Military


Kara Kuvvetleri Komutan
Turkish Land Forces

Turkey has the second largest army in NATO, second only to that of the United States, and the second largest one in Europe, second only to Russia. The Turkish armed forces (Türk Silahli Kuvvetleri - TSK) have a total active manpower of about 510,600, with reserves of 378,700. The land force has a total active manpower of 402,000, including 325,000 conscripts with approximately 258,700 troops in reserve. Turkey also has Gendarmerie forces with 150,000 troops, including 50,000 reservists, which have mainly served in counterinsurgency operations against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (Partiya Karkeran Kurdistan - PKK).

According to the TSK's own assessment, its manpower capacity enables it to deploy fifty thousand troops on short notice to carry out four peacekeeping operations simultaneously. As of 2009 Turkey participated in peacekeeping missions around the world with around two thousand troops. TSK can also conduct day and night air-landed operations to deploy six battalions.

The Turkish Ground Force Command in 2002 was composed of 4 armies, 10 army corps, 2 mechanized infantry divisions, 1 infantry division, 1 training division, 14 mechanized infantry brigades, 14 armored brigades, 12 infantry/internal security brigades, 5 commando brigades, 5 training brigades. In 2009 the TSK had 4 Field Armies with 10 headquarters, 2 infantry divisions, 11 infantry brigades, 15 mechanized infantry brigades, 17 armoured brigades, and 5 commando brigades. These units are organized as four Field Armies and Logistics Command and Training and Doctrine Command, which are subordinate to the Turkish Land Forces.

The army (officially referred to as the Turkish Land Forces) is by far the largest of the three service components. During 1992 the army introduced a sweeping reorganization, shifting from a predominantly divisional and regimental structure to one based on corps and brigades. The personnel strength of the army was reduced in 1994 to about 393,000 (including about 345,000 conscripts). Major equipment acquisitions have enabled the army to upgrade firepower and mobility while enhancing command and control.

Until the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact in 1990, the army had a static defense mission of countering Soviet and Warsaw Pact forces in the Caucasus and any possible attack on Thrace. When the General Staff attempted to shift 120,000 troops to the frontier with Iraq in 1990, they discovered that there were serious deficiencies in the army's ability to respond to crises that could erupt suddenly in distant regions. The army was even less prepared for a situation requiring the deployment and logistical support of forces in operations beyond Turkey's borders.

Prior to the army reorganization, the principal tactical units consisted of sixteen infantry divisions and one armored division, plus twenty-three independent brigades, of which six were armored and four mechanized. Under the reorganization, all divisions except three were dismantled. The existing nine corps were retained, with brigades directly responsible to the corps commands. The brigades were reconfigured as seventeen mechanized infantry brigades, fourteen armored brigades, nine infantry brigades, and four commando brigades.

Each armored brigade consisted in late 1994 of six battalions: two armored, two mechanized, and two artillery. The mechanized brigades consisted of one armored battalion, two mechanized battalions, and one artillery battalion, plus a reconnaissance squadron. The infantry brigades consisted of four infantry battalions and one artillery battalion. Each commando brigade consisted of three commando battalions and one artillery battalion. Other units [as of 1994] included a Presidential Guard regiment, an infantry regiment, five border defense regiments, and twenty-six border defense battalions.

General Hikmet Bayar, the commander of Turkish land forces in early 1995, operated from headquarters in Ankara. The capital is also the home of the Ankara garrison and of the training and logistics commands. The country is divided into four military sectors on the basis of strategic conditions of terrain, logistics, communications, and the potential external threat. The sectors are assigned to four field armies, the first three of which would come under NATO command in the event of a NATO reinforced alert.

The First Army, with headquarters in Istanbul, is widely deployed in the European part of Turkey known historically as Thrace, with responsibility for the defense of that province, the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, and the Kocaeli Peninsula. The Second Army, headquartered at Malatya, is deployed in southeastern Anatolia with a defensive mission facing Syria, Iraq, and Iran. The Third Army, with headquarters at Erzincan, is deployed throughout the rugged mountains and deep valleys of eastern Anatolia, covering the borders with Georgia and Armenia and the historical invasion routes from the east. During the buildup preceding the Persian Gulf War, the Second Army was deployed along the Iraqi border along with some units from the Third Army. Under the new structure, most of the armored, mechanized, and commando brigades are located in the central region with the mission of rapidly reinforcing brigades in each theater as required.

