Turkey participates in the NATO nuclear weapons sharing arrangements and trains for delivering United States nuclear warheads.
Basic informations
Capital: | Ankara |
Area: | 783,562 km2 |
Population: | 85,279,553 |
Etnic groups: | Turkish 70-75%, Kurdish 18%, other minorities 7-12% |
Religions: | Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% |
Military branches
(Türk Silahlı Kuvvetleri) Turkish Land Forces (Turk Kara Kuvvetleri), Turkish Naval Forces (Turk Deniz Kuvvetleri; includes naval air and naval infantry), Turkish Air Forces (Turk Hava Kuvvetleri).
Military service
21-41 years of age for male compulsory military service; 18 years of age for voluntary service; 12 months conscript obligation for non-university graduates, 6-12 months for university graduates (graduates of higher education may perform 6 months of military service as short-term privates, or 12 months as reserve officers); conscripts are called to register at age 20, for service at 21; women serve in the Turkish Armed Forces only as officers; reserve obligation to age 41; Turkish citizens with a residence or work permit who have worked abroad for at least 3 years (1095 days) can be exempt from military service in exchange for 6,000 EUR or its equivalent in foreign currencies; a law passed in December 2014 introduced a one-time payment scheme which exempted Turkish citizens 27 and older from conscription in exchange for a payment of $8,150.