Armed Forces / Military Service

The Turkish Armed Forces is comprised of the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force. Also attached to the Turkish Armed Forces is the General Command of the Gendarmerie, while the Coast Guard Command is attached to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Gendarmeries are stationed in areas that are outside zones covered by police forces, while the Coast Guard is responsible for the maritime jurisdiction areas in Turkey.

In Turkey, military service is compulsory for all male citizens between 20 and 41 years of age (barring those who are disabled, mentally ill, physically unsuitable in terms of height-weight proportions, or unhealthy). Those who have come of age but are engaged in higher education or vocational training may delay service until the completion of these programmes or until they reach a certain age. Women are not conscripted, but may become officers if they choose it as a career and enrol in military school. The duration of basic military service varies according to level of schooling: primary and secondary school graduates serve for 15 months as privates; graduates of a four-year university or above may serve either as reserve officers for 12 months or as privates for six months. Turkish citizens who have been working abroad for at least three years may benefit from a basic military training that last 21 days for a fee (currently 5,112 EUR for those under 38 years of age, and 7,668 EUR for those over 38 years of age, to be paid in foreign currency; figures valid as of February 2010).