Military and security service personnel strengths | approximately 480,000 active-duty personnel (380,000 Army; 50,000 Navy; 50,000 Air Force); approximately 150,000 Gendarmerie (2024) |
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Military equipment inventories and acquisitions | the military's inventory is mostly comprised of a mix of domestically produced and Western weapons systems, although in recent years, Turkey has also acquired some Chinese, Russian, and South Korean equipment; over the past decade, Italy, Spain, and the US have been among the leading providers of armaments to Turkey; Turkey has a robust defense industry capable of producing a range of weapons systems for both export and internal use, including armored vehicles, naval vessels, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs); Turkey's defense industry also partners with other countries for defense production (2023) |
Military service age and obligation | mandatory military service for men at age 20; service can be delayed if in university or in certain professions (researchers, professionals, and athletic, or those with artistic talents have the right to postpone military service until the age of 35); 6-12 months service; women may volunteer (2023). note 1: after completing six months of service, if a conscripted soldier wants to and is suitable for extending his military service, he may do so for an additional six months in return for a monthly salary; all male Turkish citizens over the age of 20 are required to undergo a one month military training period, but they can obtain an exemption from the remaining 5 months of their mandatory service by paying a fee note 2: as of 2020, women made up about 0.3% of the military's full-time personnel |
Military deployments | approximately 150 (Azerbaijan; monitoring cease-fire, clearing mines); 250 Bosnia-Herzegovina (EUFOR); approximately 30-35,000 Cyprus; 800 Kosovo (NATO/KFOR); 130 Lebanon (UNIFIL); estimated 500 Libya; up to 5,000 Qatar; approximately 200 Somalia (training mission) (2023). note: Turkey maintains significant military forces in both Iraq and Syria; size estimates vary as some forces are long-term deployments while others are deployed for specific operations; between 2016 and 2020, Turkey conducted four significant military ground campaigns in northern Syria with the stated purpose of securing its southern border; Turkey also has deployed troops into northern Iraq on numerous occasions to combat the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK), including large operations involving thousands of troops in 2007, 2011, and 2018, and smaller-scale operations in 2021 and 2022; Turkey has also conducted numerous air strikes in both Iraq and Syria |
Military expenditures | |
Military Expenditures 2024 | 2.1% of GDP (2024 est.) |
Military Expenditures 2023 | 1.6% of GDP (2023 est.) |
Military Expenditures 2022 | 1.4% of GDP (2022) |
Military Expenditures 2021 | 1.6% of GDP (2021) |
Military Expenditures 2020 | 1.9% of GDP (2020) |
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