Have Turkish Armed Forces recovered from Coup affects

[Bismarck]

Im sure you meant politics is war with other means.

No.

 

[Saithan]

well, if you look at how politics are made in Turkey the past 8 years, he's not far off. AKP and RTE is literally trying to paint the other political parties as enemies, which isn't very ethical in a democracy.

i would say politicians in Turkey especially those that came after 2010 lack decency.

 

[Ahmet Pasha]

So can every common Turk carry and plan a military op? How do Turk armed forces manage such a large number of recruits every year?

There are 2 routes for male military service in Turkey:

You have either graduated from high school, or you have a minimum of 4-year bachelor's degree.

For the first scenario:
When you graduate from high school and you are 21 years of age, you receive a letter from the army, saying that you need to come and register. So, you go to the recruitment office and register for the next recruitment term. At the recruitment office, they check you for general health and other things like tattoos etc. If you have an illness that may prohibit you from recruitment, you need to state it there. In the end, if you are eligible, they register you to the next available term. When your term comes, you go and surrender to your regiment and start your military service. You can be assigned as anything. They may assign you to Land, Sea or Air. I don't think that you can be a pilot though. But you can still operate as a low ranking soldier.

After the amateur training, which takes about a month and a half, you are transferred to your professional service regiment. As you are a high school graduate, your military service will be 12 months. It is called the long-term plan. When you complete your service, you're given a document that you've completed your service and free to live your life as you please.

On the second scenario:
When you graduate from university, which can be all the way up to 29 years of age, you receive a letter from the army. If you are over 29, you will still receive a letter from the army and required to surrender. Then, it is pretty much the same as the other scenario. However, your military service is shorter. You are either assigned as a private for a 6-month service or you are assigned as a reserve officer for 1 year I think. (I'm not too sure about this).

Just as the other scenario, you receive your discharge papers and can live your life as you please.

If you don't go and register, you can be arrested for skipping military service. Military Police used to show up at your door in the early day, but since 2008-2009, they've stopped doing that. If you get stopped at a police checkpoint, you may be required to go to the police station to sign a document that says you will be surrendering in X days. But most people don't. There is a tax penalty for that tho'.


Note: Most people don't actually wait for the army's letter. They just go to the recruitment centre to get it over with. However, currently there are millions of people in Turkey who just don't want to do the military service and they just don't go to the centre at all. They can't be punished or arrested or jailed. They can only receive a fine which multiplies in time.

 

[FirstClass]

So can every common Turk carry and plan a military op? How do Turk armed forces manage such a large number of recruits every year?

Well... the average joe (perhaps in this case, the average mehmet (no offense to mehmets ), of course won't be too informed about "planning a military op". But I guess anyone can plan a military op if they put their minds to it. The military service teaches you how to properly use a weapon (like how to clean, how to shoot, reload etc.), take cover, join a military operation, how to take formation, how to train like a soldier and most importantly, how to be disciplined. In some cases, you may be assigned as a tank crewman, a navy private, a paratrooper etc. It is all random. You can also be assigned as a commando to be trained better than the normal training. However, I think that you either need to ask for it at the recruitment office specifically, or they need to find you eligible. I have a friend who is currently in military service and he wanted to be a commando but they didn't let him. There are certain criteria I think. A friend of mine was actually a private who was assigned at the South Eastern part of Turkey and he was actually sent to operations multiple times.

Again, about planning and carrying out a military op, due to all the things I've listed above, perhaps Turks would be better at it compared to most other countries.

When it comes to how they actually manage such a large number, I have no idea. But Turkish army is a very old institution and it has its own traditions and rules. This system has been in place for decades. So they've mastered it by now.

 

[Ahmet Pasha]

So how do they retain soldiers and officers?
Is there a different criteria to recruit officer?
What if a draftee want to remain in military or become an officer?

Dont this effect overall, experience of average nco & jco as they continuously have new guys coming in. Hence, decreasing overall experience and battle hardened-ness of the forces??

(I know I have a lot of questions hehe )

Well... the average joe (perhaps in this case, the average mehmet (no offense to mehmets ), of course won't be too informed about "planning a military op". But I guess anyone can plan a military op if they put their minds to it. The military service teaches you how to properly use a weapon (like how to clean, how to shoot, reload etc.), take cover, join a military operation, how to take formation, how to train like a soldier and most importantly, how to be disciplined. In some cases, you may be assigned as a tank crewman, a navy private, a paratrooper etc. It is all random. You can also be assigned as a commando to be trained better than the normal training. However, I think that you either need to ask for it at the recruitment office specifically, or they need to find you eligible. I have a friend who is currently in military service and he wanted to be a commando but they didn't let him. There are certain criteria I think. A friend of mine was actually a private who was assigned at the South Eastern part of Turkey and he was actually sent to operations multiple times.

