In the 16th century, the golden age of the Turks, the idea of a world-dominating empire underpinned the Turkish navy's total dominance over the Mediterranean, its desire to enter the Indian Ocean, and its attempts to sail into the Atlantic Ocean. However, this magnificent century transformed into complacency; the importance given to the seas diminished, and an incompetent management style left the navy idle. Historically, a point was reached where the fleet could not even exit the Straits. Algeria and Tunisia, and in later years Libya, were lost. Taking advantage of the opportunity during the Balkan War, Greece seized the Aegean Islands in a short period of three months, despite having no right to them. Consequently, we also lost World War I due to the wrong foreign policy because of the Germans, and naturally, our independence.
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk entered the War of Independence without a navy. A handful of naval officers and Naval Academy students came to Ankara and established the War of Independence Navy. Their courage, determination, and love for the homeland allowed them to resupply weapons, ammunition, and military aid materials from Russia in the Black Sea with a fleet consisting of just three to five tugboats. As demonstrated in Atatürk’s statement during the Battle of Sakarya, “My eyes are on Sakarya, my ears are on Inebolu,” the success of a handful of naval officers is clearly revealed. If those 300,000 tons of material in the Black Sea had not been supplied to Anatolia, winning the War of Independence would have depended on miracles.
Atatürk understood the importance of the navy during the collapse of the Empire, and with the establishment of the Republic, the naval presence was brought to the forefront. He personally led the reconstruction of the navy. He was close enough to the fleet to personally name the ships. He was a leader who travelled all our seas many times on warships. Specifically, he elevated the naval presence in the Mediterranean to a force structure equivalent to Great Britain’s Mediterranean fleet and directed the Republican Navy to visit the British base on the island of Malta.
Atatürk’s naval policy laid the foundation for demonstrating a presence in distant seas and utilizing it as an element of diplomatic leverage when necessary. On the eve of the Balkan Entente, Prime Minister Ismet Inonu’s voyage to Bulgaria’s Port of Varna aboard the battleship Yavuz, and the navy’s call at Piraeus, Greece following the Malta visit, were significant flag-showing operations. Notably, it caused turmoil in the Greek Parliament, leading to heated debates along the lines of “Türkiye is going to take our islands!”
Exactly 98 years have passed since 1928, when Atatürk inspected the battleship Yavuz and ordered it into service, and the Malta expedition in 1935. The 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation altered Türkiye’s geopolitics; the concept of the sea and the notion of the Blue Homeland (Mavi Vatan) re-emerged exactly 488 years after the Naval Battle of Preveza. Türkiye has now left its first century behind and entered an era of ascension. States, like living organisms, undergo evolution; they are born, they grow, and they die. Whether Türkiye wishes it or not, it has now entered the ascending cycle of this wheel.
Drawing lessons from the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation, the Republican Navy has reached the present day by building its national defense industry step by step. A national naval presence has been established to first protect the Blue Homeland and deter our enemies. Through the elements of flag-showing, diplomatic leverage, and deterrence, the navy has adopted a force structure that consolidates naval, land, and air operations under a single command. The frigates built within the scope of the MILGEM project and the LHD multipurpose amphibious assault ship have completed this framework. Türkiye is now among the few nations capable of operating in overseas regions. Let us not forget that Mustafa Kemal Atatürk lies at the foundation of this prosperity. Now, it will grow even stronger with the aircraft carrier and air defense destroyer projects. Our attempt to venture into the Indian Ocean in the 1550s has become a reality today. The point that saddens me is Greece; they are faced with a Turkish Navy that darkens their dreams and will perhaps push them into an economic crisis. Nothing will ever be the same as before.
Although all our neighbors harbor grand ambitions regarding Türkiye, it must not be forgotten that Türkiye also has visions for these countries.
Türkiye is a central state. It is rapidly advancing from a regional power center to a core global power center. Our unity with the Turkic world on an organizational level is a structure that will make this core power center felt across the region stretching from the Balkans to Turkestan. NATO is now becoming dependent on Türkiye.
Even if late, Türkiye has drawn lessons from the 1571 Defeat of Lepanto, the disasters of Navarin, Chesme, and Sinop, and finally from the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation, and has arrived at the present day.
The survival of Türkiye depends on dominating the seas. A strong naval presence in the seas will protect our Blue Homeland (Mavi Vatan) and, consequently, our nation.
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