Turkish navy launches three-month NATO mission

IZMIR

Türkiye’s leading warship task force embarked on Jan. 20 on an 87-day mission to participate in a NATO exercise spanning four seas.

The Turkish flagship TCG Anadolu, along with the logistics support ship TCG Derya, the corvette TCG Kınalıada and the frigate TCG Istanbul, departed from Foça in the Turkish Aegean province of İzmir during a send-off ceremony marking the start of the approximately three-month operation.

At the Foça Naval Base, mariners bid farewell to their families before the vessels set sail.

The exercises will involve 1,500 Turkish naval personnel and will take place across the Mediterranean, the North Atlantic, the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, concluding on April 16.

Following the completion of the mission on April 16, the task force is expected to return to the country on April 23, coinciding with the anniversary of the opening of the Turkish parliament.

At designated ports of call, Turkish defense industry products will also be showcased.

The fleet will also make port visits to several countries, including Spain, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Egypt and Tunisia.

Türkiye’s substantial participation is largely due to its assumption of NATO’s Amphibious Task Force Command in July last year. This unit coordinates multinational amphibious operations and enhances NATO’s rapid-response capabilities.

Speaking at the ceremony, Turkish Naval Forces Commander Admiral Kadir Yıldız said that the Anatolian Turkish Naval Task Group, supported by its air component comprising UAVs and helicopters, would once again demonstrate Türkiye’s out-of-area operational capabilities, the effectiveness of the Turkish Armed Forces in international missions, as well as the strength and deterrence of the country’s defense industry.