Nordic Monitor: Secret Report on Turkish Army – Huge Shortages of Combatants in Case of War

The Turkish Ground Forces will struggle to find troops ready to deploy in the event of war, while lacking the necessary military equipment to fulfill their mission, according to a classified document revealed by the Nordic Monitor website.

In the declassified Turkish military report, military commanders are concerned about the deterioration of ground forces’ capabilities and suggest corrective measures to address problems hampering the forces’ operational and logistical capabilities.

“We’re having a hard time finding a battle-ready armored/mechanized brigade that we can send into battle. Therefore, our top priority as Land Forces should be to find a solution to our need for combat troops,” the report said.

According to the document’s predictions, ground forces may be called upon to deploy, albeit in a limited-scale engagement, along the border with Greece, as well as during a conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. There was also a forecast for continued instability in Syria and Iraq, without ruling out the creation of a dead zone. It is also reported that NATO may further influence Russia and require Turkey to commit forces at various levels against the Russian threat, while the military may be called for training programs in foreign countries.

“Conscripts do not cover the needs”

The report states that the demand for the use of ground forces is expected to increase. Also, the authors point out that ground forces will need to modernize quickly to address deficiencies and solve problems. At the same time, issues of lack of sophisticated military systems, such as anti-missile defense units, precision guidance systems and the acquisition of long-range cruise missiles, are raised. At the same time, the lack of potential is a new blow for the ground forces.

“There is one fact that we cannot change. Enlisted soldiers do not meet the military needs of the Ground Forces. The situation does not seem likely to change in the short, medium and long term,” the report says, adding that what has happened in the level of reductions in conscription and paid military service has worsened the outlook.

The authors point out that a significant part of ground forces is tied up in combat engagements stemming from border guarding and the fight against terrorist groups, making it difficult to restructure the military. It is therefore suggested that such tasks can be transferred to border police and law enforcement agencies. In this way, troops will be released for the Ground Forces.

There is also a failure in the completion of the restructuring of the army in the land forces, which began a decade ago. The result is uncertainty between units and the prevention of required investment in personnel and equipment.

Reconfiguration of 35 brigades except the one in Cyprus

The report proposes the reformation of the 35 brigades of the Land Forces, except for the one stationed in the occupied territories of Cyprus. In particular, it is proposed to redesign 15 brigades – five commandos and ten armored – to be ready for war at the highest level. All will consist entirely of professional hoplites. Also, another 15 brigades would be reengineered with the goal of being ready for combat within 1-3 months.

For the remaining five brigades, the report suggests restructuring them to be mobilization brigades that will be ready for combat in 3-6 months. They will also provide training for foreign military personnel and will contribute to the creation or restructuring of military forces for countries such as Somalia and Libya, which have requested assistance from Turkey.

Read on HERE the report

When was the report drawn up?

The authors of the report argue that shrinking the military with enhanced efficiency and professional capabilities has not worked as expected. Instead, manpower was reduced without enhancing the effectiveness of the Ground Forces. The report is undated. Based on the indications, it is estimated to date from 2015. This is because it states that some of the proposed changes will be submitted to the Supreme Military Council in the summer of 2015. At the same time, the report was written at the level of the Ground Forces Command.

It is not yet clear how many changes have been made to the Ground Forces since then. Some of the security outlook predictions in the report have come true. The Turkish army was deployed in Syria and expanded its presence in Iraq. There was limited military involvement in Libya and the Caucasus during the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict.

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