TRAINING AND EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS OF THE TURKISH ARMED FORCES

• Main objective of the training and education system of the Turkish Armed Forces is;
  • To have well-educated personnel who are always ready for combat, determined to win and have well-awareness of the mission, complete obedience, strong physical and morale power and up-to-date knowledge and skills and to make TAF personnel gain humanitarian, national, morale and occupational qualifications and to help these qualifications be maintained in the light of "lifelong learning" philosophy.
  • Pursuant to this understanding, TAF Institutional Training System is composed of high schools and military schools at associate, graduate and post graduate levels.
• TAF Military High Schools:
  • TAF Military High Schools are composed of the schools mentioned on the following table:

    Land Forces	- Kuleli Military High School (4 years) - Maltepe Military High School (4 years) - NCO Band High School (4 years)
    Naval Forces	- Naval High School (4 years)
    Air Forces	- Işıklar Air Force High School (4 years)

  • TAF Military High Schools are subject to the provisions:
    • Article 57 of the Fundamental Law of National Education, 1739, "Except for schools opened for military aims, TAF Military High Schools cannot conduct educational activities against the provisions of this law,"
    • The provision of Article 58 of the same law, "The responsibility for establishing the education levels of the schools opened or to be opened by the Ministry of National Education or other ministries (including military high schools) and private schools lies with Ministry of National Education. Education levels of military training institutions are established together with the Ministry of National Defense".
    • The following provisions of the articles of TAF High Schools Code include;
      • Article 18, "The aim of education and training is to convey basic culture, knowledge and skills and let basic military knowledge and skills required by the Turkish Armed Forces be acquired pursuant to the Principles of Atatürk."
      • Article 21, "The same curriculum as applied in Anatolian High Schools are applied for Military High Schools and the same curriculum as applied in Anatolian Fine Arts, Anatolian vocational high schools or occupational fields in vocational high schools are applied to NCO preparatory schools. Developed lesson plans are sent to the Ministry of National Education by the Turkish General Staff in order to be approved as they are adjusted to the curricula of the concerning schools subordinate to the Ministry of National Education. After the approval process, lesson plans start to be applied."
      • Article 22, "In the event that the Ministry of National Defense or the Ministry of National Education deem necessary, inspectors of the Ministry of National Education may join the inspection team in accordance with the provisions of Article 56, 57 and 58 of Fundamental Law of National Education, 1739.
    • As it is obviously understood from above-mentioned provisions, in TAF High Schools, preparation process of the education and training programs and equalization, approval and scientific inspection of the programs are carried out pursuant to the criteria of the Ministry of National Education.
  • Education and Training Principles of TAF Military High Schools:
    • TAF High Schools educate students in a way to ensure that they are qualified and efficient enough to follow the education and training provided by upper military educational institution. Military High Schools; TAF training and educational institutions have a parallel structure with the Turkish national education and higher education systems.
      In TAF secondary schools, the course books used in all other high schools approved by the Ministry of National Education are used in accordance with the Fundamental Law of National Education, 1739.
    • Before being introduced, weekly syllabuses prepared for the TAF High Schools are submitted to the Board of Education for approval in a way to achieve parity with the Anatolian high schools (which use an intensive education program).
    • "TAF High Schools Weekly Syllabuses for 2015-2016 Training and Education Period" were approved by the Board of Education.
      
    • Military education programs aiming to improve the physical, mental and judging skills of the cadets as well as to warm them to the military profession are presented .
• TAF Higher Education Institutions (College, Graduate, Postgraduate Degrees):
  • Regulations of TAF Higher Education Institutions:
    • In accordance with Article 132 of the Constitution, "Higher education institutions subordinate to TAF and the Police Department are subject to the provisions of their special laws",
    • In accordance with Article 2 of Higher Education Law, "Issues relating to TAF and the police department are arranged according to separate laws",
    • In accordance with Article 2 of War Colleges Law, "Postgraduate education is provided in the Service War Colleges and Institutions subordinate to the War Colleges in the fields approved by the Council of Higher Education".
    • In the academic programs of these schools which can be referred to as civilian programs, education is provided pursuant to both Turkish standards (i.e.YÖK- Council of Higher Education) and world standards (Bologna process) with credit system, and the education and training enclosing military issues as the prerequisite of military are provided as part of the curriculum prepared in accordance with the laws, regulations and directives under the heading of military subjects as in the other world armies.
    • War Colleges, War Academies, Gülhane Military Faculty of Medicine and NCO Vocational Higher Education Institutions provide education and training in parallel with the standards of the Council of Higher Education Institution and under their own laws and regulations by using the authority provided by the above-mentioned provisions.
  • TAF MILITARY SCHOOLS OFFERING TWO-YEAR UNIVERSITY EDUCATION
    • Higher Education Institutions providing a two-year education in TAF are as follows:

