Turkish Armed Forces

Turkish Armed Forces consists of the Army, Navy (includes Naval Air and Naval Infantry) and Air Force. The Gendarmerie and Coast Guard operate as the parts of internal security forces in peacetime and are subordinate to the Army and Navy Commands respectively. In wartime, both have law enforcement and military functions.
The Commander-in-Chief since 2002 is Chief General Staff General Hilmi Özkök. The current commander of the land forces, Yasar Büyükanit, is to replace Özkök at the Chief of General Staff in 2006.
After becoming a member of the NATO Alliance on 18 February 1952, the Turkish Republic initiated a comprehensive modernization program for its Armed Forces. Towards the end of the 1980s, a second restructuring process was initiated.
The Turkish Armed forces, with a combined troop strength of 1,043,550 soldiers, is the second largest standing force in NATO after the United States. Currently, 36,000 troops are stationed in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
The Armed forces have traditionally been a political powerful institution, and have on several occasions intervened directly in political affairs. The role of the military in Turkish politics, mainly through the National Security Council, is however declining, as Turkey undergoes democratization reforms in order to comply with EU's Copenhagen criteria.