The Aegean Army (sometimes called the Fourth Army) was organized in the mid-1970s in response to tensions with Greece in the Aegean Sea. Headquartered in Izmir, it is responsible for the vast area facing the Aegean coast from the Dardanelles in the north to the southernmost Greek offshore islands. Turkish commanders describe the Aegean Army as composed simply of training elements from which the major army units are supplied. They presumably would have the mission of defending the Aegean coast and keeping lines of communication open in the Aegean district in an emergency, although their capability for this mission seems highly limited. The Turkish corps on Cyprus is within the Aegean Army command structure. Known as the Cyprus Turkish Peace Force, it is said in The Military Balance, 1994-1995 to consist of 30,000 troops, equipped with 235 M-48 tanks, 107 armored personnel carriers (APCs), and numerous pieces of towed and self-propelled artillery.

Accompanying the reorganization of the land forces in the early 1990s was a significant upgrading of weapons systems, armor, and transport. Under the NATO harmonization program adopted under the CFE Treaty, considerable equipment subject to removal from the central front was passed on to other NATO armies, notably those of Greece and Turkey. Turkey's share included more than 1,000 United States M-60 and German Leopard main battle tanks and some 700 armored combat vehicles, as well as self-propelled howitzers and United States Cobra attack helicopters.

Under the CFE Treaty, NATO and Soviet Union/Warsaw Pact countries also were to reduce the size of their conventional forces. Russia has sought to change this commitment on the grounds that it needs forces for "police" actions and to assist former member states of the Soviet Union, such as Armenia, where Russian troops are stationed. Turkey has endeavored to prevent Russia's backing out on its commitment because, among other reasons, Turkey shares a border with Armenia.

In addition to the arms received as a result of the CFE Treaty, Turkey's arsenal of more than 3,000 M-48 tanks was being upgraded with advanced fire controls. By 1994 deliveries had begun of armored infantry fighting vehicles, large numbers of which were to be supplied under a Turkey/United States coproduction program. Procurement of a multiple-launch rocket system was proceeding under a similar program.

Turkey acquired 300 Russian BTR-60 APCs for use in the struggle against the Kurds because weapons of NATO origin were not approved for this purpose. In spite of the fact that the engines and transmissions of the BTR-60s had to be replaced after brief use, Ankara announced in 1994 that it had acquired 110 BTR-80s. These APCs were assigned to the gendarmerie, who were actively engaged in the war against the Kurds.

More effective employment of commando and infantry units would become possible with the United States UH-1H Iroquois (of which Turkey had ninety-six in 1994) and other modern troop-lift helicopters entering the army aviation inventory. The addition of missile-armed Cobra AH-1 (Bell 209) assault helicopters and five Super Cobras promised by the United States was expected to improve antitank capabilities.

