Aegean Army
| Aegean Army | |
|---|---|
| Active | July 1975[1]-present |
| Country | Turkey |
| Size | Field Army |
| Part of | Turkish Army |
| Garrison/HQ | İzmir |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander |
General Galip Mendi |
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The Aegean Army or Fourth Army is one of the four main formations of the Turkish Army. It covers the entire west coast of the Anatolia peninsula and has its headquarters in İzmir. It was organised in the 1970s in response to political tensions with Greece - the ongoing Aegean dispute.
Its stated mission is to protect Turkey's territory on its western coast. This is directed against the perceived threat posed by Greece's armament of the Aegean Sea islands. Greece, on the other hand, perceives the presence of the Aegean Army as a threat to its islands, citing strong offensive capabilities ascribed to the Aegean Army as well as the exposed and isolated geographical position of the islands as reasons of concern. Greek sources particularly point to the strong amphibian forces maintained by the Aegean Army as an indicator of its offensive nature.[2] Turkey has countered such concerns by stating that besides being of a fundamentally defensive nature it is "basically a training army".[3]
The Aegean Army is not a NATO-assigned formation.[citation needed]
The Army has been reported to consist of the following units and organizations:
- Cyprus Turkish Peace Force
- 57th Artillery Training Brigade (Izmir)
- 19th Infantry Brigade (Edremit[disambiguation needed])
- 11th Motorised Infantry Brigade (Denizli)
- 3rd Infantry Training Brigade (Antalya)
- 1st Infantry Training Brigade (Manisa).[4]
References
- ↑ Olaylarla Türk Dış Politikası, Ankara Üniversitesi Siyasal Bilgiler Fakültesi, 1987, p. 586.
- ↑ Macedonian Press Agency
- ↑ Turkish embassy declaration
- ↑ Forum discussion of current structure, drawn from S&H Magazine
External links
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