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Overview of conscription in Turkey

In Turkey, compulsory military service applies to all male citizens from 21 to 41 years of age. It is 6 months for all males regardless of education degree. Different rules apply to Turks abroad. For Turks with multiple citizenship, the conscription lapses if they have already served in the army of another country. Conscripts can be deployed in all parts of the Turkish armed forces, except in combat operations or active conflicts. For example, only professional soldiers are used in operations by Turkey against the PKK. Women are not conscripted, but they are permitted to become officers.

The Conscription Law was introduced in 1919 and has stayed in force since then. However, the length of service has been successively reduced over time. Between 1919 and 1998, the average length of service was 18 months for non educated males and 12 months for educated (university level). In 1998, these lengths were reduced to 12 months for non educated conscripts and 6 months for educated ones. After 2001, the current length of service was introduced, with a bar on further reductions until 2024.

The rules and procedures for conscription are set out in the Military Service Law in accordance with Article 72 of the Turkish Constitution. Ministerial circulars set out the rules and procedures for exemption from military service in exchange for a financial contribution or other form of compensation, and for discharge from military service in exchange for working in other government agencies. Articles 2, 25 and 26 of Turkey's Military Service Law stipulate that every man in Turkey must be conscripted and registered from 1 January of the year in which he turns twenty. Military service does not apply to women. A conscripted man is conscripted until 1 January of the year in which he turns 41. In the case of mobilization, men can be called up for military service up to the age of sixty five. Turkish men legally residing abroad are required to do military service from the year they turn 19 until the end of the year they turn 38. Men who voluntarily enlist in the armed forces can do so from the age of eighteen. Turkish women can voluntarily serve in the Turkish army as non commissioned officers or officers and in that case they can be called up as reservists until their forty first year of life. Until 2014, the normal conscription period was fifteen months. Thereafter, the maximum conscription period was reduced to twelve months. There are different variants in the conscription system as used until the amendment of the law of 26 June 2019. For persons with two years of vocational training or a low level of education, the maximum conscription period of twelve months applies. Two variants apply to conscripts with four years of secondary school and higher education: either twelve months as an officer (Third Lieutenant), or a reduced conscription of six months as a non commissioned officer.

Each year, approximately 300,000 men over the age of twenty are called up for military service. According to 2018 data from the Turkish government, a total of 1.9 million young men have been deferred from military service because of their studies. Three million other men have asked for a postponement for other reasons. An exception was 2017, the year after the coup attempt, when the Turkish government did not call on new conscripts to register. No professional soldiers were hired in that year either.

The legislation makes no mention of the specific time when certain turnout related documents are provided to conscripts. The only reference is that a military ID (askerlik cüzdanı) will be reinforced during the conscription. It is known that after a person is approved for military service, he receives a written notification from the military registration office stating that he can collect the documents regarding his registration and attendance at that office. These documents also state to which unit one has been assigned and to which training center one must report for basic military training. The Military ID is the official ID for members of the Turkish Armed Forces. Members of the armed forces are required to carry their military ID at all times, even if they are wearing civilian clothes. Conscripts receive the military ID at the beginning of their military service. The general information collection system is linked to the authorities that issue passports, but also to other authorities, for example the police. As a result, conscription evaders and deserters can be apprehended in various situations, such as at the border or at traffic controls. A 2010 constitutional amendment allowed conscripts to travel out legally. The purport is that the freedom of Turkish nationals to leave the country may only be restricted on the basis of a court decision following a criminal investigation or prosecution. If the Turkish nationality is lost, the citizenship is also lost and one cannot serve in the army.

The Department of Defense's Directorate General of Drafting Services (ASAL) is responsible for conscript deployment planning. The information about the turnout such as location and date can be viewed by the conscript at the military district registration offices, and can now also be requested by the conscript via the online government website e Devlet. Conscripts can only object to their placement on the grounds of health complaints.

Turkish law does not discriminate between persons of different ethnicity or religion. This also applies to the rules regarding conscription and recruitment. The army stopped using conscripts in combat operations a few years ago. The military operations are only carried out by professional soldiers, both in southeastern Turkey and in Iraq and Syria. While this may have been the case in the 1990s and early 2000s, conscripts are no longer deployed in active conflict or military operations, including counter terrorism operations.

