Türkiye is testing S-400 air defense systems received from Russia on American-made aircraft

Currently, the Turkish army is the best army in the Middle East. As of 2020, the strength of the Turkish armed forces (excluding reservists) is 410,500 people . Moreover, in wartime, a military-trained reserve of up to 90 thousand people can be easily used, of which 38 thousand people are the first-line reserve.

In terms of military spending in 2014, Turkey was in 15th place in the world - $22.6 billion (data from the Stockholm Peace Research Institute). At the same time, in terms of the number of personnel in Europe, there is no army that would be stronger than the Turkish one (with the exception of Russia). For example, today there are about 170 thousand people serving in the German armed forces, about 180 thousand people are serving in the British army, and they are continuously decreasing.

The Turkish armed forces consist of the ground forces, air force, navy, gendarmerie (in peacetime subordinate to the minister of the interior) and coast guard. Organizationally, they are part of two ministries - the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Turkey.

The Turkish army is recruited according to the conscription principle . The recruitment system and service in the Turkish army are prescribed in the law on universal conscription. According to this document, military service is compulsory for all males aged 20 to 41 who have no medical contraindications. The period of service in all branches of the armed forces today is 12 months, while Turkish citizens have the opportunity to obtain an exemption from conscription by paying a certain amount of money to the country's budget. In 2013, it was about 30 thousand liras (17 thousand dollars) - a considerable amount for any average Turkish conscript.

Upon completion of military service, privates and sergeants are transferred to the reserve. For a year they are in the first-line reserve, which is called “special conscription,” after which they are transferred to the 2nd-line reserve (up to 41 years old) and 3rd-line reserve (up to 60 years old). At the same time, the “special conscription” contingent and reservists of the next stages in the event of a mobilization announcement are sent to replenish existing or emerging units and formations.

Political geography

By themselves, these figures do not fully reflect the balance of power between the two countries, since they do not take into account many factors, one of which is the geographical location of the country.

For example, in the Black Sea, Russia has only one missile cruiser, one large anti-submarine ship, three long-range patrol ships, six small anti-submarine and four small missile ships, and two diesel submarines. The Turkish Navy includes 16 frigates, eight corvettes, and 13 diesel submarines.

Image copyright AP Image caption The Turkish Air Force has 1,020 aircraft

Turkish armed forces are concentrated in one region. Although Turkey is a fairly large state by the standards of the region, and it has difficult relations with many of its neighbors, the territory and length of its borders are much smaller than those of Russia.

The Turkish fleet, for example, is deployed in only two seas - the Aegean and Black, which are located next to each other.

The passage of warships and civilian vessels through the straits is regulated by the Montreux Convention of 1936. According to this document, Ankara has the right to close the Bosporus and Dardanelles to warships only if it is in a state of war.

However, an officially declared war can also trigger the collective security mechanism of the North Atlantic Treaty - its Article 5 considers an attack on one country, as well as on its armed forces, as an attack on all countries of the alliance. In this case, any enemy of Turkey will have to deal with NATO armed forces.

Weapons and military equipment[ | ]

Armored vehicles[ | ]

Artillery and missile systems[ | ]

Anti-tank weapons[ | ]

Air defense[ | ]

Engineering and repair equipment[ | ]

Army Aviation[ | ]

Reconnaissance and target designation means[ | ]

Combat training

Another factor that has a serious impact on the course of any conflict is the training of the army and the morale of the military personnel.

The Turkish army, according to experts, is one of the most prepared in the region and the world. She is trained to NATO standards.

As Konstantin Makienko, an expert at the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, noted in an interview with the BBC, the Turkish military has combat experience.

“Of course, anti-guerrilla actions against the Kurds are a rather specific experience, but still, a fired soldier is always better than an unfired one... The Turkish armed forces are a very serious force,” he said.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Recep Tayyip Erdogan's relationship with the army has often been tense

Like the Russian armed forces, the Turkish army has recently been conducting quite a lot of training and exercises, in particular with regard to pilots.

“Turkey has a developed pilot training system. Their flight time is comparable - they have about a hundred hours of flight time, just like us. They have slightly more simulators, we have more actual flight time,” said military observer Ilya Kramnik.

Content

• 1 Structure 1.1 Field formations
• 1.2 Preparation
• 1.3 Organization

Elite under attack

As Turkish expert and visiting professor at Carnegie Europe Sinan Ulgen told the BBC, the military in Turkey are traditionally the elite of society.

“It is one of the most respected and disciplined institutions in society. This attitude towards the military is one of the Turkish traditions, which is rooted in history,” he said. However, according to the professor, this factor also has a negative side.

Throughout the 20th century, the military considered itself the guardians of the foundations of the secular Turkish state, laid down by Kemal Atatürk, and did not hesitate to remove the legitimate government from power if it saw a threat to the constitutional order.

They carried out three coups between 1960 and 1980 and have a long history of confrontation with the country's ruling Justice and Development Party. This tradition was destroyed in the early 2010s.

“Several legal blows were struck against the army […] in order to weaken its political influence. They turned out to be successful. However, this negatively affected the morale of the military. Many of the high command ended up in prison for crimes they did not commit,” Ulgen said.

Notes[ | ]

1. ↑ 12345678910111213141516171819
   The Military Balance 2020. - P. 157.
2. Autobiography of General Yaşar GÜLER in the official website of the Turkish Land Forces. (tour.)
3. IISS 2010, pages 164–168
4. T.A.
   Ganiev S.M. Zadonsky. Military power of the Turkish Republic
   (undefined)
   .
5. President calls for national unity Archived September 16, 2007, Turkish Daily News
   , Thursday, September 13, 2007
6. Unification of Culture a-i Tourism Ministries constitutional One soldier killed, three injured in terrorist attack Minister Cicek says Turkey's credit Archived December 21, 2012, Turkish Daily News
   , October 17, 2003.
7. Turkey: A Country Study
   , p.350. Kessinger Publishing, 2004. ISBN 1-4191-9126-8
8. Forum discussion of current structure, drawn from S&H Magazine
9. Ganiev T.A., Zadonsky S.M.
   Military power of the Turkish Republic. - Middle East Institute, 2018. - ISBN 978-5-89394-290-3.
10. ↑ 12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728
    The Military Balance 2020. - P. 155.
11. ↑ 123456789101112131415161718192021
    The Military Balance 2020. - P. 148.

Insignia

Generals and officers

Sergeants and privates

Composition of the armed forces

Units of the Turkish Ministry of Defense

Ground troops

Main article: Turkish Ground Forces

Naval forces

Main article: Turkish Navy

Air Force

Main article: Turkish Air Force

Divisions of the Turkish Ministry of Internal Affairs

Gendarmerie

Main article: Turkish Gendarmerie

Coast security

Main article: Turkish Coast Guard