EFES-2022 Combined Joint Live-Fire Exercise Successfully Completed
EFES-2022, one of the largest combined and joint exercises of the Turkish Armed Forces, was held with the participation of approximately 11 thousand personnel 1,100 of which were foreign, under two phases between May 9 and June 9, 2022, in Western Anatolia, in the Central Aegean, in the Gulf of Izmir and the Doğanbey Exercise Area, hosted by Turkey, under the administration of the Aegean Army Command, with the participation of elements of friendly and allied countries.
The Ministry of National Defense, the General Staff, Land, Naval and Air Forces, the Gendarmerie General Command, the Coast Guard Command, a total of 15 public institutions and organizations, as well as a total of 13 countries, including 4 NATO member countries (USA, Albania, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Libya, Mongolia, Pakistan) participated in the exercise with units, personnel, and equipment. 24 countries (Germany, Australia, Bahrain, Burkina Faso, Czechia, Ethiopia, France, Gambia, Georgia, Iraq, England, Cameroon, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Latvia, Hungary, Malaysia, Nigeria, Uzbekistan, Rwanda, Slovakia, Somalia, Jordan) attended the exercise at the observer level. In total, 37 countries participated in the exercise at the unit and observer level.
EFES-2022 Excercises were carried out with the aim of improving the level of combat readiness of participating country elements in combined and joint operations, covering all the missions to be given and to maintain the level of combat readiness. Amphibious operations supported by artillery fire were conducted and targets were hit by ground fire support vehicles, fighter jets and attack helicopters in accordance with a generic scenario.
In EFES-2022, where Special Forces Operations were also conducted, ship-to-objective maneuver (STOM), airlift, combat search and rescue, and urban area capabilities were demonstrated as well.
Press Briefing on the Exercise
The press briefing on the EFES-2022 Combined Joint Live-Fire Field Exercise took place on June 8, 2022, in Konak - Izmir with the participation of local and international press members. Lieutenant Burcu Naliç YOKUVA, Press and Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of National Defense, briefed members of the press on the purpose, objectives, and phases of the exercise.
YUKOVA stated that the exercise aims to improve the military capabilities of the elements of the participating countries and the joint headquarters and units formed under the combined and joint operations, covering all the missions to be given and to maintain the level of combat readiness.
The objectives of the exercise are to train and improve interoperability of personnel in planning and coordination in combined and joint operations, to test and improve command and control (C2) techniques, electronic warfare tactics and techniques, utilizing airspace control and management methods. YOKUVA said, “Among the objectives of the exercise are to ensure the effective use of Tactical Data Link (TDL) systems, to test and improve the methods, tactics, capabilities and techniques for the joint use of weapons and equipment in the inventory of land, naval and air forces of the participating countries in a combined and joint operation, to develop the planning and execution principles of logistics support, to increase the level of awareness on cyber warfare, to test the principles of cyber incident response and to develop a common cyber security understanding, to develop the capabilities among the units participating in the exercise to jointly counter asymmetric threats and to conduct hybrid operations, and to develop cooperation and coordination between public institutions and organizations and non-governmental organizations.”
YOKUVA stated that EFES-2022 was different from those conducted in previous years and continued as follows:
"The aspects that differ from the exercises carried out in previous years can be listed as follows: Leveraging the experiences gained in Operations such as Combating Terrorists, Euphrates Shield, Olive Branch, Peace Spring, Spring Shield, Claw, Claw-Eagle, Claw-Lightning, Claw-Tiger and Claw-Thunder; hybrid warfare environment; urban warfare, infiltration, surprise and SAR Ops by special forces from the sea and air at night; combined operations; shared responsibilities; headquarters training as well as unit training; participation of public and civilian institutions and organizations is included in the exercise process within the framework of a comprehensive approach; with the participation of approximately 1,100 foreign personnel in the exercise.”
In addition to the weapons and systems to be used for the first time in the EFES-2022 Combined, Joint Live-Fire Field Exercise, information about other weapons and equipment was also included in the press briefing.