      Land Forces	- Land Forces NCO Vocational Higher Education (2 years) - Military Band Vocational Higher Education (2 years)
      Naval Forces	Naval Forces NCO Vocational Higher Education (2 years)
      Air Forces	Air Forces NCO Vocational Higher Education (2 years)
      Gendarmerie General Command	Gendarmerie NCO Vocational Higher Education (2 years)
      TAF Medical Command	Health NCO Vocational Higher Education (2 years)

    • The purpose of the NCO Vocational Higher Education is to raise NCOs who have adopted the main values of their profession and improved their leadership skills as well as those having the skills of military administration and management with desired physical ability.
    • NCO Higher Education system is in parallel with the national education system. The Academic Education and Training Program and the Military Education Program is below the line.
    • In this context;
      • Army NCO Vocational Higher-Education School is the major NCO source of Turkish Land Forces. Army NCO Vocational Higher-Education School is an academic institution providing 2-year associate degree education in the fields such as business administration, electrics, electronics, communication technology, mechatronics, automotive technology, construction technology, structural installations technology and computer technology.
      • Military Band NCO Vocational Higher-Education School is the major NCO band source of TAF. Military Band NCO Vocational Higher-Education School provides 2-year associate degree education in wind instruments and percussion instruments programs.
      • Navy NCO Vocational Higher-Education School is the major NCO source of Turkish Naval Forces. Navy NCO Vocational Higher-Education School provides 2-year associate degree education in naval transportation and operation, electronics technology, office management and administrative assistance, business administration, aircraft technologies, naval machines operation and electrics sub-programs.
      • Air Force NCO Vocational Higher-Education School is the major NCO source of Turkish Naval Forces. Air Force NCO Vocational Higher-Education School provides 2-year associate degree education in aircraft technology (mechanics field, avionics field), electronical communication technology, electrics, air traffic control, logistics, security and protection, computer programming, automotive industry, office management and administrative assistance and the construction technology programs.
      • Gendarmerie NCO Vocational Higher-Education School is the major NCO source of Gendarmerie General Command. Gendarmerie NCO Vocational Academy; provides 2-year associate degree education in Public Security and Public Order program.
      • Health NCO Vocational Higher-Education School provides 2-year associate degree education in operating room services, dental prosthesis, electro-neurophysiology, first and emergent aid, pathology laboratory techniques, medical imagery, medical laboratory techniques, medical prosthesis and orthesis programs.
  • TAF Military Schools Offering Undergraduate Degree:
    • TAF higher education institutions offering undergraduate degree education with 4-6 year periods are given at the following table:

      Land Forces	Arm War College (4 years)
      Naval Forces	Navy War College (4 years)
      Air Force	Air War College (4 years)
      TAF Medical Command	- Gülhane Military Faculty of Medicine (6 years) - Nursing Higher Education School (4 years)

    • The goal of the education and training in the military academies is to educate active duty officers with an increased law-awareness, respectful to the human rights and freedom and able to adapt themselves to the requirements of the 21^st century, having finished post-graduate levels of education in a scientific field as required by the relevant service command, having the qualities required for military personnel and leadership qualification and with adequate physical skills.
    • In addition to their military officer diplomas, those cadets who have finished their four-year education and training graduate with a civilian diploma, as in civilian faculties under HEB, required by the courses taken based on a credit system.
    • Academic Education and Training Programs in War Colleges and Military Education Program is below the line.
    • In this scope;
      • Army Military Academy: Army Military College is the main source of officer of the Turkish Armed Forces and Gendarmerie General Command. Army Military Academy is an educational institution providing university degree in International Affairs, industrial and system engineering, electronics engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, business administration, public management and system engineering.
      • Naval Military Academy: This academy is the main source of officer of the Turkish Naval Forces. Naval Military Academy is an educational institution providing university degree in industrial, mechanical, naval architecture, computer and electrical/electronic engineering as well as international affairs and maritime security departments.
      • Air Military Academy: Air Military Academy is the main source of officer of the Turkish Air Forces. Air Force Academy provides university degree in aviation and space engineering, electronic engineering, computer engineering, industrial engineering and management sciences.
      • Gülhane Military Faculty of Medicine: Gülhane Military Faculty of Medicine is an educational institution raising regular military doctors in the framework of curriculum including professional and military training at graduate level to meet needs of Turkish Armed Forces for military physician. Its academical training is formed in accordance with the curriculum of corresponding faculties of medicine. Military Training Programme is given at Annex-F.
      • Nursing Higher Education School: Nursing Higher Education School is a higher educational institution under GATA Command which provides 4-year training and education and train nurses so as to meet TAF’S need for nurse.
  • Turkish Armed Forces Academies providing Training and Education at Master's Degree
    • The higher educational institutions providing training and education at postgraduate level in Turkish Armed Forces are given below:

