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

See also: Fourth Army (Ottoman Empire)

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.

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)
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

http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/europe/turkey-cyprus/turkey/B64-%20Turkey%20and%20Greece-%20Time%20to%20Settle%20the%20Aegean%20Dispute.pdf

Turkish Army Formations

Commands

1st Army

2nd Corps	4th Mechanized Infantry Brigade 8th Mechanized Infantry Brigade 18th Mechanized Infantry Brigade 95th Armored Brigade 102nd Artillery Regiment Corps Engineer Combat Regiment 5th Commando Brigade

3rd Corps	52nd Tactical Armored Division 2nd Armored Brigade 66th Mechanized Infantry Brigade 23rd Tactical Motorized Infantry Division 6th Motorized Infantry Regiment 23rd Motorized Infantry Regiment 47th Motorized Infantry Regiment

5th Corps	1st Armored Brigade 3rd Armored Brigade 54th Mechanized Infantry Brigade 55th Mechanized Infantry Brigade 65th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Corps Armored Cavalry Battalion 105th Artillery Regiment

2nd Army

4th Corps	28th Mechanized Infantry Brigade 58th Artillery Regiment 1st Commando Brigade 2nd Commando Brigade Presidential Guard Regiment

6th Corps	5th Armored Brigade 39th Mechanized Infantry Brigade 106th Artillery Regiment 6th Commando Brigade

7th Corps	3rd Tactical Infantry Division 34th Border Brigade 16th Mechanized Brigade 20th Mechanized Brigade 70th Mechanized Infantry Brigade 172nd Armored Brigade 2nd Motorized Infantry Brigade 6th Motorized Infantry Brigade 3rd Commando Brigade 107th Artillery Regiment Hakkari Mountain and Commando Brigade

3rd Army

8th Corps	1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade 12th Mechanized Infantry Brigade 10th Motorized Infantry Brigade 34th Motorized Infantry Brigade 49th Motorized Infantry Brigade 51st Motorized Infantry Brigade 4th Commando Brigade 108th Artillery Regiment 17th Motorized Infantry Brigade

9th Corps	9th Tactical Infantry Division 4th Armored Brigade 14th Mechanized Infantry Brigade 25th Mechanized Infantry Brigade 9th Motorized Infantry Brigade 48th Motorized Infantry Brigade 109th Artillery Regiment

Aegean Army

Cyprus Turkish Peace Force	28th Infantry Division 39th Infantry Division 14th Armoured Brigade Cyprus Special Forces Regiment Cyprus Artillery Regiment

Army units	Logistics Division 57th Artillery Training Brigade 19th Infantry Brigade 11th Motorised Infantry Brigade 5th Army Aviation School Command 2nd Infantry Regiment Commando Training School Command 3rd Infantry Training Brigade 1st Infantry Training Brigade

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