In Ground Ops: KNT-76 Sniper Rifle produced domestically, Tactical Wheeled Armored Vehicles (Kobra-2, Kirpi-2 and Vuran), 106 mm Mortar, PROTON ELIC Tunnel Detection Device, OMTAS Turreted PARS 4x4 Wheeled Vehicle, KAPLAN-10 Vehicle with KORNET, Pedestal Mounted Cirit (Sipahi) and Explosive Ordnance, Suspicious Object Disposal Vehicle (Kirpi-2)
In Air Assault Ops: AKINCI UCAV firings, T-129 ATAK Helicopter firings, carrying of 105 mm Howitzer with the S-70 in the air as an external load, firings with 35 mm Modernized Towed Artillery and Fire Control Equipment
In Air Ops: Shooting at the target marked with laser by the UAV with BOZOK Laser Guided Ammunition, firing with Precision Guidance Kit (PGK) Ammunition
In Naval Ops: Detection of the enemy submarine by sonar immersion via helicopter, firing the training torpedo of the maritime patrol plane and surfacing of the submarine; identification and destruction of the mines with the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV)
EFES-2022 Combined, Joint Live-Fire Exercise Distinguished Observer Day - Night Phase
EFES-2022 Combined, Joint Live-Fire Field Exercise “Distinguished Observer” night phase started on June 8, with the participation of Minister of National Defense Hulusi AKAR. In addition to Minister of National Defense AKAR, Chief of General Staff General Yaşar GÜLER, Force Commanders, Gendarmerie General Commander, Coast Guard Commander, and distinguished observers from other countries closely followed the night phase.
Aegean Army and Garrison Commander Lt. Gen. Ali SİVRİ, serving as the Eastern Combined Joint Task Commander during the exercise, briefed the participants and the delegation about the exercise. Speaking before the start of the night activities, Lt. Gen. Ali SİVRİ stated that Exercise EFES-2022 was carried out with the participation of approximately 11 thousand personnel from 37 friendly and allied countries. SİVRİ stated that, considering the international security environment, it is important to maintain the combat readiness level of the headquarters and units for a combined joint operation and to improve their interoperability for a possible operation by bringing together relevant public institutions and organizations within the framework of a comprehensive approach.
Lt. Gen. SİVRİ said, “Considering the commonality and diversity of personnel, weapons, vehicles and systems, Exercise EFES-2022 continues to be one of the most prominent exercises at the international level.” SİVRİ stated that in addition to the armed forces, seven ministries, nine public institutions and 43 defense industry companies actively participated in the exercise within the framework of a comprehensive approach.
Providing information about the live firing part of the exercise, SİVRİ said, “In the live firing part of Exercise EFES-2022, vehicles, weapons, ammunition and systems are utilized, such as unmanned combat aerial vehicles produced by our domestic and national defense industry, ATAK helicopters, laser-guided Cirit, UMTAS, OMTAS long and medium-range anti-tank missiles, Korkut air defense weapon system, 35 mm modernized towed artillery, AZMİM amphibious armored combat earthmover, mine and improvised explosive device detection and disposal vehicle, indigenously built landing ships TCG Bayraktar and TCG Sancaktar, Ada-class corvettes within the scope of the MİLGEM project, Aydın-class mine-hunter vessels and Gür-class submarines. The EFES Exercise will continue to be a series of combined and joint exercises with wide international participation, contributing significantly to the creation of the battlefield, the improvement of combat readiness level and building a comprehensive approach culture in the coming years, as in the past."
Speaking at the Distinguished Observer Day of Exercise EFES-2022, Minister of National Defense Hulusi AKAR stated that the Turkish Armed Forces have been conducting the most comprehensive and intensive operations in the history of the Republic of Türkiye, with training and activities carried out uninterruptedly. Minister AKAR said, “Within this framework, 136 exercises are planned to be held only in 2022 with the motto ‘If you want peace and tranquility, you must always be ready for war’. The EFES Exercise, conducted jointly and combined every two years, is one of them. Our exercise was successfully conducted, and the targets set were achieved."
