Turkish army steps up drills, international missions worldwide — official

Turkish Ministry of National Defence spokesperson Rear Admiral Zeki Aktürk has reiterated that the country’s Armed Forces are continuing to conduct exercises, training activities, and participate in international missions aimed at enhancing combat capabilities and strengthening interoperability with allies.

In a statement by the ministry, Aktürk highlighted a series of recent and ongoing military activities across multiple regions.

According to the statement, the large-scale Mavi Vatan-2026 (Blue Homeland) exercises were completed in early April across the Black Sea, Aegean Sea, and Eastern Mediterranean. These drills were conducted alongside the joint Turkish–Pakistani special forces exercise Cinnah-13.

The ministry also noted that the Turkish–Azerbaijani exercises “Haydar Aliyev” are currently underway in Kars. Additional multinational and domestic drills include Anatolian Phoenix in Konya and EFES-2026, conducted in various operational formats.

Türkiye is also taking part in the multinational Dynamic Minotaur / Kurtaran submarine search and rescue exercises and is preparing to participate in the Locked Shields cyber defence drills.

Beyond training activities, Turkish forces remain engaged in missions and exercises in Libya and Côte d’Ivoire, while continuing their involvement in international training initiatives.

The ministry further reported visits by foreign naval vessels to Turkish ports, including the French frigate Provence, the Bangladesh Navy ship Sangram, and the Albanian vessel Oriku, which is participating in NATO’s Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG-2) mission.

In addition, Turkish naval and auxiliary vessels are operating in Somalia, where they are escorting a drilling ship as part of efforts to ensure maritime security.

The statement also underlined Türkiye’s participation in Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) events and international defence conferences, as well as the involvement of the Turkish Air Force in specialized forums held in the United States and the Czech Republic.

By Vafa Guliyeva