Turkey's military technology resources during the Cold War (1946-1990)

The historical process of Turkey's military technology resources, which is the subject of this study, covers the years 1946-1990, which coincides with the cold war period. The change and transformation process in the military technology resources of the Turkish army during this period has been discussed in detail depending on the political, military and economic events that took place inside and outside of the period. The study consists of an introduction and three parts. In the introduction, the military terms that are the subject of the study are defined and the subject is made more understandable. In the first section following the introduction; The general situation of the Turkish army (Land, Naval, Air and Gendarmerie army) from the foundation of the Republic to 1960 has been examined. The Second World War, which is included in this section, took place between 1939-1945. Despite the pressures of both warring sides, Turkey managed to stay out of the war with its balance policy. World War II revealed that the weapons, tools, equipment and equipment of the Turkish army were far from being modern, and that its personnel lacked the necessary training for a modern war. The world has been reshaped since 1945. During the Cold War, the world and Turkey; political, military, economic, social, cultural etc. has experienced many changes and transformations, and as a result, Turkey has defined itself in the western bloc. The modernization, change and transformation process of the Turkish army, which has been going on since the Ottoman Empire and continued in the Republic of Turkey, has increased after the Second World War, especially after 1947. Turkey organized all its institutions, especially the Turkish Armed Forces, according to Western norms, with the military aid it provided as a result of the contributions of Truman and Marshall. In the period between 1950-1960, one of the important events affecting the restructuring of the Turkish Armed Forces was the inclusion of Turkey in the NATO community on February 16, 1952, at the end of the Korean War. In this process, new arrangements were made in the organization and staff of the Land Forces, and all classes were equipped with modern weapons and equipment. Air Force units are equipped with jet planes. In accordance with the US Naval Assistance Program, various tonnages of surface, minesweepers and submarines were delivered to Turkey, thereby increasing the strength of the Naval Forces. In the period between 1960-1974, which is examined in the second part, 27 May 1960 Revolution, Cyprus crisis and 12 March 1971 Memorandum were experienced. In this period, military aid from NATO and the USA continued to be provided, on the other hand, military aid was provided from Germany since 1964. The production of light weapons for the Land Forces was emphasized. The Navy has aimed to transform the navy from the "Marmara Sea Navy" to the "Offshore Navy" since 1960. Studies were carried out for ship production at Gölcük Shipyard, with the purchase of torpedo boats, submarines and auxiliary ships. Efforts were made to supply aircraft and supplies for the Air Force. As a result of the developments in the world and the change in the threat environment, restructuring was required and the RE-MO plan was put into practice in 1972. The Cyprus Peace Operation, which was examined in the third part covering the years 1974-1990, and the embargo put into effect after that, required the renewal of old technology weapons that came with foreign military aid and the establishment of a national defense industry. In the 1970s, Force Commands Strengthening Foundations were established to achieve these goals and investments were initiated. In the same period, advanced technology companies (TUSAŞ, ASELSAN, HAVELSAN, ROKETSAN, ASPİLSAN and İŞBİR ELEKTRİK SANAYİİ A.Ş. etc.) were put into practice in order to meet the needs of the Turkish army from national resources. Efforts to develop the defense industry gained weight in the 1980s, the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM) was established in 1985 and the Defense Industry Support Fund (SSDF) was established. On the other hand, on 12 September 1980, the Turkish Armed Forces took over the administration in order to protect national unity and prevent anarchy and terrorism, and the 1982 Constitution was put into effect in the last 3 years. Special Equipment Grants, a type of grant initiated in 1980 to restructure the Land Forces, consist of new tools and materials. In this context, 232 Leopard 1-A3 tanks purchased from the Federal Republic of Germany entered the Land Forces inventory. In the 1980s, important breakthroughs were made in order to develop the Naval Forces. The "AY" class submarine with a weight of 1000 tons, whose construction was completed in Gölcük Shipyard in 1980, and the Fatih frigate, which was completed and put into service in 1988, added strength to the strength of the Turkish navy. Between 1987-1995, a total of 160 F-16 C/Ds were produced, of which 152 by TAI and 8 by the USA, and presented to the Air Force.