Armed Forces and Units

Turkish Armed Forces

Modern

The Turkish Armed Forces were established on May 3, 1920 during the Turkish War of Independence, growing directly out of the collapse of Ottoman military structures at the end of the First World War, when officers who refused Allied surrender orders organized the irregular Kuva-yi Milliye forces into a regular army under commanders including Ismet Pasha. Under Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's command from August 1921, this nascent military defeated the invading Greek army in the Great Offensive, expelling Greek forces from Anatolia in roughly three weeks and securing Turkish independence by 1923, after fighting Greek, Armenian, French and other Allied-aligned forces across the preceding several years. The Turkish Armed Forces comprise three branches, Land Forces, Naval Forces and Air Force, commanded by a Chief of the General Staff under civilian ministerial oversight, and fielded approximately 481,000 active personnel as of 2024. Turkey joined NATO on February 18, 1952, and the Turkish Armed Forces have since grown into the alliance's second-largest standing military after the United States, maintaining nuclear-sharing status within NATO's collective defense arrangements.

Facts

Force Type

Standing NATO-member armed forces comprising Land Forces, Naval Forces and Air Forces 1

Founded Year

1920 1

Country

Republic of Turkey 1

Force Type

Force Type (category)

Air Force 1

Connections

Associated With

Turkish War of Independence

The Turkish National Movement forces that won the 1919-23 Turkish War of Independence became, in reorganized form, the modern Turkish Armed Forces

Fought In

Korean War

Source Wikipedia: Turkish Armed Forces

Operates

90 mm gun M1/M2/M3

Source Wikipedia: 90 mm gun M1/M2/M3

Accuracy International AX50

Source MilitaryFactory.com: Accuracy International AX50

ALKA (weapon)

Source Wikipedia: ALKA (weapon)

Altay Tank

Source Wikipedia: Altay (tank)

Aselsan SMASH 200/25

Source Wikipedia: Aselsan SMASH 200/25

Barrett M95

Source MilitaryFactory.com: Barrett M95

Bayraktar TB2

Source Baykar Bayraktar TB2 (Wikipedia)

Berthier rifle

Source MilitaryFactory.com: Berthier Rifle (Series)

Bora (missile)

Source Wikipedia: Bora (missile)

BTR-60

Source MilitaryFactory.com: BTR-60

BTR-80

Source MilitaryFactory.com: BTR-80

Caracal pistol

Source MilitaryFactory.com: Caracal CP

CheyTac Intervention

Source MilitaryFactory.com: CheyTac Intervention

CZ vz. 27

Source Military Factory: Ceska Zbrojovka vz. 27 Semi-Automatic Pistol

DM2A4 Seehecht

Source DM2A4

Dragunov Sniper Rifle

Source MilitaryFactory.com: Dragunov SVD (Snayperskaya Vintovka sistemy Dragunova)

F-16 Fighting Falcon

Source MilitaryFactory.com: Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon

FN Model 1903

Source MilitaryFactory.com: Browning Model 1903 / FN M1903

FN Model 1910

Source MilitaryFactory.com: Browning Model 1910 / FN M1910

Harpoon Anti-Ship Missile

Source Center for Strategic and International Studies Missile Threat: Harpoon

Heckler & Koch G41

Source MilitaryFactory.com: Heckler & Koch HK G41

Heckler & Koch HK33

Source MilitaryFactory.com: Heckler & Koch HK 33E

Hisar (missile family)

Source Wikipedia: Hisar (missile family)

Istiglal anti-materiel rifle

Source Wikipedia: Istiglal anti-materiel rifle

Luger P08 Pistol

Source MilitaryFactory.com: Luger P08 (Pistole Parabellum 1908 / Parabellum-Pistole)

M1 Garand Rifle

Source Wikipedia: M1 Garand Rifle

M45 quad mount

Source MilitaryFactory.com: M45 Quadmount (Maxson)

MAB Model D pistol

Source Wikipedia: MAB Model D pistol

Magach

Source MilitaryFactory.com: Magach (M48/M60)

Mark 41 Vertical Launching System

Source Wikipedia: Mark 41 vertical launching system

Milkor MGL

Source MilitaryFactory.com: Milkor MGL Y2

Mk 19 Grenade Launcher

Source Wikipedia: Mk 19 grenade launcher

MKE JNG-90

Source Wikipedia: MKE JNG-90

MKE MPT

Source Wikipedia: MKE MPT

Panzer III

Source Wikipedia: Panzer III

PKM

Source Military Factory: Kalashnikov PKM (Pulemyot Kalashnikova Modernizirovany) General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) / Light Machine Gun (LMG)

Rapier

Source MilitaryFactory.com: Rapier ADMS

SAMP/T

Source SAMP/T, Wikipedia

SIG Sauer P226

Source MilitaryFactory.com: SIG-Sauer P226

SPAD S.XIII

Source MilitaryFactory.com: SPAD S.XIII

Tayfun (missile)

Source Wikipedia: Tayfun (missile)

UTAS UTS-15

Source MilitaryFactory.com: UTAS UTS-15

Vz. 58

Source Wikipedia: vz. 58

Walther PP

Source MilitaryFactory.com: Walther PP (Polizei Pistole)

WB Electronics Warmate

Source MilitaryFactory.com: WB Electronics Warmate

In the Other Atlases

Found In

Turkey

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Source Wikidata: Turkish Armed Forces

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Turkish Armed Forces

Wikipedia

Lead section, paragraph 1
The TAF consist of the Land Forces, the Naval Forces and the Air Forces.
History section (Independence War), paragraph 1
On 3 May 1920, Birinci Ferik Mustafa Fevzi Pasha (Çakmak) was appointed the Minister of National Defence, and Mirliva İsmet Pasha (İnönü) was appointed the Minister of the Chief of General Staff of the Government of the Grand National Assembly (GNA).
Fought In: Korean War, Lead
The Turkish Army sent the Turkish Brigade to fight in the Korean War.