Turkey's 'war machine' goes global
The ambitious Turkish gendarmerie command is seeking to form a cooperative agency with countries in and around Central Asia as part of its increased involvement in Turkey's foreign policy.
The public should expect to hear the name of the Turkish Gendarmerie General Command frequently in 2018 as it becomes a major tool for Turkey’s foreign policy, with plans to coordinate with other Eurasian police forces.
The gendarmerie forces are responsible for law enforcement in rural areas, which make up about 65% of Turkey's territory. As of November, it had 180,000 personnel. About 60% of the personnel are professionals including officers, noncommissioned officers and contracted personnel, and 40% are conscripts.
But the gendarmerie command — which is active in combating terror and border security with its attack helicopters, heavy armored vehicles, armed drones and combat-proven special operations teams at its disposal — appears more like an army with serious conventional military capabilities instead of a rural police force.
This war machine attached to the Ministry of Interior apparently is becoming an important foreign policy instrument. The gendarmerie command, which has been in close cooperation with Italy and France in training and joint exercises, also executes its own train-and-equip programs in Macedonia, Gambia and Somalia. Now it is eyeing Eurasia for 2018.
