Russia's war on Ukraine and NATO's sharper focus on its eastern flank. Over the same period, Bulgaria sped up its military rearmament, and Eftimov worked on bringing in the new F-16 Block 70 fighter jets, renewing the fleet, and getting the armed forces to work smoothly with allies.
A presidential decree in 2020 released him from the post of deputy chief of defense, placed him at the head of the military command, and made him an admiral. Eftimov had already served as acting chief of defense in 2017, after a long career in the navy and military leadership before that.
He was born on August 16, 1961, in Varna, and joined the army in 1984. He trained at the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy, at the Naval Academy in St. Petersburg, and at the Naval War College in Newport, USA, and also took senior officer courses at NATO institutions.
According to his official biography, the admiral holds every honor that matches his rank, including the defense ministry's "For Loyal Service Under the Colors" badge and the St. George honorary badge.