Stating that the cohesion, high performance, and the ability of the personnel to use cutting-edge weapon systems effectively were observed with great satisfaction during Exercise EFES-2022 between the armed forces of 37 friendly and allied countries and the Turkish Armed Forces, Minister AKAR said, “I would like to congratulate our friends and allies who have made a significant contribution to the success of the exercise and I thank them for their participation. Additionally on the occasion of the exercise we had the opportunity to once again see the effectiveness of our weapon systems and ammunition produced by our domestic and national defense industry. I would like to express my gratitude to President ERDOĞAN for his leadership, support, and encouragement in helping our defense industry reach these levels that we are proud of as a nation.”
Touching on the problems with Greece, Minister AKAR said: “Unfortunately, our neighbor and ally Greece continues its expansionist and aggressive policies with its provocative actions and discourses. It persists in making assertions that are unprecedented in the world, goes against reason and facts, and does not consider the lessons of the past. Despite having tripled in size in the past 200 years, Greece accuses the Republic of Türkiye of expansionism. Historical data and logic cannot account for this. This is insincerity and hypocrisy. Greece's attempts to forge alliances and arm itself are fruitless. We continue to advocate for dialogue to find peaceful solutions to the issues at hand, and we extend our hand for peace.”
Emphasizing that Türkiye has no eyes on anyone's rights or land, Minister AKAR made the following statements: “On the other hand, we respond appropriately to all kinds of unfair, unlawful actions and discourses made by Greece. On this particular situation, I would like to emphasize a crucial aspect. NATO is a security organization and one of its main issues is terrorism. Collaboration in the fight against terrorism is a prerequisite for any alliance. Türkiye, as the only NATO member country fighting against multiple terrorist organizations at the same time, is the last barrier between terrorism and Europe. Türkiye's security is the security of all of Europe, including NATO. This should never be ignored.” Minister AKAR concluded his remarks by thanking those who contributed to the planning and execution of the exercise.
Night Phase of EFES-2022
The night phase of the EFES-2022 Combined, Joint Live-Fire Field Exercise began with the Special Forces Teams conducting infiltration operations from the sea and air and neutralizing the planned targets. As per the generic scenario, in order to delay the detection of the operation to be executed by the opposing force by establishing regional maritime control and air superiority by the joint naval and air force in the operation field, the Combined Special Forces Teams -consisting of 8 countries under the coordination of the Turkish Special Forces Command- suppressed the air and coast surveillance radars of the hostile by free parachuting from an altitude of 10 thousand feet and infiltrating the island by boat from the mother ship 5 nautical miles offshore. While the radars were suppressed, the targets detected by the Combined Special Forces Sharpshooter units were neutralized.
Within the scope of the Prelanding Operation, in order to clear the boat corridors to be used in the amphibious assault operation of the tank landing ships, the Combined Underwater Assault (SAT) and Underwater Defense (SAS) Teams arrived in the area with fast boats and conducted reconnaissance operations across the shore. Underwater mines detected by SAT and SAS teams were destroyed as per the scenario. In this context, the SAT and SAS teams silenced the engines of the boats at a certain distance from the shore and cleared the beachhead from possible barriers within a 5-10 meter depth and shallow water mines. Then, amphibious deception and reconnaissance operations were launched.
In order to support the Prelanding Operation, the ATAK Attack Helicopter destroyed the target representing an opposing force armored vehicle with the CİRİT missile. In the meantime, a merchant ship, which was reported to be carrying weapons and supplies to the hostile units, was intervened by the Utility Helicopter onboard the TCG Büyükada and the Combined Underwater Assault Team. As part of the campaign carried out by ATAK helicopters, the Combined Underwater Assault Team onboard the helicopter landed on the ship by fast roping.
The Amphibious Tactical Deception Operation was carried out with 2 tank landing ships in order to conceal the attack area and disrupt the defensive formation of the opposing force, prior to the amphibious operation to be conducted afterwards. The lights aboard ships were kept off under combat conditions, and they arrived at the deception shore with their navigation lights on in order to monitor the activity.
