The Turkish Armed Forces are the military forces of the Republic of Turkey. The Turkish Armed Forces consist of the Land Forces, the Naval Forces and the Air Forces. The Chief of the General Staff is the Commander of the Armed Forces. In wartime, the Chief of the General Staff acts as the Commander-in-Chief on behalf of the President, who represents the Supreme Military Command of the TAF on behalf of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Coordinating the military relations of the TAF with other NATO member states and friendly states is the responsibility of the General Staff.
Special operations or special ops are military activities conducted, according to NATO, by "specially designated, organized, selected, trained, and equipped forces using unconventional techniques and modes of employment." Special operations may include reconnaissance, unconventional warfare, and counterterrorism, and are typically conducted by small groups of highly trained personnel, emphasizing sufficiency, stealth, speed, and tactical coordination, commonly known as special forces.
The Turkish Land Forces is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The army was formed on November 8, 1920, after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Significant campaigns since the foundation of the army include suppression of rebellions in Southeast Anatolia and East Anatolia from the 1920s to the present day, combat in the Korean War, the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus and the current Turkish involvement in the Syrian civil war, as well as its NATO alliance against the USSR during the Cold War. The army holds the preeminent place within the armed forces. It is customary for the Chief of the General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces to have been the Commander of the Turkish Land Forces prior to his appointment as Turkey's senior ranking officer.
The National Guard of Cyprus, also known as the Greek Cypriot National Guard or simply the National Guard, is the military force of the Republic of Cyprus. It consists of air, land, sea and special forces elements, and is highly integrated with its first and second line reserves, as well as supporting civilian agencies and paramilitary forces.
General Mehmet Yaşar Büyükanıt was the 25th Chief of the Turkish General Staff of the Turkish Armed Forces, from 28 August 2006 to 28 August 2008.
Arkady Ivani Ter-Tadevosyan, also known by his nom-de-guerre Komandos, was a Soviet and Armenian Major General, a military leader of the Armenian forces during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War and Armenia's former Deputy Minister of Defense. Ter-Tadevosyan is best known as the commander of the operation to capture the town of Shushi on 8–9 May 1992.
In 1974, Turkey invaded the northern portion of the Republic of Cyprus in response to a military coup taking place on the island, in attempt to annex the island to Greece. Turkey claimed that this was an intervention in accordance to Treaty of Guarantee. The invasion consisted of two major Turkish offensives, and involved air, land and sea combat operations. The war resulted in a ceasefire which persists until the present day.
The Cyprus Turkish Peace Force Command is the Turkish garrison in Cyprus. In 1974 Turkish troops invaded Cyprus following a Greek Cypriot coup d'état which wanted to force union with Greece, occupying the northern third of the island. The invasion force consisted of about 40,000 soldiers and 200 tanks. It outnumbers the Greek military contingent on the island, which is supplemented by the Greek Cypriot National Guard consisting of 12,000 active and 75,000 reserves. Air reinforcement of the Turkish troops can be effected, if necessary, within hours.
The Gendarmerie Special Operations or JÖH, is the special operations unit of the Turkish Gendarmerie General Command. Its tasks include search and destroy, infiltration, and reconnaissance. Members of the unit receive extensive training at the Jandarma School at Foça and also from selected Turkish Armed Forces instructors. All three of its companies work under the direction of the army regions to which they are assigned, but can also receive tasking from their headquarters in Ankara.
The 1st Commando Brigade is a brigade of the Turkish Army, based in Kayseri.
The Amphibious Marine Brigade, also known as Amphibious Commando, is the marine corps special operations capable unit of the Turkish Naval Forces based in Foça near İzmir, three amphibious battalions, an MBT battalion, an artillery battalion, a support battalion and other company-sized units.
Hulusi Akar is a former four-star Turkish Armed Forces general who served as the Minister of National Defense from 2018 to 2023. He previously served as the 29th chief of the Turkish General Staff. Akar also served as a brigade commander in various NATO engagements including the International Security Assistance Force against the Taliban insurgency, Operation Deliberate Force during the Bosnian War, the Kosovo Force during the Kosovo War, as well as overseeing much of the Turkish involvement in the Syrian Civil War.
The 69 Commando ; also known as Very Able Troopers 69 is an elite multi-tasking special forces unit of the Royal Malaysia Police. The VAT 69 is based at Ulu Kinta, Perak and together with Special Actions Unit, they are part of Pasukan Gerakan Khas. The mission of 69 Commando is to conduct high-risk tasks such as counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, intelligence gathering and counter-insurgency within the borders of Malaysia.
The 4th Commando Brigade is one of the 12 infantry brigades in Turkish Land Forces. It's under the 8th Corps and is headquartered at Tunceli. It was involved in Operation Olive Branch (2018) in Syria and fought in Operation Claw (2019) with the Gendarmerie Special Operations in Iraq.
The 15th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Alexandria (Peacekeeping) Brigade, Military Unit Number 90600, is a unit in the Russian Ground Forces. It is the only named peacekeeping brigade in the Russian Armed Forces. The formation is part of the 2nd Guards Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District. It is based in Roshchinsky in Volzhsky District of Samara Oblast.
The 9th Commando Brigade is one of the 12 infantry brigades designated as commando in Turkish Land Forces. It is under the 9th Corps and is headquartered at Sarıkamış, Kars Province. Search and rescue training is given to soldiers in the brigade. The brigade was involved in Operation Olive Branch.
The 3rd Commando Brigade is one of the 12 infantry brigades designated as commando in Turkish Land Forces. It's under the 7th Corps and is headquartered at Siirt. The unit was involved in the Operation Olive Branch (2018) in Syria and is actively involved in the Kurdish–-Turkish conflict. It was professionalized in 2010.
Aslahaddin Mosque is a mosque in the Akpinar neighborhood of the city of Bolu, Turkey. It is named after Sayyid bin Abu Bakr, known as Hazrat Aslahaddin, whose turbe (tomb) is in the mosque.
Azerbaijani Commando Brigades are commando units within the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan, formed in 2021 from the military personnel of the Land Forces who returned to Azerbaijan after training in the Turkish Armed Forces.
Turkey 