Turkey’s defense ministry said Thursday it has begun work to increase the number of commando brigades, elite light infantry formations trained for hard terrain and cross-border combat, as Ankara reviews lessons from the Ukraine war and the US-Israeli conflict with Iran.
The ministry said the Turkish Armed Forces is updating its force structure in response to changes in warfare and military technology. It said the planned new brigades would be organized under a newer model than existing units, based on current threat assessments and operational needs.
The statement offered no number for the new brigades and gave no timeline for when they would be established.
Turkish military’s commando brigades are among the army’s main assault formations. They are often deployed in mountain warfare, counterterrorism operations and cross-border missions in Iraq and Syria.
The move comes as Turkey reviews its military posture amid rising security risks on several fronts.
Ankara has closely followed the Russia-Ukraine war, where drones, long-range strikes and fast-moving ground units have changed the way wars are fought. It has also faced spillover from the recent US-Israeli war on Iran, during which Turkish officials said NATO air defenses intercepted several Iranian ballistic missiles headed toward Turkish airspace.
In recent days Turkish officials have also urged allies to prepare for a smaller US role in NATO ahead of the alliance’s July 7-8 summit in Ankara, pointing to a larger push to strengthen Turkey’s own readiness as regional and alliance security grows less predictable.