Turkey was one of the fifteen countries with the highest military expenditure in 2006 (in purchasing power parity dollar terms). Although Europeanization reforms that have been carried out in Turkey since 2001 strengthened the Parliament's oversight functions, the defence budget is still not totally transparent. Due to the existence of extrabudgetary funds, such as the Defence Industry Support Fund, which has been used for major arms procurement projects, the exact size of the military's budget is still unknown. The known defence budget was 19.66 billion YTL for 2008, amounting to 8,8 percent of the total fiscal budget and 2,74 percent of the GNP.20 According to the SIPRI statistics, Turkey's military expenditures were 18,013 million YTL and 20,585 million YTL respectively in 2007 and 2008, corresponding to 2.1 percent of the GDP in 2007. http://stores.ebay.com/Ankara-Store__W0QQ_fsubZ11247291 The Turkish Armed Forces is composed of Land Forces Command subordinate to the Turkish General Staff, Naval Forces Command and Air Forces Command as well as the Gendarmerie General Command and the Coast Guard Command, which are subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs in peacetime and to the Land Forces and the Naval Forces Commands in wartime. In the Crimean War, the Ottoman Empire for the first time in history as an ally of Britain and France, Tsarist Russia and win the war with a harptir. Harbin esas nedenini Rusya'nin Istanbul ve Bogazlari ele geçirerek, sicak denizlere inme politikasi olusturmustur. The main causes of war captured by Russia's Istanbul and the Bosphorus, has established policies in the warm sea. Ancak, Rusya'nin yanilgisi Osmanli Imparatorlugu'nun toprak bütünlügünü korumak maksadiyla Fransa'nin ve Ingiltere'nin bu ise razi olmayacaklarini hesaplayamamasi olmustur. However, the mistaken belief that Russia's intention to preserve the territorial integrity of the Ottoman Empire, France and Britain have been unable to calculate this would not be willing to work. http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kkk.tsk.tr%2Fbasinhalklailiskiler%2Fbas%25C4%25B1n_duyurulari%2Fduyurular%2F01icerik.htm&sl=tr&tl=en 13.Piyade Tümeni (division) 38. Tugay (brigade It is not fully clear whether the Turkish Cyprus Peace Force in Northern Cyprus was actually designated XI Corps.[36] It appears that XV Corps, formerly in the First Army, has disbanded. The Commando brigades include the 1st Commando Brigade, Kayseri, 2nd Commando Brigade, Bolu, 3rd Commando Brigade, Siirt, 4th Commando Brigade, Tunceli and, Mountain and Commando Brigade, Hakkari. http://www.mit.gov.tr/english/must-biyog6.html http://www.mfa.gov.tr/first-world-war--_1914-1918_.en.mfa The Turkish Naval Forces: Force Structure of the Turkish Naval Forces is as follows; * 13 Submarines * 18 Frigates * 6 Corvettes * 20 Mine Sweepers / Hunters * 24 Assault Boats Subordinate Commands of the Turkish Naval Forces Command are the Fleet Command, the Northern Sea Area Command, the Southern Sea Area Command and the Naval Training and Education Command. The Turkish Air Forces: the Air Force Command consists of two Tactical Air Force Commands, two Air Transportation Base Commands, Tanker Fleet Command, the Air Training Command and the Logistics Command. Force Structure of the Turkish Air Forces is as follows; * 17 Combat Squadrons * 1 Reconnaissance Squadron * 1 Tanker Squadron * 5 Transportation Squadrons * 3 Search and Rescue Squadrons * 10 Training Squadrons These units are organized as 1st and 2nd Air Forces Commands, Air Training and Air Logistics Commands. Capabilities of the Turkish Armed Forces At a short notice, Turkish Army can deploy an Army Corps of 40,000 (forty thousand) or 50,000 (fifty thousand) troops to conduct joint operations. It can deploy a force consisting of six battalions to distant targets in a very short time by day and night air-landed operations. Turkish Armed Forces can simultaneously conduct four separate Peace Support Operations via its Battalion Task Force throughout the world. Turkish Navy can participate in international operations and exercises beyond the Mediterranean Sea. Submarines can individually navigate up to 15.000 (fifteen thousand) nautical miles and return home bases. After the US Air Forces, the Turkish Air Forces have the highest number of F-16 aircraft in the world. Turkish Air Forces can participate in exercises conducted overseas. With air refueling capability, Turkish aircraft can join live exercises in central Europe and return home bases in Turkey, and fly directly from Turkey to the USA crossing the Atlantic Ocean. In addition, the air operation conducted during the Kosovo crisis displayed that the Turkish Air Forces, after the US, is the only Air Force, which can conduct night operations. With the new capabilities which it will gain as a result of the modernization activities, the Turkish Armed Forces will improve in a way to meet the requirements which emerge in such an environment that lacks certainty and stability in our geography that bears multidimensional and confusing threats and