MILITARY DOCTRINE OF THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY – ANALYSE
Milaz.info
Nov 3 2011
Azerbaijan
South Caucasus and Caspian Sea region being a sensitive and
complicated area from the geo-political, geo-strategic, geo-economic
and geo-cultural point of view, open for foreign influences in a great
extent. Military doctrines of regional countries and their defense
and military policies implemented based on these doctrines also play
significant role in establishment and development of regional peace
and stability, as well as on the contrary in violation of stability,
in creation of tension and confrontations, crisis and conflicts in
the whole region.
Military doctrine being an officially announced system of views in
state’s military security field. determines political-military,
political-strategic and political-economic basis of its military
security, including the directions of combat preparation of state
and armed force, methods and forms of its implementation.
The provisions of military doctrine of every state may alter depending
on thorough change of military security environment, military-political
situation, as well as on internal political development and radical
changes regarding strategic choice. In this regard, revision and
update of military doctrine from time to time is expectable. In order
to evaluate influence of military doctrinal views on establishment
of peace and stability, development of freedom and democracy, people
welfare integration in South Caucasus, first of all military doctrines’
of the region countries (Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan), as well as
military doctrines of Russia, Iran and Turkey, which have traditional
interests in the region should be studies and evaluated in this regard.
The Center of Military Analyses and Research has prepared the document
“Military doctrines of regional countries – stability or the threat
of confrontation?” by support Open Society Institute – Assistance
Foundation. Today we publish the Military Doctrine of the Republic
of Turkey.
Military Doctrine of the Republic of Turkey
Official views system in the field of military security of Turkish
Republic (TR) finds its reflection in the “Political document about
National Security” (Milli guvE~Ynlik siyasE~Yt bölgusu- MGSB). TR
MGSB came into force after its signing by the President in March, 2006.
According to MGSB, TR military-doctrinal views named “defense policy”
consists of mainly in two parts:
– national security strategy (clarifies social-political side of
military doctrine) and
– consists of national military strategy (regulates military-technical
side of military doctrine).
TR military doctrine has a defensive character.
The main provisions of TR defensive policy are the followings:
– TR independence, territorial integrity and guarantee of defense of
Republic form structure of the society;
– to prevent crisis and conflicts, to use all opportunities for
prevention of their creation, including the implementation of all
measures in order to decrease international tension;
– to take active part in collective security system, to fulfill all
obligations taken by TR.
NATO takes the first place in international guarantee of TR military
security. In general, the membership to NATO is the basis of TR
military doctrine. Active participation of the country in NATO
implies collective guarantee of TR security, getting of additional
opportunities for implementation of foreign and military policy by the
support of allies. In this regard, national armed forces take active
part in NATO peacekeeping operations, NATO-Turkey military trainings.
The last periods, stirring up defense policy of Turkey and in this
regard, order of showing initiative to Armed Forces and carrying out
the intensive trainings in the region may be considered one of the
positive steps implemented in the direction of peace and stability.
According to the Military Doctrine, TR defense policy, national
security strategy is based on 3 conceptual idea. These are:
– without using forces and Armed Forces guarantee of national security,
protect potential able to prevent threat and dangers (“deterrence
strategy”), to keep Armed Forces in high combat preparation level
and to provide thoroughly;
– to manage crisis (political, military, humanitarian and so on),
to take military and non-military measures in advance, to prevent
expected threat and dangers (to give preference in using of mainly
non-military ways and methods in the settlement of these issues);
– and to create the security environment on perimeter, along the
border, which will guarantee peace with neighbor countries (with
setting existed crisis, preventing expected crisis).
The first and second provisions of TR military doctrinal views
(“deterrence strategy” and preventive defense policy) are strategic
conceptual views adopted by the U.S and NATO.
The third main provision of defense strategy came from AK party
government’s “zero problem” policy with neighbors.
As it can be seen, the target of democratic Turkey’s military-political
leadership is creation “peace and security zone” around its
country. This also serves to creation of efficient conditions for
regional peace and stability, reinforcement of security, as well
as development of and expansion of democracy in South-East Europe,
Central Asia and S. Caucasus.
TR national military strategy, military-technical side of military
doctrine is based on the following four main conceptual ideas:
– high combat preparation of Armed Forces and its keeping in combat
power, comprehensive technical supply;
– to go to the decisive actions in order to use ordinary arms, to
carry out operations;
– to be able to carry out limited scale military operations; – to
carry out “something other, not only war” operations (or “something
other than war” operations), in other words, to avoid the war .
Analyze of existed global and regional military-political situations
and its expected development prospects, appearing of new tendencies and
development risk, changing of character of threat and dangers brought
to determination of TR’s role and place and principle alterations in
military doctrine.
According to MGCB at present Turkish Armed Forces have been prepared
on condition not “two of the five”, but “one of the five” war,
that is, high intensity war with one foreign enemy or conflict,
including readiness to large-scaled combat actions with internal
separatist groups.
Turkey, taking into account, short and average term development
prospects until today and 2015-2020 adjusted its military-doctrinal
views to new strategic conditions. TR MD stipulates that Armed Forces
can participate in two wars, both within the structures of united arms
(NATO) and independently can take part in local war.
