New Organization Connections of Land, Naval and Air War Colleges
Major changes were made in the organizational structure of the Turkish Armed Forces with the Decree Law No. 669 dated 25 July 2016, "On Taking Some Measures Under the State of Emergency, Establishing a National Defense University and Amending Some Laws" issued after the coup attempt on 15 July. With the decision of the Council of Ministers dated 14 November 2016 and numbered 2016/9522, the National Defense University (MSU) organization was established, published in the Official Gazette dated 25 November 2016, and the Rectorate Headquarters Organization was established with the approval of the Ministry of National Defense on 03 February 2017. With this Decree, Land, Naval and Air War Colleges, four War Institutes, six Research Institutes and four NCO Vocational Schools were connected to the National Defense University. The introductory pages on the official websites of the Land, Naval and Air War Colleges and showing them as a subsidiary of the National Defense University are listed below.
After the establishment of the National Defense University (MSU) organization with the Decree-Law, the Rectorate Headquarters Organization was established with the approval of the Ministry of National Defense on 03 February 2017. The meaning of the word KARARGÂH is written in the TDK Büyük Sözlük: 1. name, military service An organization consisting of the commander and the auxiliary branches and departments of a unit or institution. 2. The place where the army is stationed for a long time or temporarily. In Turkish, the word "Headquarters" is used as an element of military units. Therefore, a semi-civilian, semi-military definition of "Rectorate Headquarters" is considered an artificial, forced, artificial definition.
Before making an assessment about the fact that the Military Academy was separated from the chain of command in the military hierarchical system and connected to the National Defense University, which is a civilian educational institution, let's recall the brief histories of these three distinguished Military Academy.
MILITARY ACADEMY:
In 1795, it was opened in Istanbul / Eyüp under the name of Mühendislikhane-i Berri Hümayun to train artillery and engineering officers. It was reorganized in 1834 by the order of Sultan Mahmud II and took the name Mekteb-i Harbiye. This distinguished school has trained many heroic officers, especially our Eternal Commander-in-Chief Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. He moved to Ankara in 1936.
Naval War College:
In 1773, III. It was started with a course given in a galleon in Kasımpaşa during the time of Mustafa. It was established in 1776 by the Admiral of the Admiral Algerian Gazi Hasan Pasha in Istanbul / Kasımpaşa. In 1784, it was renamed Muhendishane-i Bahr-i Hümayun. The school moved to Heybeliada in 1850. In the years it was founded, this school was known as Mekteb-i Bahriye-i Şahane, Mekteb-i Fünun-i Bahriye. The school moved to its current location in Tuzla on 31 July 1985.
AIR FORCE ACADEMY:
The first flight training school was established on July 3, 1912, under the name of Airplane School, in Yeşilköy, near the current Aviation Museum. It was organized in İzmir / Gaziemir on 17 September 1922 and in Eskişehir in 1925. It was established in Eskişehir on October 1, 1951 under the name of the Air Force Academy, and in 1954 it was transferred to İzmir / Güzelyalı. It was moved to its current facilities in Istanbul / Yesilyurt on July 21, 1967.
227 years have passed since the establishment of the first land school, Mekteb-i Harbiye, and 249 years have passed since the establishment of the first naval school, Mekteb-i Bahriye. 110 years have passed since the establishment of the Aircraft School, which was the last established military academy. The Military Academy, which served under the command of a commander for centuries after its establishment, was attached to a university with a civilian status with a decision taken by the Decree-Law. Now let's analyze the concepts of UNIVERSITY and WAR SCHOOL.
You must have noticed that the Turkish Military Academy, the Naval Academy, and the Air Force Academy are defined with three words each. As it is known, the words Land, Sea and Air at the beginning indicate the strength to which these three schools belong. The lock of these three words that define schools is knotted in the word HARP. If we explain the meaning of these words, the methods, principles, weapons, tools and equipment of a WAR to be held in LAND are taught in a SCHOOL and within the organization of that SCHOOL. Likewise, the SCHOOL is the place where a war in the sea and a war in the air are taught. The words HARP and SCHOOL are key words. To summarize, the name of the place where the WAR in the LAND, THE SEA and the AIR is taught is not the UNIVERSITY, but the SCHOOLS, each of which is connected to the force it belongs to, with a commander at its head, within the military chain of command, integrated with the concept of WAR. Of course, the head of an institution where the rules of war are taught should be a commander, not a civilian.