risks. http://www.ssm.gov.tr/home/projects/naval/AmphibiousShip/Sayfalar/LCT.aspx http://defenceproducts.ssm.gov.tr/content/Turkish_Defence_Products_Guide_2009.aspx http://defenceproducts.ssm.gov.tr/content/productDetails.aspx?ID=206 http://www2.ssm.gov.tr/sub02_eng.asp http://www.istanbulshipyard.com/naval/Amphibious.html http://www.msb.gov.tr/birimler/gnpp/html/pdf/p11c2.pdf http://www.msb.gov.tr/Birimler/GNPP/html/pdf/p1c2.pdf http://home.ku.edu.tr/~zonis/AKP_rev.pdf http://www.thesis.bilkent.edu.tr/0002184.pdf http://defenceproducts.ssm.gov.tr/default.aspx The winner of the competition to design and build eight landing craft tank (LCT) vessels for the Turkish Naval Forces exceeded the service's specifications in at least two key areas. The craft proposed by the ADIK-Furtrans partnership will have a maximum speed of 22 kt and a military lift capability of up to seven main battle tanks (MBTs) or 17 trucks. The ADIK-FURTRANS partnership won the Turkish tender of 8 LCT ships in a 100 million Euro bid. Each LCT costs 12.5mln euros http://www.dzkk.tsk.tr/english/PLATFORMLAR.php?strAnaFrame=platformlar&strIFrame=gemiler# http://www.msb.gov.tr/anasayfa/phpscr/anasayfa.php http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Turkey.pdf http://www.ssm.gov.tr/home/projects/naval/AmphibiousShip/Sayfalar/LCT.aspx http://server2:8080/military/world/europe/tu-navy-equipment.htm http://www.tsk.tr/eng/index.htm http://www.kkk.tsk.tr/ http://www.network54.com/Forum/248068/thread/1229935524/1237187972/login?action=signup http://www.msb.gov.tr/anasayfa/phpscr/anasayfa.php The special forces within the Turkish Armed Forces are one of the finest among their counterparts throughout the world. Despite the fact that there are many other special operations commando units, such as the Mountain Commando Brigades, Gendarmerie Commandos and Marine Corps, within the Turkish Armed Forces, they do not fall under the definition/classification of modern day special forces. The Turkish special forces units could be classified into the following: 1. SPECIAL FORCES COMMAND - GENERAL STAFF HEADQUARTERS (Ozel Kuvvetler Komutanligi - O.K.K.) The manpower required for the Special Forces Command (OKK), which is publicly known as Red Berets, is acquired from the selected officers and non-commissioned officers (NCOs) of various units operating under the Land Forces Command. In other words, the Army officers and NCOs only are eligible to join this elite unit. This unit directly operates under the command of the General Staff Headquarters. The individuals forming this special unit are selected from their regular army troops on voluntary basis. Not all who volunteers are admitted though since there is a pass/fail written exam as well as physical tests to go through. Those who pass the exams become special forces candidates. Adequate linguistic skills in at least one foreign language is a plus for admission. The candidates then have to complete a challenging training period which lasts around 2.5 years. Many drop out during this intense training period. Training encompasses fitness, obstacle, Martial Arts, close quarters combat (CQC), biological/chemical/nuclear warfare, parachuting, diving, sniping, demolition, counter-terrorism, search and rescue, stealth seek and destroy, reconnaissance and survival. Learning foreign languages is a part of the training. During the training, candidates are pushed by their instructors to their limits, both physically and mentally. Training schedule includes all aspects of a modern day regular and psychological warfare. 100 kilometer terrain-walking with a 40 kg. load is just an example of what the candidates have to go through during training. Although the official size of the OKK stands at a Division level, this includes non-combatant units and behind-the-desk duties as well. The combatant size of the OKK is not greater than 500. The OKK may be considered as the Turkish counterpart of the US Green Berets. Within the OKK, there is a more specialized unit with only 100 members. Although the name of the unit is Combat Search and Rescue (Muharebe Arama Kurtarma - M.A.K.), its duties focus more on unconventional warfare and military intelligence. No further information is available on MAK except for the fact that it is thought to be established and organized like its US counterpart Delta Force. It also differs from the OKK in that its members are selected not only from the Army, but also from the other two main forces, Navy and Air Force. It should not be difficult to conclude that the MAK members are the best of the best within the Turkish Armed Forces. OKK and MAK perform a variety of duties such as: - Surveillance on enemy structures, facilities, defense systems or strategically relevant buildings. - Covert sabotage against enemy units and structures. - Infiltration. - Reconnaissance. - Hostage/POW/downed pilot rescue. - Counter-terrorism missions. - Close Quarter Combat. - Organization and training of friendly civilians against the enemy. OKK and MAK both took part in the accomplishment of several missions. Capture of Abdullah Ocalan, the Chief of the