TR military doctrine fundamentally differs from other regional
states by giving preference to internal threats in evaluation of
the threats to military security. In MGSB of TR “traditionally”
radical Islamists, kurds, separatists and ultra left movements are
included into the supposed internal threats. These threats along with
considering priority near foreign threats, are still continue to be
potential security.
Giving preference to internal threats relates to, on the one hand
with providing of TR international security in high level, membership
to NATO and completing of cold war, on the other hand, with its
having high combat ability and powerful army with “deterrence”
capability. In any case, absence of threats from regional countries
among the foreign threats in the military doctrine may assessed
positive from the viewpoint of regional peace and security, stability.
It is the first time that Turkey’s not seeing of any neighbor
country as a source of threat from the military view in short and
long prospects principally is noted in MGSB of Turkey. However,
considering some neighbor countries situating in TR perimeter, it is
noted in MGSB that “some countries also may be the source of danger
and challenge to separate threats. In order to prevent them, firstly,
the political-diplomatic methods will be used by the support of army
potential”. Among the such threats and challenges to threats, the
confrontation in Greece on Cyprus problem, air, land borders with it,
problems of The Aegean Sea basin are also noted in the document.
Anxieties on efforts for the development of Iranian missile and
nuclear program are particularly noted in MGSB.
Probability of Dagliq Qarabag conflict’s (which is also important for
regional peace and stability) again intensification’s taking place
in MGSB of TR should be assessed positive.
TR gives significance to the development of relations in international
guarantee of military security with NATO as well as the U.S. and EU,
including member countries.
Relations with the U.S, which is the leader of global power and NATO
are considered among the preferences of TR foreign policy, as well as
the first importance of its military security policy. Development of
TR-U.S relations, especially coordination of their S. Caucasus policies
is one of the factors having a positive effect on regional stability.
Support of TR together with the U.S. to independency, territorial
integrity and sovereignty of S. Caucasus states, their joint
efforts to peaceful solution of regional conflicts, development of
democracy and security in the region, these states’ integration to
Europe and Euro-Atlantic institutions, Georgian membership to NATO,
strengthening of military security of Azerbaijan and Georgia and
implementation of regional projects of strategic importance, decrease
of RF military participation in the region and removing of regional
military-political disbalance serve to establishment of regional
stability and reinforcement of security.
Pursuing of these two allies’ different lines in some issues in
regional policy (for instance, the Georgian crisis in 2008, nuclear
program of Iran, Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict, normalization of
TR-Armenia relations and other issues) first of all serves to the
interests of forces, which play destructive role in the region.
TR and U.S’ (which are member of NATO, at the same time, are
democratic and ally states) formation of common views, removing of
existed difference of opinions and carrying out coordinated policy,
would have a positive effect on settlement of conflicts, inter-regional
integration, regional stability, security and development of democracy,
as a whole, positive development of the region.
Membership to European Union and its participation in military security
establishments are also one of the main priorities of Turkish foreign
and security policy.
South Caucasus. Azerbaijan takes special place in foreign policy of
Turkey and relations between two fraternal states, which are natural
allies have a strategic character. On the date of August 16, 2010 by
the treaty “about strategic partnership and mutual assistance between
the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Turkey” concluded in
Baku, the relations were formalized.
According to the 2-nd article of this treaty, which also expresses
the sides’ adhering to Qars Treaty dated on October 13, 1921:
“In case of one of the sides’ subjecting to armed attack by third
state or a group of states, the Sides came to the agreement about
rendering mutual assistance to each other with aim of implementing
all necessary measures within the frames of existed opportunities,
including applying of all military power and opportunities in order to
implement their individual or collective self-defense right recognized
by the article 51 of UN Charter. The form and volume of assistance
will be agreed between the Sides without dating”.
As it can be seen, TR-Azerbaijan official relations, which have
a strategic character were very approached to military-political
allies relations.
Ankara thoroughly supports Georgian independency, sovereignty and
territorial integrity, intends to achieve mediation in Abkhazia
and South Ossetia negotiations. TR, which have a close relations
with Georgia in military and military-technical field, attempts to
strengthening of its armed forces. TR also supports Georgian membership
to NATO.
TR’s development of military security relations with Azerbaijan and
Georgia, as a whole directed to normalization of military-political
disbalance, establishment of regional peace and stability in S.
Caucasus.
Turkey also tries to find the ways of normalization of relations with
Armenia, which does not intend to reject of “genocide” and territorial
claims, which is in war situation with Azerbaijan.
Based on real policy and taking into account complicated and sensitive
military-political situation in the region, TR gives a preference to
development of diversified partnership relations with Russia as well.
Joint interests and common problems for TR and Russian (Black Sea
and problems around it, especially undesirability of existence of
Military Naval Forces here by the countries around Black Sea, Iraq,
Syria, Near East issues and issues regarding Iranian nuclear program)
also create positive conditions for development of bilateral relations.
Development of bilateral relations between Turkey and Russia, which
came to great agreements in energy, as well as nuclear energy field,
may have a positive effect on development of region by creating
favorable conditions for joint cooperation in South Caucasus.
The Center of Military Analyses and Research
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