Olağanüstü Hal Kararları ve Türk Ordusu: Ordu’nun Savaş Kapasitesi Nasıl Etkilenecek?

Abstract

Turkish civil-military relations (CMR) have fluctuated significantly during Adalet ve Kalkınma (Justice and Development) Party (AK Party) rule. In their first term (2002-2007), the AK Party successfully implemented a reform package to subordinate the military to civilians in line with the European Union progress reports. Nevertheless, starting in their second term, extraordinary events again led the authorities to reconsider Turkey's long-standing legacy of military politicisation. First, a website memorandum, which was carried out by the military authorities, led to the emergence of strict public protests; second, in the so-called Ergenekon investigations, some generals were accused of trying to oust the government; and lastly, the Fetullah Gülen organisation, which penetrated the military, attempted a coup d'état. All these recent developments caused CMR experts to reconsider the CMR in Turkey. As a result of those events, the institutional formation of Turkish CMR was completely changed via the declaration of state of emergency rules (Olağanüstü Hal [OHAL] rules). As such, the research question of this paper addresses the future of the Turkish army's combat efficiency by taking into account the aforementioned changes. By considering the relevant literature and interviews conducted for this purpose, I aim to provide a coherent answer to this question. First, the article will discuss what kinds of event CMR have undergone during the AK Party era. Second, after analysing the Ergenekon investigations and 15 July coup attempt, the article will consider the OHAL rules. Each decision will be analysed from a different perspective to discuss how they are affecting the military's combat prowess.