terrorist PKK organization, in Kenya and of Semdin Sakik, PKK's second chief in charge were carried out by the OKK. The OKK gained vast amount of experience in search and destroy type missions, especially in rural areas and caves in South-East Turkey during its years long campaign against the PKK. The OKK has also been undertaking missions in Bosnia, Kosovo, Albania, Afghanistan and North Iraq. A few OKK teams were sent to Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom and trained the new recruits of the newly-established regular Afghan Army. 2. NAVAL SPECIAL FORCES The Naval Special Forces of the Turkish Armed Forces are classified under two categories. Although these two categories, publicly known as SAS and SAT, are thought to be the same by many people, in fact they are not. They are two different units with completely different specialization areas and range of duties. The personnel of both units are selected only from the Navy officers and non-commissioned officers on voluntary basis. A. UNDERWATER DEFENSE TEAMS (Su Alti Savunma - S.A.S.) Underwater Defense Teams (SAS) are the counterparts of the US Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT). Their main tasks are: - Deactivation or disposal of explosive material, mines and/or unidentified ordinance under the water off the friendly ports and coasts. - Deactivation or disposal of explosive material, mines and/or unidentified ordinance under the water off the target coasts or ports. That includes clearing of the target beaches of mines, explosives, booby traps and tank traps, prior to the amphibious assault of the friendly forces. - Deactivation or disposal of explosives and mines that might be present on the course of the friendly troops and/or VIP military personnel. - Consultancy in defending the strategic facilities against stealth assaults by enemy commandos. SAS units do not perform assault, counter-terrorism, recon or CQC missions. A real-time duty executed by the SAS has been the clearing of the Girne Beach, Cyprus, prior to the amphibious assault of the Turkish Armed Forces to the island in 1974. Note: SAS stands for Su Alti Savunma in Turkish, which can be translated as Underwater Defense. It has no connection nor any resembelence to the British SAS. B. UNDERWATER ASSAULT TEAMS (Su Alti Taaruz - S.A.T.) Underwater Assault Teams (SAT) are the counterparts of the US Navy Seals. Their main tasks are: - Surveillance on enemy structures, facilities, defense systems or strategically relevant buildings. - Covert sabotage against naval units and/or enemy structures. - Covert landing and infiltration. - Reconnaissance on beaches being considered for amphibious landing operations. - Determining secure landing paths. - Underwater recon within 2.5 m deep water/beach corridors. - Direct action during first wave of landing missions. - Hostage/POW/downed pilot rescue. - Counter-terrorism missions. - Close Quarter Combat. The training period of the Turkish Naval Special Forces, which lasts 49 weeks, is shorter than that of the OKK. It starts off with a 5-week-long Indoctrination period, followed by three consecutive training phases, and then Airborne Training and Special Ops Training. Training and Duration: BUD/S: Indoctrination Period - 5 weeks Phase I (Basic conditioning + Hell Week) - 9 weeks Phase II (Diving) - 8 weeks Phase III (Land Warfare) - 9 weeks Post BUD/S: Airborne Training - 3 weeks Special Ops Technical Training - 2 weeks Medical Training - 30 weeks Platoon Training - 18 months OKK/MAK, SAS or SAT, every Special Operations mission needs absolute secrecy and stealth. In consequence to these requirements, some peculiarities are expected in all special operations candidates: Total dedication to the motherland and extreme determination; No fear of darkness, altitude, underwater activity or loneliness at all; resistance and effective reaction capability in extreme situations (including torture); capacity and determination to accomplish the tasked mission at any cost; ability to make immediate and effective decisions; capacity to adapt to changing situations or environments. There are 5 independent commando brigades, one airborne, one marine brigade, for a total of 7 brigades. These brigades are independent, but under organization they take place under respective corps and armies.

  1. 1st Commando Brigade: Kayseri (4th Army, 4th Corps)
  2. 2nd Commando Brigade: Bolu (4th Army, 4th Corps)
  3. 3rd Commando Brigade: Hakkari (2nd Army, 7th Corps)
  4. 4th Commando Brigade: Tunceli (3rd Army, 8th Corps)
  5. 5th Commando Brigade: Ankara (4th Army, 4th Corps)
  6. Airborne Commando Brigade, stationed in Kayseri, under Air Force command.
  7. Amphibious Commando Brigade, stationed in Eski Foca, under Navy command.
Add to the above 3 independent commando regiments:
  1. 2nd Commando Regiment: Mardin (2nd Army, 7th Corps)
  2. 5th Commando Regiment: Gokceada&Bozcaada (4th Army)
  3. Cyprus Commando Regiment: Northern Cyprus (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Peace Forces, corps level)



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