Nenov, Deputy Chief of Defense of the Republic of Bulgaria and former commander of... VIEW ORIGINAL
WIESBADEN, Germany - U.S. Army Europe mourns the passing of Maj. Gen. Neyko Nenov, Deputy Chief of Defense of the Republic of Bulgaria and former Commander of the Bulgarian Land Forces. Nenov passed away Jan. 28, 2015.
"Army Europe has lost a great friend in Maj. Gen. Nenov," said Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, Army Europe commanding general. "His focus on relationships, training, interoperability and the effectiveness of Bulgaria's land forces was a great example of Strong Europe. The United States and all of NATO will miss him."
Throughout his career, Nenov was a tireless supporter of NATO integration and close cooperation with Army Europe. His leadership paved the way for increased training with U.S. forces in Bulgaria and Germany.
"I am saddened to hear that a tremendous friend and military visionary has passed away," said Maj. Gen. Michael A. Bills, who was formerly Army Europe's deputy chief of staff for operations, and is currently assigned to Operation Resolute Support. "Maj. Gen. Nenov changed Bulgaria's military culture, developing training and sustainment models that transformed the Bulgarian land forces. This transformation was very apparent in the trained Bulgarian Soldiers who supported the NATO mission and protected the 23,000 Soldiers and civilians who served with me in Kandahar, Afghanistan."
Nenov was born Nov. 18, 1961, in Trankovo, Bulgaria, and joined his nation's military in1985. He was commissioned an infantry second lieutenant upon graduation from "Vasil Levski" National Military Academy.
Nenov started his military career as a platoon leader in the Motorized Infantry Regiment and continued his military service commanding units at every echelon, from platoon to brigade, with tours of duty in Romania, Turkey, Afghanistan and Poland.
During his career, Nenov attended the "G.S. Rakovski" National Defence Academy in Sofia, Bulgaria, and the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.
"Maj. Gen. Nenov was a tremendous partner and friend during my tenure (at) USAREUR," said retired Lt. Gen. Donald Campbell, former Army Europe commanding general. "He was very proud to have graduated from the U.S. Army War College, I was very proud to have served with him to help provide for a safe and secure Europe. Bulgaria and NATO have lost an exceptional leader, and the United States has lost a great friend."
In 2005, Nenov was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and was appointed as the Commander of South Eastern Europe Brigade (SEEBRIG), Constanta, Romania, and soon after deployed to Afghanistan for six months. During his combat tour he served as combat commander of NATO's Multinational Brigade, Kabul, ISAF, Afghanistan.
Following the tour of duty as SEEBRIG Commander, Nenov served in several high-impact positions including serving as the chief of staff of NATO Joint Forces Training Center followed by holding the title of first deputy chief of the Bulgarian Land Forces from 2010-2011.
Following the transformation of the Bulgarian Armed Forces, in 2011 he assumed responsibilities as deputy commander of the Bulgarian Land Forces and, in 2012, commander of the Bulgarian Land Forces. June 30, 2014, marked the day Nenov assumed responsibility as deputy chief of defense of the Republic of Bulgaria.
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