The Turkish military’s main combat arm, the Land Forces (Kara Kuvvetleri), will have a hard time finding combat-ready troops to deploy in the event of a war and lacks much-needed military hardware to accomplish its mission.
A confidential Turkish military report obtained by Nordic Monitor revealed that military commanders are concerned about the deteriorating capabilities of the Land Forces, proposing remedies to address the problems that hamper the forces’ operational and logistical capabilities.
“We are having a hard time finding a combat-ready armored/mechanized brigade that we can send into battle. So our top priority as the Land Forces should be to find a solution to our need for combat troops,” the report warned.
The report anticipated that the Land Forces may be called on to deploy, albeit in a limited engagement, and project power along the border with Greece as well as during a conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. It predicted that instability in Syria and Iraq would continue and that some troops may be committed to creating a buffer zone there.
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It also noted that NATO may further weigh in on Russia and demand that Turkey commit forces at various levels against the Russian threat, while the army may be asked to provide training programs for more foreign countries.
Considering that the demand to use land troops would likely increase in the future in the projected security outlook, the Land Forces must be able to modernize itself quickly to address shortages and solve problems to be able to accomplish such tasks, the report underlined.
It also sounded alarm bells over the lack of sophisticated military systems such as air missile defense units, precision guided and target acquirement systems and long range cruise missiles.
According to the report, the Land Forces is dealt a further blow with a lack of adequate manpower.
source nordicmonitor.com