      Institutes	Land Forces	Defense Sciences Institute *
      	Naval Forces	Maritime Sciences and Engineering Institute *
      	Air Forces	Aviation and Space Technologies Institute *
      	War Colleges	Strategical Studies Institute **
      	The Command Of Gülhane Military Faculty of Medicine	Health Sciences Institute ***
      War Colleges	- Army War Colleges - Naval War Colleges - Air War Colleges - Armed Forces Supreme Conduct Academy
      * Institutes service within Military Academy of related force. ** Strategical Studies Institute services within War Colleges Command. *** Health Sciences Institute services within GATA Command.

    • Service War Colleges: Service War Colleges consist of Army, Naval and Air War Colleges. Service War Colleges are institutions of science and specialization:
      - Providing post graduate training and education, raising staff officers who will be aware of national and international security strategies and who will have exceptional talent for reasoning in accordance with techniques for scientific decision, educating in such a way that these officers will manage the activities of joint and common headquarters and unions, making scientific researches in strategic subjects, providing the highest level training in the training hierarchy of the Turkish Armed Forces.
    • Service War Colleges provide education relating to these three academic disciplines; administration academic discipline, operations-intelligence academic discipline and war history, strategy, international relations and general culture academic discipline.
    • Armed Forces Supreme Conduct Academy: Staff officers graduated from Service War Colleges are provided education on military and social science disciplines by which they are able to conduct the activities of headquarters and units using planning, directing and control techniques at the level of joint and combined headquarters and units. In this academy, education lasts five months.
    • Particularly in the fields which TAF need and the other education institutions are unable to meet, institutes aim at;
      - Providing post-graduate education, certificate, course and in-service programs,
      - Providing academic consultancy, conducting scientific studies, researches and practices, and producing publications,
      - Providing distance education programs on post-graduate education fields as a result of advances in technology and distant training,
      - Organizing and conducting courses, symposiums and seminars held within its own structure.
  • Other training activities
    • Command and Staff Officer Training: Officers of captain and major ranks are provided with Command and Staff Officer Training within the Service War Colleges in order to train them in the scope of the dynamic nature of the contemporary training and in parallel with up-to-date military, political and economic developments, to upgrade their in-service training level and enhance their professional motivation. The duration of the training is totally 40 weeks; 20 weeks distant training and 20 weeks face-to-face training.
    • NCO Major Headquarters Services Training: NCO Major Headquarters Services Training is given by Training and Doctrine Command for all the services and it aims to improve their abilities to work at major headquarters by upgrading their educational level, to earn them jointness culture and contribute to their professional motivation. The duration of the training is totally 34 weeks; 16 weeks distant training and 18 weeks face-to-face training.
• Conclusion
  • As in the worldwide, the military schools are established to teach the art of war. Like all other modern armies, military schools within TAF provide an academic program accompanied by a military training program including physical training and martial physical training to keep the physical ability at the highest level and other fundamental subjects regarding operational issues such as defense and attack.
  • Ministry of National Education criteria are observed in preparation of training and education program, ensuring the equivalence, approval and scientific inspection of the programs in TAF Secondary Military Schools. Furthermore, the course books defined by the Ministry of National Education are taught in line with the weekly course schedule registered by Board of Education affiliated to Ministry of National Education in TAF Secondary Military Schools.
  • The training and education programs of TAF Higher Education Institutes are prepared in conformity with the criteria sought by Higher Education Board for associate, graduate and postgraduate degrees and programs that are established are internationally accepted.