Where have all the military bases and barracks gone?

[brokk]

Recently went towards Kirklareli via side roads from Istanbul, there used to be a lot of barracks and bases dotted left and right of the road they look eerily abandoned... came home looked at the usual air-force bases in and around Istanbul (both sides), almost all of them are also gone. I was told they all were going to be restructured a couple years back and no-one had a real answer as to what happened to them.. Anyone here know anything about this?

I remember tanks being sent via train towards the Syrian border from Zeytinburnu Istanbul, but moving the whole army and air-force from the west, sounds a little crazy...



p.s. these are not coup related, and I'm 60% sure it isn't Syria related either.

 

[what]

The government is removing all bases in the cities/urban areas and will probably sell the properties to their friends.
Someone is scared of another coup.

 

[brokk]

The government is removing all bases in the cities/urban areas and will probably sell the properties to their friends.
Someone is scared of another coup.

I can find links from 2012 but still, these area's I'm talking about are far from even villages, let alone cities... it must the that their Turk allergy expanded to include Turkish military as well... most of these places had Jandarma / Gendarme policing it... and no new police stations...

If I see TOKI buildings there I'm going to be sick.

 

[Pax Ottomana]

If I see TOKI buildings there I'm going to be sick.

Would you rather see gecekondus all over Turkey?

The military bases are being systematically moved out of city centers and placed in better locations on the inter-city highways. This doesn't only open up much-needed new space in and around the cities, it's also great for our Land Forces itself as the new barracks are being built larger, better, more modern, better planned and with better amenities. No one wants to see armored vehicles in the middle of the city. This has nothing to do with being a nationalist. Military belongs in the countryside, simple as that. We've got the Turkish Police in the cities.

 

[brokk]

Would you rather see gecekondus all over Turkey?

I would rather see those military bases and barracks return. Have you been to Halkali in Istanbul and to who those TOKI buildings are sold to? (60-80% of them are full of Syrians and Arabs) TOKI - should be building affordable hosing projects that house Turkish citizens, at costs they can actually afford them.. these Turks are still living in those 'gece kondu-s' you mention.

The military bases are being systematically moved out of city centers and placed in better locations on the inter-city highways. This doesn't only open up much-needed new space in and around the cities, it's also great for our Land Forces itself as the new barracks are being built larger, better, more modern, better planned and with better amenities. No one wants to see armored vehicles in the middle of the city. This has nothing to do with being a nationalist. Military belongs in the countryside, simple as that. We've got the Turkish Police in the cities.

The places I'm talking about are not near cities D020, D567, D569, they are basically in the middle of nowhere with attachment to minor-intercity roads, perhaps excellent in any situation to provide resistance against any invading attacker. As for Airforce and Mechanized bases, well it would be strategic stupidity to leave Istanbul uncovered... as it would take valuable minutes to fly interceptors from locations in any event.

Turkish police though good, is inadequately ill-equipped to deal with all the tasks that are given to it. A simple example is from Kanarya / Istanbul (I have friends that live there), every time PKK sympathizers begin to rally, the Police chief just shuts down the police station, and normal people are left to fend for themselves.. Many burnt buildings, private cars, IETT buses later the government placed camera's which resulted in the rallying to change location 200 or so meters up hill where there are no cameras... Same with Taksim, there used to be a minimum 10 bus fulls of special police on the far corner of the car park near where the Ataturk kultur merkezi was ("90's early "00's), which was used in support for the 2-3 normal police buses on show on the actual center there in any major disturbance... since those times, how many events have taken place due to ill planning.... this all is also strategic stupidity.

I for one would rather my security be provided by serious hardware, and not stupid blind faith.


p.s. interesting if they've closed airforce bases in Alemdag (Istanbul), and bases in Balikesir, Bandirma and Izmir.

 

[Pax Ottomana]

You don't like how the Turkish Police handles some PKK incidents? Next time you see the PKK demonstrate in the streets, why don't you try calling up the Genelkurmay and asking for an APC? I'd pay money to listen to that conversation.

Military simply doesn't belong in the cities, plain and simple. It's natural for SOME of the non-city military elements to also be moved as part of the greater relocation and reorganization effort. That said, military isn't leaving the cities entirely and some strategic assets are remaining.

You don't need an AFB in Istanbul to defend Istanbul. Let's remember Ataturk's wise words: "Hatt-i mudafaa yoktur. Sath-i mudafaa vardir. O satih, butun vatandir." An AFB in Istanbul can do very little in defending Istanbul given how the enemy has ICBMs, stand off missiles, cruise missiles, stealth fighters, AIP submarines, etc etc. Istanbul is a city that needs to be protected from hundreds of kilometers away. If all our other defenses fail and we're down to the area of Istanbul itself, then we've likely already lost the conventional war and are down to a SF/resistance movement.

 

[brokk]

You don't like how the Turkish Police handles some PKK incidents? Next time you see the PKK demonstrate in the streets, why don't you try calling up the Genelkurmay and asking for an APC? I'd pay money to listen to that conversation.

What handling are you talking about? What I wrote sums up to doing nothing! You don't need an APC to clear out 10-20 PKK supporters, just a couple of police officers. What happens when ordinary people say they've had enough and go crazy against these people, their ethnicity (be they guilty or not)? Then again I've seen first hand, police doing nothing about PKK riots and events that took lives and costed a lot in damages, whilst putting 5000+ policemen to protect 20 + PKK supporters.

Jokes aside, ironically at my summer house I did call them once (local base), they kindly sent an officer and 2 soldiers, to help out, which is something my Turkish neighbors still gossip about.

Military simply doesn't belong in the cities, plain and simple. It's natural for SOME of the non-city military elements to also be moved as part of the greater relocation and reorganization effort. That said, military isn't leaving the cities entirely and some strategic assets are remaining.

You don't need an AFB in Istanbul to defend Istanbul. Let's remember Ataturk's wise words: "Hatt-i mudafaa yoktur. Sath-i mudafaa vardir. O satih, butun vatandir." An AFB in Istanbul can do very little in defending Istanbul given how the enemy has ICBMs, stand off missiles, cruise missiles, stealth fighters, AIP submarines, etc etc. Istanbul is a city that needs to be protected from hundreds of kilometers away. If all our other defenses fail and we're down to the area of Istanbul itself, then we've likely already lost the conventional war and are down to a SF/resistance movement.

Perhaps, though to me it looks like ALL have been moved, and even with advanced mobility, and Naval bases, to me this is a strategic stupidity, especially when Turkey is letting close Naval ships of just about any nation here. Istanbul of course isn't the whole of Turkey but it is 21-26% of the Economy if not more, as for resistance, well for that they need to relax current laws on carrying, owning and transporting weaponry based on ethnicity and priors. (though that sounds very undemocratic)