The Land, Naval and Air War Colleges, where the wars are taught, are built on the methods, culture, discipline and traditions accumulated for centuries within the military hierarchy rules. Each of the concepts of PROCEDURE, CULTURE, DISCIPLINE and TRADITION mentioned here constitute the cornerstones of these educational institutions. When you move one of these stones, the building cannot stand and collapses over time!
Although each of these concepts has different weights, these SCHOOLS and the Armed Forces to which they are affiliated have survived with their traditions for centuries. These traditions are ingrained in the genes of the Armed Forces. The definition of the word tradition is explained in the Turkish Grand Dictionary of the Turkish Language Association as follows: TRADITION: Cultural relics, habits, knowledge, customs and behaviors, traditions, traditions, which are ancient, respected and transmitted from generation to generation, in a society, in a community. Here, as explained in the Turkish dictionary of TDK, Military Schools also have traditions, habits, customs and traditions passed down from generation to generation. It is an indispensable and unthinkable tradition to have a commander wearing a military uniform at the head of military school students wearing military uniforms.
Unfortunately this come
The nek was changed with a decision taken as a result of the very sad conditions created by the 15 July coup attempt, and the Military Academy was attached to an organization headed by a civilian person. Now, in connection with this issue, let's take a look at the photo of the Turkish Military Academy's internet promotion page. The photograph was taken at the ceremony held in the school garden to celebrate the 120th Anniversary of our Eternal Commander-in-Chief and Head Teacher Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's entry into the Military Academy. Students lined up in four groups, looking very neat in the background of the photograph. In front of them are the class officers and teachers in a group. In the foreground, the Commander in his official dress and a civilian next to him are seen. This photograph, which shows a civilian person at the very beginning of the ceremonial detachment, side by side with the Commander, has destroyed the 224-year-old tradition of the Turkish Military Academy, in which a commander in formal dress is at his head.
While the Military Academy in Turkey is connected to a civilian university administration, the answer to the question of how this practice is carried out in the Military Academy in other countries of the world has been sought. The places in the military organization structure of the War Colleges of the major countries in the world were examined on the Internet and it was determined that all of them, without exception, were affiliated to the Command within the military hierarchy system, through the Education Command line. In the investigation, no country was found in which the Military Academy was affiliated to a university with a civilian status, in any way.
Military Schools, which are their equivalents in foreign countries, are defined by different names in their own language. In English-speaking Anglo-Saxon countries, Military Academy are named with the words "College" or "Academy". For example, the British Air Force Academy – RAF College-Cranwell; American Military Academy: Military Academy West Point, Canadian Military Academy: Royal Military College of Canada. In French-speaking francophone countries, the Military Academy is named “Ecole”. The equivalent of the word Ecole is School.
As you will notice above in the brief history of our Military Academy, when the Military Academy was established in 1784, as the Military Academy; The Naval Academy was also named as Mekteb-i Bahriye in the years it was founded. It is known that in the following years, the word "school" began to be used instead of "School".
Thus, after looking at the subject from the main point of view, it would be useful to make an evaluation in terms of form. In this evaluation made in terms of shape, let's look at the names given to the educational institutions within the UNIVERSITY organization in Turkey and abroad.
In the organizational structure of Turkish universities, there are institutions named Faculty, Institute and Higher Education within the educational institutions affiliated to the university, but there is not a single educational institution named OKUL. Then the following question comes to mind. While none of the institutions affiliated to UNIVERSITIES in Turkey or foreign countries are named as SCHOOL, it is a wrong practice to have a military institution called SCHOOL affiliated to the NATIONAL DEFENSE UNIVERSITY in our country, as it goes against both our style and our traditions.
CONCLUSION
After the unfortunate events that took place during the July 15 coup attempt, the Army, Naval and Air War Colleges, their organizations within the military hierarchy, to which they were affiliated for centuries, were changed under the conditions of that day and were attached to the National Defense University, which was headed by a civilian person as a civilian education institution. With this practice, the traditions of the Military Academy, which had been ingrained for centuries and were directly dependent on a commander, were destroyed in an instant. This situation offends the souls of our civilian citizens as well as the soldiers. Now is the time to get rid of the 15th of July syndrome. Our Military Schools, which were connected to a civilian education institution by breaking down military traditions, should be removed from being a sub-organization of the National Defense University, to which they are affiliated, and should be given the status of military education institutions with a commander at their head, within the military hierarchy it has had for centuries.
İrfan SARP
(R) Major General
e-mail: [email protected]
