Turkish military set for major shake up after failed coup.

Crowds and police officers gather around Turkish Army Leopard 2A4 MBTs abandoned on Istanbul's Bosphorus Bridge in the wake of the failed coup attempt on the night of 15/16 July. Source: PA Images

By:Wording OD.

• Turkey looks set to purge and reform its military following the attempted coup on 15 July
• The shakeup looks set to impinge Turkey's ability to fight the PKK however

Turkey's military is to undergo a major shakeup following the failed and bloody coup attempt on 15 July, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced.

Erdogan vowed to restructure the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and give it "fresh blood" in an interview with Reuters on 21 July. The shakeup forms part of the state of emergency declared in Turkey on 20 July.

One of the first steps may be the subordination of the TSK to the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Turkey is planning to call an early meeting of the Supreme Military Council (YAS) during the week of 25 July, where the measure is expected to be enacted.

The president noted in the same interview that he did not hear of the coup from either the Turkish General Staff (TGS) headquarters or the National Intelligence Organisation (MIT), but instead from one of his sons-in-law. As a result Erdogan signalled a shakeup in the intelligence establishments too.

As JDW went to press, Turkey has detained 6,823 officers, including 124 generals and admirals, linked to the coup. 1,457 have been formally arrested, including senior commanders like: 2nd Army Commander General Adem Huduti (in charge of the fight against the Kurdistan Workers Party - PKK); General Bekir Ercan, the commander of Incirlik Air Base (from which two Turkish KC-135R tanker aircraft refuelled F-16s supporting the coup); and retired General Akin Ozturk, the former commander of the Turkish Air Force and YAS member. Gen Ozturk is alleged to have masterminded the air element of the abortive coup.

Turkey continues to hunt an unidentified number of other military suspects. Reportedly this includes a special forces team that missed killing Erdogan in Marmaris by only 15 minutes.

Source: Janes Defense.