Nowadays, Turkey usually makes headlines with reports of authoritarian trends, but from time to time, civil society shows its prowess. One interesting example is the two-year power struggle between the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) — known as Turkey's most rigid, disciplined and hierarchical body — and the noncommissioned officers serving in its branches. Who is winning?
Today, 96,228 noncommissioned officers (NCOs) serve in the TSK's land, navy, air and gendarmerie forces, in addition to 100,000 retired NCOs. When you think of the serving and retired NCOs and their families you are talking of a mass of about 800,000 people. NCOs are intermediary leaders who serve as a bridge between the conscripts and officers. Technical and maintenance personnel and logistics experts are all NCOs. NCOs like to describe themselves as follows: “Take the NCOs out, and the battalion will starve, planes won’t fly, ships won’t sail and tanks will break down.”
The tension between generals in the upper echelons of the TSK and the NCOs first became public in 2012 and centered on two main issues: first, the personnel rights of serving NCOs, their status in the TSK and claims that NCOs are discriminated against and treated unfairly; and second, retired NCOs' complaints of low pensions. In 2012, the public and the media began to notice that the NCOs were engaged in unconventional protest actions that were unheard of in the Turkish military. The Association of Retired NCOs of Turkey (TEMAD), a nongovernmental organization, organized the protest actions and became the voice of the NCOs.
What did the NCOs want? As stated above, service members pointed to status problems and called for an end to unfair treatment. For example, they were unhappy that their rank was displayed on their arms and not on their shoulders like officers, and that there were variations in campaign ribbons and badges. Furthermore, NCOs complained of a lack of family living quarters, and of tougher and longer working conditions with lower compensation when compared with officers.
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