The Turkish military One Of The Largest in the World

London - A Turkish military splinter group - the second largest in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) after the United States - seized the world's attention last Friday to conduct a coup attempt.

The action surprised the Turkish observers, who believe that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the Islamist party Justice and Development Party has been tame secular-minded military.

Acting Military Commander Gen. Umit Dundar later announced on Saturday (16/7) that a coup attempt had been thwarted.

The Turkish military has 510 600 troops, down from 800,000 in 1985, and is regarded as one of the most skilled in the world.

In recent years, the Turkish army to spend more energy to fight separatist Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) in the southeastern region and conduct air strikes on PKK bases in northern Iraq border.

Hundreds of Turkish soldiers have been killed in the fighting, which erupted ceasefire violated only 2.5 years old in mid-2015.

Last year Turkey also decided to join the US-led coalition to demolish the group Islamic State in Syria from the air.

Based on data from 2016 released by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Turkey has 402,000 personnel of the Army, Navy personnel and 48,600 to 60,000 Air Force personnel.

In addition there are 100,000 members of the gendarmerie, or military police, under the command of the Ministry of the Interior, not the Ministry of Defence, according to data from 2015.

Turkey also has close to 400,000 reservists in the third generation.

Turkish Navy has 13 submarines, 18 frigates and six Corvettes, while the Air Force is reinforced more than 200 F-16 fighter jet, the second largest after the US.

"The Air Force (Turkey) well-armed and highly trained," the IISS report said.

Jane's Intelligence Organisation states that Turkish Army is also developing rapidly since the early 1990s, with high mobility and increasing attacking power.

Tweet