Türkiye showcases new joint military headquarters

Türkiye’s Defense Ministry on Thursday hosted its weekly press briefing for the first time at the newly built Crescent and Star Joint Headquarters, a sprawling military complex designed to bring together the country’s top defense institutions under one roof, while using the occasion to outline preparations for next week’s NATO summit and reiterate Ankara’s positions on regional security issues.

Rear Adm. Zeki Aktürk, the ministry’s spokesperson, said the headquarters will house the Defense Ministry, the Turkish General Staff and the commands of the army, navy and air force in a single campus aimed at strengthening joint military operations.

Inspired by the design of the Turkish flag, the complex is being built with smart-building technologies, advanced cybersecurity systems and protection against ballistic and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats, Aktürk said.

He added that the headquarters would serve as a strategic military hub under Türkiye’s “Century of Türkiye” vision and would host a reception for visiting defense ministers and senior NATO officials during the NATO leaders’ summit scheduled for July 7-8 in Ankara.

Aktürk described the summit as a significant milestone for the alliance, saying it would reaffirm NATO’s commitment to collective defense while shaping its future strategic direction amid an evolving security environment.

“The summit will once again demonstrate Türkiye’s strategic role within the alliance and the international security architecture,” he said.

He also said that a defense industry forum to be held on the sidelines of the summit is expected to contribute to trans-Atlantic defense industrial cooperation and investment.

Providing an update on Türkiye’s contributions to NATO, Aktürk said the country had completed a one-year command of NATO’s Amphibious Task Force and Landing Force before transferring responsibility to the Netherlands. Command of the alliance’s Air Component was also transferred to France.

He added that military confidence-building measures between Türkiye and Greece continue through reciprocal military delegation visits.

Regional developments

Aktürk criticized Israel’s ongoing military operations across the Middle East, accusing it of undermining regional peace and stability.

He said Israel had continued military strikes despite a cease-fire arrangement with Lebanon and accused it of violating Syria’s sovereignty through attacks in the southern provinces of Quneitra and Daraa.

On U.S.-Iran diplomacy, Aktürk said restraint and responsible engagement by both sides would be important for regional peace.

The ministry also provided updated figures on Türkiye’s counterterrorism operations.

Aktürk said seven members of the PKK terrorist group surrendered to Turkish security forces over the past week. Turkish troops also continued destroying caves, shelters and improvised explosive devices in operational areas, he said.

On border security, he said Turkish authorities detained 331 people attempting to cross the country’s borders illegally during the past week, including four suspected members of terrorist groups, while preventing another 844 people from crossing.

Since the beginning of the year, authorities have detained 5,299 people attempting illegal crossings and blocked more than 40,000 others, according to the ministry.

Aktürk also said Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) search-and-rescue teams remain deployed alongside the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), following recent earthquakes in Venezuela.

The ministry announced additional defense industry deliveries to the armed forces, including the acceptance of the domestically produced Gökbey utility helicopter for the Turkish Land Forces and the ALP-300G low-altitude radar system for the air force.

Aktürk said the state-owned defense company MKE had successfully completed live-fire demonstrations of its TOLGA close-range air defense system before military attaches from 24 countries. The system is designed to counter kamikaze drones, drone swarms and fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.

He added that defense contractor Aselsan had delivered new communications, missile-launching, anti-drone and precision-guidance systems to the Turkish navy and air force.

Defense Ministry officials also said efforts to modernize Türkiye’s military health system are continuing under directives from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, while emphasizing that a recently updated list of controlled military materials reflects a routine technical revision rather than a policy change.

DAILYSABAH