CAMP MURRAY, Wash. – As Bulgaria received its first Stryker vehicles this spring, a small team of Washington Army National Guard Soldiers traveled more than 5,000 miles to pass on the knowledge, skills and lessons learned from years behind the wheel and under the hood of the eight-wheeled armored vehicles.
"The interactions between the Bulgarian and American military personnel will be aimed at supporting training and gaining operational understanding of the platform," said Brig. Gen. Paul Sellars, commanding general of the Washington Army National Guard, during a visit to Bulgaria. "We spent 10 years with these machines, and we appreciate the opportunity to find them a suitable new home, as well as to see the motivation and desire of the people to train."
From March through June, a four-member Washington Army National Guard Mobile Training Team worked alongside soldiers from the Bulgarian Land Forces' 61st Mechanized Brigade, providing operator and maintenance familiarization training.
The mission followed the transfer of eight Strykers from the Washington Army National Guard’s 81st Brigade to Bulgaria and represented an important step in the country's broader military modernization effort. Bulgaria is scheduled to receive 183 Stryker vehicles through the Foreign Military Sales program, enhancing interoperability with NATO allies and strengthening the country's mechanized capabilities.
Led by Chief Warrant Officer 2 Phillip Sheldon, the Washington Army National Guard’s Unit Training and Equipment Site foreman, the Mobile Training Team, which is the first to be funded by the Foreign Military Sales program, began instruction shortly after arriving in Karlovo, Bulgaria. Bulgarian soldiers were organized into seven training groups consisting of operators, mechanics, logisticians and headquarters personnel. Training began in the classroom with instruction on vehicle variants, safety procedures, driver controls, preventive maintenance checks and services and equipment familiarization. As the first Strykers worked through customs and registration requirements, the training team adapted its schedule to maximize hands-on learning opportunities.
“The level of enthusiasm that we see in the 61st Brigade around receiving the machines is truly impressive. The servicemen are highly motivated and extremely engaged,” Sellars said. “With such a team, the process of training and mastering the equipment will develop quickly and effectively.”
Washington National Guard mechanics worked with Bulgarian soldiers, conducting maintenance and troubleshooting to improve vehicle readiness. Together, they resolved hydraulic, electrical and mechanical issues while teaching maintenance procedures directly from the technical manuals provided through the Foreign Military Sales process.
One notable milestone occurred when Bulgarian mechanics completed the removal and installation of a Fuel Pump Power Pack under the guidance of the Washington Army National Guard team. The team also assisted the 61st Mechanized Brigade's logistics personnel in setting up and inventorying their new Stryker Associated Support Tool Sets, providing the specialized equipment needed to maintain the vehicles independently.
While vehicle registration delays postponed formal driver training, both nations continued building operator proficiency through maintenance instruction, recovery operations and motor pool familiarization.
In early May, the program reached a milestone when the eight Strykers received registration approval and were moved to the Iganovo Driving Range near Karlovo.
For the final phase of training, the Washington National Guard team established multiple driving courses designed to progressively build driver confidence and proficiency. Soldiers first learned basic vehicle handling on open terrain before advancing to routes featuring hills, water crossings, tight maneuvering areas and more challenging driving conditions.
By the conclusion of the 13-week mission, more than 70 Bulgarian soldiers had completed classroom instruction, maintenance familiarization, recovery operations, evaluations and hands-on driver training on the Stryker platform.
“Throughout the engagement, we successfully integrated our instructional methods with Bulgarian Land Forces standards to provide a strong foundational knowledge of the platform,” Sheldon said. “We are incredibly thankful for the flexibility and friendliness from both the students and leadership, which has led to genuine, life-long connections between our team and our Bulgarian counterparts.”
The effort highlighted cooperation between the Washington and Tennessee National Guards. While Bulgaria has partnered with the Tennessee National Guard through the Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program since 1993, Washington's extensive experience operating and maintaining Stryker vehicles proved critical to Bulgaria's fielding of the platform.
"On behalf of the Tennessee State Partnership Program, I would like to thank you all for the steadfast training and expertise that you provided to our Bulgarian partners," said Maj. Myyah Lockhart, Tennessee National Guard State Partnership Program director. "You gave critical and timely assistance to extend expertise that Tennessee could not provide and for this, we are immensely grateful."