Breaking News
U.S. M2A3 Bradley Vehicles Forge Bulgaria’s Shield as NATO’s Forward Spearhead on the Eastern Flank.
U.S. Army Bradley platoons with the 1st Infantry Division conducted a live-fire exercise on December 5 at Novo Selo Training Area in Bulgaria. The training supports NATO’s effort to sustain a credible heavy armor presence along the eastern flank amid heightened regional tension.
On December 5, 2025, at the Novo Selo Training Area in Bulgaria, U.S. Army soldiers from Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, conducted a platoon-level live-fire exercise using M2A3 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles as part of operations along NATO’s eastern flank. The training took place close to the Black Sea region, where the security environment has been transformed by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This exercise forms part of the current U.S. rotational presence in Bulgaria, designed to maintain the readiness of heavy forces deployed in support of NATO. The event was described in official information released by the U.S. Army through the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS).
U.S. Army Bradley crews from the 1st Infantry Division carried out a platoon-level live fire in Bulgaria on December 5, a training event that sharpened NATO’s forward armored readiness near the Black Sea (Picture Source: DVIDS)
During the exercise at Novo Selo Training Area, the M2A3 Bradley was the central platform around which the platoon scenario was organised. Crews practised engaging targets while changing firing positions, coordinating movements over secure radio networks and supporting dismounted infantry elements that would, in real operations, clear key terrain after being covered by the vehicle’s weapons and sensors.
Novo Selo offers wide manoeuvre corridors and dedicated armoured ranges that allow units to combine gunnery and movement in terrain comparable to parts of eastern Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. In this environment, Bradley platoons can rehearse the sequence of detection, engagement, movement and communication that underpins combined-arms operations, including under limited visibility or electronic constraints.
From a technical and tactical perspective, the M2A3 Bradley is a tracked infantry fighting vehicle combining mobility, protection and firepower in a single platform. It is armed with a 25 mm Bushmaster automatic cannon, a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun and a twin-tube TOW anti-tank missile launcher, enabling the vehicle to engage infantry, light vehicles and armoured targets at different ranges. The A3 configuration integrates a digital architecture with improved thermal imagers, a commander’s independent sight and battle management systems that provide shared situational awareness within the platoon and with higher echelons.
The vehicle carries a squad of infantry under armour and is designed to fight with them, not just transport them. In the context of Bulgaria and the wider Black Sea region, this mix of protection, mobility and networked sensors is particularly relevant in an environment characterised by long engagement ranges, varied terrain and the widespread use of artillery, drones and anti-tank weapons.
The exercise also has a clear strategic dimension within NATO’s posture. Since 2022, the Alliance has reinforced its eastern and south-eastern flank by deploying multinational battlegroups in several member states, including Bulgaria, to deter potential aggression and reassure Allies closest to the war in Ukraine. U.S. heavy units rotating through Bulgaria train alongside Allied forces, contributing armoured and mechanised capabilities to the multinational framework.
Live-fire drills with Bradleys at Novo Selo help ensure that these units can integrate effectively in combined-arms formations, operate in a multinational command structure and deploy at short notice within the region if required. While NATO describes these activities as defensive and transparent, Russia regularly criticises such exercises near its borders, underlining the continued sensitivity of armoured deployments in Eastern Europe. The result is a training environment where military preparation and political signalling are closely intertwined, even when the official focus remains purely on readiness and interoperability.
The presence of Bradley units in Bulgaria is also connected to their operational employment by Ukrainian armoured formations. Since 2023, the United States has transferred M2-series Bradley vehicles to Ukraine as part of broader security assistance packages. Ukrainian brigades have used them in combined-arms operations that involve breaching fortified lines, operating under constant drone observation and manoeuvring in landscapes heavily affected by mines and artillery. These combat experiences are closely studied by NATO armies, including the U.S. Army, which adapts its own training methods and tactical procedures accordingly.
When Bradley platoons conduct live fire at Novo Selo, they are not only practising established U.S. doctrine; they are also integrating lessons drawn from recent operations in Ukraine, such as dispersion against artillery, rapid recovery of damaged vehicles, cooperation with unmanned aerial systems and the need to maintain communications in contested electromagnetic conditions.
Against this backdrop, the Novo Selo live-fire exercise illustrates how a single platform, the M2A3 Bradley, now links U.S. forward-deployed forces, NATO multinational battlegroups and Ukrainian armoured units facing Russian troops on the battlefield. By training in Bulgaria with the same type of vehicle that is in service with Ukrainian formations, U.S. and Allied forces develop common procedures, simplify logistical support and strengthen interoperability across the wider theatre.
The activity remains framed as routine training, but its content reflects the realities of high-intensity land warfare as observed in Ukraine. For defence and security observers, this alignment between exercises, equipment and operational feedback is shaping the future armoured posture of NATO in the Black Sea region, with Bulgaria serving as one of the key training grounds for that evolving approach.