Türkiye will flex its naval muscles next week with a major military exercise in the Black Sea, Mediterranean and Aegean.
The Blue Homeland drill will take place between Jan. 7 and Jan. 16 and already made waves in the media of neighboring Greece. Greek media viewed it as a show of force especially in the Aegean Sea, where the two countries dispute maritime borders.
“Blue Homeland” is also the name of a doctrine conceived by two former Turkish naval officers. The doctrine encompasses Türkiye’s maritime jurisdictions, exclusive economic zone and continental shelf in line with United Nations resolutions.
Ankara and Athens seek to improve relations after years of hostilities but maritime jurisdictions remain a thorny issue. Countries that came close to an all-out war in the 1990s over the Aegean Sea remain vigilant, with Türkiye concentrating on developing a domestic defense industry. Greece relies on foreign partners to boost its defenses.
Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias, who faces accusations of undermining reviving ties with Türkiye, recently said that the country faced a “real war threat” from Türkiye as he defended almost doubling the defense expenditures of Greece approved by the country’s parliament last month. Greece is also set to strengthen its rocket artillery capabilities with the planned purchase of Israeli-made PULS multiple rocket launcher systems, local media reported Thursday. Enhancing its missile artillery capabilities has been identified as a key priority for the Hellenic Armed Forces in 2025, with the political and military leadership expected to present the program for parliamentary approval by the end of the first quarter, according to the Kathimerini daily.
Recent talks between Athens and Tel Aviv have focused on the procurement of 40 systems that would be deployed in the northeastern region of Evros and near the border with Türkiye as well as on several islands, the report added.
Athens is also considering the purchase of various types of ammunition for the systems, including Predator Hawk tactical ballistic missiles with a range of 300 kilometers (186 miles) and SkyStriker loitering munitions. Greece has already placed orders for SPICE guidance kits for aircraft bombs and NLOS anti-tank missiles. It also plans to acquire air defense systems from Israel to counter aircraft, missiles and drones, with the total cost estimated at over $2 billion.
Türkiye, on the other hand, boasts a rapidly flourishing defense industry, especially in terms of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) it owns and exported. In the Blue Homeland exercise, 28 armed UAVs will showcase their abilities, in addition to 87 ships, seven submarines, seven unmanned naval vehicles, 31 military jets and 17 helicopters.
Zeki Aktürk, spokesperson for Türkiye’s Ministry of National Defense, told reporters on Thursday that some 20,000 military personnel, including elite underwater commandos, will join the exercise. On Jan. 9, the exercise will host a “Distinguished Guest Day” where high-ranking Turkish officials are expected to watch the part of the drill off the coast of Aksaz, where a major naval base is located a few nautical miles away from the Greek island of Rhodes.
Embracing the doctrine of being effective and powerful at sea as its predecessor the Ottomans were once, the Republic of Türkiye in the past two decades has developed an independent defense industry capable of operating in open waters, thereby shifting geopolitical balances in its favor. The navy plays a critical role in ensuring the security of maritime trade routes in the Eastern Mediterranean, the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea, promoting regional stability. In the past two decades, Türkiye has reached a milestone by designing and producing its own warships. The TCG Heybeliada, the first indigenous corvette, was commissioned in 2011, followed by projects for indigenous frigates and destroyers. The ADVENT combat management system, developed domestically, represents a significant achievement, enhancing the capabilities of the Turkish navy. Last August, the country commissioned its first of six planned Reis-class submarines. The project for the Piri Reis submarine, the first of its class, was launched in 2019. It has a length of 68.35 meters (224.25 feet) and a capacity of 40 personnel. Türkiye plans to commission two submarines over the next two years, the Hızır Reis in 2025 and Murat Reis in 2026.
Though they bolstered their defenses, Türkiye and Greece still count on a full thaw in relations. After a long period of tensions marked by disputes over irregular migration, the Cyprus dispute, energy exploration and territorial sovereignty in the Aegean, the two countries have been taking confidence-building steps, which moved into a new chapter with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s landmark visit to Athens last December.
While officials on both sides have expressed commitment to maintaining the positive climate, the issues are longstanding and deep-rooted, and neither side expects the process to be without turbulence, particularly in the Aegean, where Turkish and Greek jets often scuffled until very recently.
Ankara has repeatedly warned its neighbor against entering an arms race with Türkiye, particularly on building a military presence on the disputed Aegean islands since the 1960s, in violation of postwar treaties.
Greece’s purchase of F-35 fighter jets from the U.S. and the upping of defense budgets are meant to counter the protection of Turkish interests in the Eastern Mediterranean. Greece says it needs to defend the islands against a potential attack from Türkiye, but Turkish officials said continued militarization of the islands could lead to Ankara questioning their ownership.