Top general hints at military service reform
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Serkan Demirtas
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 01, 2009 00:00
ANKARA - With more than nearly 700,000 privates and 200,000 officers, the Turkish Armed Forces, or TSK, is one of the largest armies in the world. In NATO, it ranks second after the United States. The paying of money to be exempted from conscription needs Parliament’s approval.
The system of compulsory military service for male Turkish citizens could be radically changed to increase the efficiency of the armed forces, Chief of General Staff Gen. İlker Başbuğ told reporters Wednesday.
With its more than nearly 700,000 privates and 200,000 officers, the Turkish Armed Forces, or TSK, is one of the largest armies in the world. In NATO, it is second only to the United States.
"In 2008, we could only meet 65.49 percent of our need [for military personnel], which creates difficulties in the execution of duties," Başbuğ said, adding that this number is expected to drop to 64 percent this year and 60 percent in 2011 in response to a question on whether paid military service could be put on the agenda again in the near future.
"We can’t consider it at a time when the TSK cannot meet its needs. As it is forecasted, it is impossible to consider this," Turkey’s top commander said. Paid military service has been implemented before, in 1999, after a devastating earthquake claimed the lives of nearly 30,000 people, in order to draw additional revenue for the state to use to reconstruct the ruined cities. But it can only be implemented by adopting a law at Parliament after seeking the military’s approval. In the previous example, men who paid around $10,000 were exempted from military service.
"It has also a moral dimension," Başbuğ said. "Look, Turkey is fighting against terror. We lost nine troops [on Wednesday]. No one can approve of paid military service at a time when the fight against terrorism continues. How could we explain this to our people? On the one hand, nine troops are killed, and on the other, people can skip military service by paying $7,500 or $10,000? We can’t explain that."
The top general also touched on the country’s current compulsory-military-service system, which in fact is divided into three different types of service. After an amendment in 2003, the compulsory military service for non-university graduates has been decreased to 15 months, while university and vocational-school graduates can either serve six months as short-term privates or 12 months as reserve officers. "We are working on this system to make it healthier, simpler and fairer, [to see whether we] could remake it as a single system," Başbuğ said. His words were interpreted as meaning that the short-term private military-service system could be annulled.
Başbuğ also announced a reform in which the military would register each piece of ammunition with a specific identity number to enable its tracking. Some weapons and munitions unearthed in the Istanbul province of Beykoz as part of the Ergenekon investigation were originally thought to belong to the TSK, something that Başbuğ denied Wednesday.
To prevent such accusations in the future, he said, the TSK would start to code each hand grenade and light anti-tank weapon with a specific, undeletable number. Furthermore, all military equipment produced by the state companies will have their own identifier on them too. The Beykoz discovery was the second arms cache found in the probe into an alleged nationalist-secularist network called Ergenekon that has been accused of plotting to overthrow the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, and incite a military coup.
No buried weapons since 1986
Furthermore, the top general revealed that the military has had no buried weapons or ammunition since 1986. "I want to make it clear," he said. "Until 1986, our Special Forces Command had buried weapons all over Turkey. But as a result of a decision made in 1986, all this equipment was transferred to the depots, a process that was completed in 1998. This means the TSK has no buried weapons in any part of Turkey."
Regarding the unearthed weapons and ammunition, Başbuğ said the primary source could be Iraq. "Unfortunately, it [Iraq] causes problem in many dimensions," he said. "Until four or five years ago, you could buy hand grenades, automatic rifles, anti-tank weaponsÉ even Dochka anti-aircraft weapons on the streets."
With its more than nearly 700,000 privates and 200,000 officers, the Turkish Armed Forces, or TSK, is one of the largest armies in the world. In NATO, it is second only to the United States.
"In 2008, we could only meet 65.49 percent of our need [for military personnel], which creates difficulties in the execution of duties," Başbuğ said, adding that this number is expected to drop to 64 percent this year and 60 percent in 2011 in response to a question on whether paid military service could be put on the agenda again in the near future.
"We can’t consider it at a time when the TSK cannot meet its needs. As it is forecasted, it is impossible to consider this," Turkey’s top commander said. Paid military service has been implemented before, in 1999, after a devastating earthquake claimed the lives of nearly 30,000 people, in order to draw additional revenue for the state to use to reconstruct the ruined cities. But it can only be implemented by adopting a law at Parliament after seeking the military’s approval. In the previous example, men who paid around $10,000 were exempted from military service.
"It has also a moral dimension," Başbuğ said. "Look, Turkey is fighting against terror. We lost nine troops [on Wednesday]. No one can approve of paid military service at a time when the fight against terrorism continues. How could we explain this to our people? On the one hand, nine troops are killed, and on the other, people can skip military service by paying $7,500 or $10,000? We can’t explain that."
The top general also touched on the country’s current compulsory-military-service system, which in fact is divided into three different types of service. After an amendment in 2003, the compulsory military service for non-university graduates has been decreased to 15 months, while university and vocational-school graduates can either serve six months as short-term privates or 12 months as reserve officers. "We are working on this system to make it healthier, simpler and fairer, [to see whether we] could remake it as a single system," Başbuğ said. His words were interpreted as meaning that the short-term private military-service system could be annulled.
Başbuğ also announced a reform in which the military would register each piece of ammunition with a specific identity number to enable its tracking. Some weapons and munitions unearthed in the Istanbul province of Beykoz as part of the Ergenekon investigation were originally thought to belong to the TSK, something that Başbuğ denied Wednesday.
To prevent such accusations in the future, he said, the TSK would start to code each hand grenade and light anti-tank weapon with a specific, undeletable number. Furthermore, all military equipment produced by the state companies will have their own identifier on them too. The Beykoz discovery was the second arms cache found in the probe into an alleged nationalist-secularist network called Ergenekon that has been accused of plotting to overthrow the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, and incite a military coup.
No buried weapons since 1986
Furthermore, the top general revealed that the military has had no buried weapons or ammunition since 1986. "I want to make it clear," he said. "Until 1986, our Special Forces Command had buried weapons all over Turkey. But as a result of a decision made in 1986, all this equipment was transferred to the depots, a process that was completed in 1998. This means the TSK has no buried weapons in any part of Turkey."
Regarding the unearthed weapons and ammunition, Başbuğ said the primary source could be Iraq. "Unfortunately, it [Iraq] causes problem in many dimensions," he said. "Until four or five years ago, you could buy hand grenades, automatic rifles, anti-tank weaponsÉ even Dochka anti-aircraft weapons on the streets."