Again, about planning and carrying out a military op, due to all the things I've listed above, perhaps Turks would be better at it compared to most other countries.

When it comes to how they actually manage such a large number, I have no idea. But Turkish army is a very old institution and it has its own traditions and rules. This system has been in place for decades. So they've mastered it by now.

 

[FirstClass]

So how do they retain soldiers and officers?
Is there a different criteria to recruit officer?
What if a draftee want to remain in military or become an officer?

Dont this effect overall, experience of average nco & jco as they continuously have new guys coming in. Hence, decreasing overall experience and battle hardened-ness of the forces??

(I know I have a lot of questions hehe )

The real officers, those who become generals etc., are raised in cadet schools. Most of them are soldiers for life. So there is always an officer reserve that is about to graduate. From what I know, the civilians (the draftees) who come solely for military service can't rise any higher than lieutenant, even if they decide to join the army after the military service. There are some exceptional ones that rise to being colonels but that's about it. If they don't have the cadet school education, they can't become generals.

About the last question; the experience of the army doesn't decrease as there is an actual army. Those in military service are not exactly counted among the army I think. I'm not sure. Maybe they are counted among the reserve? I don't know. There are more knowledgeable people here than me. I wouldn't want to misinform on this.

 

[LegionnairE]

No, and it is likely never going to recover. Picture of the beheaded soldier on the bosphorus bridge is stuck on people's minds. Some innocent military academy students were killed and the perpetrators were given immunity. The armed forces' image was shaken and then military hospitals and academies were transfered to civilian authorities in other words ruined.

I don't think the Army can go back to its pre-ergenekon strength in a forseeable future. But we are still strong and we can take care of the immediate threats.

 

[blackeyes90]

No, and it is likely never going to recover. Picture of the beheaded soldier on the bosphorus bridge is stuck on people's minds. Some innocent military academy students were killed and the perpetrators were given immunity. The armed forces' image was shaken and then military hospitals and academies were transfered to civilian authorities in other words ruined.

I don't think the Army can go back to its pre-ergenekon strength in a forseeable future. But we are still strong and we can take care of the immediate threats.

This also keeps me awake at nights. But you know people are well aware of the situation and no matter what their political inclinations everyone have one thing in common. They still love TSK. I am sure you see that too. So That event was one of a kind. And image of TSK is far more strong to shaken by just one event.

 

[LegionnairE]

This also keeps me awake at nights. But you know people are well aware of the situation and no matter what their political inclinations everyone have one thing in common. They still love TSK. I am sure you see that too. So That event was one of a kind. And image of TSK is far more strong to shaken by just one event.

unfortunately it's not just one event, there's years of attacks and abuse in the court system directed at some of the heroes of the Turkish army such as Ali Türkşen.

These people deserved none of that but people applauded their imprisonments and deaths anyway. There's no way to take that back. And there's no reason anymore for the best and brightest of our generation to enroll in the military academies. What future can we promise them? There was a grave injustice done to our soldiers and no one can guarantee that it won't happen again.

You can dedicate your life to the country and still get branded as a traitor, a terrorist and rot in jail, thrown there by the people you dedicated yourself to protect. it disgusts me. I am filled with rage while typing these into my computer. Erhan Afyoncu is a worthless piece of trash who wouldn't know the difference between a frigate and a fast attack craft and he's supposed to run the military academies of this country. If he had a shread of self respect he wouldn't accept that position.

 

[Neptune]

There is one, solid opinion I came across on internet summarizes the situation well.

"The Armed Forces is like FC Barcelona, it doesn't matter who is put in charge, the team plays well in any case."

 

[LegionnairE]

There is one, solid opinion I came across on internet summarizes the situation well.

"The Armed Forces is like FC Barcelona, it doesn't matter who is put in charge, the team plays well in any case."

I could make a bunch of disastrous plans on a strategic level and all the operational victories of the army would be nullified. US has an excellent army yet they are making a mess and ruining american interests everywhere they go.

No, best army in the world is nothing without good leadership.