The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) consists of the army (Türk Kara Kuvvetleri), the navy (Türk Deniz Kuvvetleri; including the naval air force and infantry) and the air force (Türk Hava Kuvvetleri). Turkey has the largest army in NATO after the United States, with an estimated number of more than 615,000 on active duty or in reserve. Since the late 1990s, the proportion of professional soldiers and professionals within the armed forces has increased sharply to about fifty percent of the total number of active duty personnel. Conscripts are deployed in all parts of the TSK, including the Gendarmerie and Coast Guard, but not in elite units. Only professional soldiers are deployed in operations against armed groups such as the PKK. According to statements by the Chief of Staff at the end of 2017, the army is the largest Turkish military unit with approximately 355,000 troops, including approximately 197,000 conscripts. The army consists of four armies (ordu), namely the First Army, stationed in Istanbul, the Second Army, stationed in the southeast with headquarters in Malatya, the Third Army, stationed in the northeast with headquarters in Erzincan and the Fourth Army (also known as the Aegean Army), stationed on the west coast with headquarters in İzmir. In addition to the Armed Forces that fall under the Ministry of Defence, there is the Gendarmerie. Conscripts can also be posted to the gendarmerie. The gendarmerie (Jandarma Genel Komutanlığı) falls under the Ministry of Defense as far as training and education are concerned.

The Military Service Act sets out that persons who are physically or mentally unfit for military service can be exempted from conscription. To obtain this exemption, one must submit a medical report. In the event of non complete disapproval due to physical condition, the person will have to undergo renewed checks every two years during the period of service to ensure that they are still unfit to stand. Conscript brothers of conscripts who died in combat automatically receive an exemption from military service. The same applies to brothers and sons of conscripts who die in a terrorist attack during their military service. Turkish citizens who obtained their citizenship through naturalization and who completed their military service in their country of origin can, on application, be exempted from Turkish military service. It is also possible to be exempted from military service by reporting that one is homosexual.

On 25 June 2019, the Turkish parliament approved the government's proposal to amend the law on military service. Conscription is reduced from twelve months to six months for soldiers and non commissioned officers. Reserve officers remain on duty for twelve months. All Turkish conscripts residing in Turkey must follow a one month basic military training. After that month, a conscript can be exempted from the remaining conscription by paying a certain amount. After six months of military service, a conscript may, if deemed suitable, continue for six months in paid military service. Soldiers who perform six months of paid military service in the southeast or east, such as in Gaziantep, Şırnak and Hakkâri, receive an additional amount per month. The amounts in may be adjusted semi annually in connection with inflation. Conscripts residing abroad do not have to follow a month's military training after the buy out of their conscription. However, prior to the surrender of military service, they must follow an online course from the Turkish Ministry of Defense.

Similar to Israel and South Korea, Turkey does not recognize the right of conscientious objection (vicdani retçi). There is no possibility under Turkish law for exemption from military service for conscientious objections, including objections for religious reasons. Refusing to serve is illegal. Turkey has no alternative military service.

Most companies require men to have completed their military service before their job candidacies can be accepted. Traditionally, families do not consent to their daughters marrying men who have not served their terms. The reason behind this requirement is an irregular loss of workforce; the companies are legally bound to discharge draft evaders or face legal consequences, however valuable an asset these people are. It is a common opinion that having completed military service carries a symbolic value to the majority of Turks. It is commonly regarded as a rite of passage to manhood, and most men grow up with the anticipation of serving out their time. On the other hand, it is held to be one of the main reasons behind the brain drain prevalent among well educated young professionals.

Turkish Economics Professor Cevdet Akçay has stated that conscription always results in a net loss of wealth for any country, and that politicians do not discuss the topic of conscription based on objective and logical arguments. Akçay states: "One side might say that, mandatory military service is a net loss for our economy and therefore I don't support it. Whereas the other side might support it despite its effect on the economy and explain their reasons, but such discussion does not happen in our country."