restricts the individual to his place of
residence or to another specified place. The term is usually from one to
three years but, in the case of a repeated crime or in some other
special circumstance, it can be for as long as five years. The essence
of the penalty is that it consists of a restriction to the confines of
the area within which the offender lives and works. He may not hold a
job outside of the area, but he does not live in a special billet, nor
is he isolated from his neighbors and local society. The usual
objective, when this type of sentence is handed down, is to keep the
individual in his home environment, where he retains responsibility for
his share of the family support and is subject to its influences.

CHAPTER 16

ARMED FORCES

Bulgaria's regular military forces are organized within the Bulgarian
People's Army (Bulgarska Narodna Armiya) and are subordinate in the
governmental system to the Ministry of National Defense. Approximately
80 percent of the personnel are in the ground forces. Of the remaining
20 percent about three-quarters are in air and air defense units, and
about one-quarter are naval forces.

Although Bulgaria is possibly the most staunch and sympathetic of the
Soviet Union's allies in Eastern Europe, the country has no common
border with the Soviet Union nor with any other of its Warsaw Treaty
Organization (Warsaw Pact) allies except Romania. Because Romania has
succeeded in establishing a precedent prohibiting movement of any
foreign forces across its borders--even those of its closest
allies--Bulgaria is to a large degree isolated from pact affairs. Unable
to participate in more than token fashion in pact training, short of
skilled men to care for complex equipment, and possibly restricted from
an ability to become engaged during the early days of a combat
situation, Bulgaria has undoubtedly lost some Soviet materiel support.

Because of this the forces have only small armored units, although the
military establishment as a whole is large in relation to the population
of the country. The air forces have been supplied with a few modern
aircraft, but most of its airplanes are older than those of its pact
allies. Naval forces are small. Even though logistic support has been
meager, morale has been considered good, and the men and their leaders
have been considered ideologically reliable.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The communist leadership considers only a few incidents