As part of the preparatory fires, the communication system of the coastal defense unit of the opposing force in the landing area was taken under fire by artillery and mortar elements, while the arsenal and the bridge of the opposing force were destroyed by two F-16s of the combined air force using a 2,000-pound INS/GPS guided GBU-31 munition.
Within the scope of the ongoing Prelanding Operation, a reconnaissance operation was conducted by the Amphibious Marine Brigade Reconnaissance Unit, with night vision capability, towards the target shore. Following the operation, the landing operation of the marine infantry elements was successfully completed with the armored vehicles and personnel landing on the shore after the ships approaching the shore with their lights off. Meanwhile, the opposing force elements detected in the landing zone and marked with infrared laser by the Combined Special Forces Team were taken under cofire by 4 ATAK Helicopters.
As part of the night operations, an air assault operation was also conducted. A total of 8 helicopters, including 2 CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopters and 4 AS-532 Cougar medium-weight utility helicopters, were deployed for the air assault ops under the cover of two T-129 ATAK Attack Helicopters. After the successful completion of the air assault operation by landing the special forces unit in the designated area, combat search and rescue (CSAR) missions were carried out by the Special Forces Command.
The night activities within the framework of the Distinguished Observer Day were completed with the firing of the air defense system. In accordance with the scenario, the elements conducting amphibious loading on the mainland were exposed to air attack. The hostile air targets identified during the firing were destroyed by the Korkut 35 mm Air Defense System and Oerlikon 35 mm Twin Cannon Anti-Aircraft System.
EFES-2022 Distinguished Observer Day - Daytime Phase
The second phase of the Distinguished Observer Day activities of Exercise EFES-2022 started following the arrival of President Recep Tayyip ERDOĞAN to the exercise field. Welcomed by Minister of National Defense AKAR and other officials at Adnan Menderes Airport, President Recep Tayyip ERDOĞAN arrived at the Doğanbey Shooting Exercise Area with a CH-47 Chinook helicopter, and a flag with the Presidential seal was hoisted on the mast in the exercise area. President ERDOĞAN greeted the escort of honor upon his arrival at the second observation site, where he would observe the exercise, and then proceeded to the observation spot.
At the opening of the second phase of the Distinguished Observer Day that started with the arrival of President ERDOĞAN, Commander of the Turkish Land Forces, General Musa AVSEVER delivered a speech regarding the exercise. General AVSEVER stated that the unpredictable security environment with rapid technological developments and the latest developments in the world and the region necessitate an armed force that is ready to operate at any time and noted that the comparison of combat power is now based on superiority in knowhow, technology, maneuverability and influence rather than a quantitative superiority. AVSEVER said, “In this regard, Exercise EFES-2022 is crucial for showcasing the Turkish Armed Forces' degree of readiness, maneuverability, and firepower as well as its superior technological advancements, inter-force and international coordination.” General AVSEVER reminded that the EFES Exercises were conducted nationally between 1975 and 2016, and internationally since 2016, and said, “In addition to the main elements of the Turkish Armed Forces, 37 friendly and allied countries are participating in Exercise EFES-2022 as actual participants and observers. Besides, within the framework of the comprehensive approach, 7 ministries, 9 public institutions and organizations and 43 defense industry companies are participating in the exercise. A total of 10,293 personnel, 1022 of which are from friendly and allied countries, are taking part in the exercise. Following the completion of the live part of the exercise, the lessons learned phase will be conducted by making a general evaluation of the exercise with the representatives of the national and participating countries to ensure maximum benefit in the coming period.”
The daytime phase of the Distinguished Observer Day was followed by the Libya Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, the defense ministers of Azerbaijan, Gambia, Cameroon, Qatar, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, Rwanda, and the chiefs of staff of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Libya, Hungary, and Pakistan.
In the exercise, aiming to improve the military capabilities of the joint headquarters and units formed with the elements of the participating countries in the combined and joint operation covering all the missions to be given and to maintain the level of combat readiness, the generic scenario of United Nations Peacekeeping Operations was utilized.
Following the scenario on the night of June 8th, the daytime phase of the exercise continued June 9th with air assault operations and amphibious operations.
In the amphibious operation supported by artillery and mortar fire, targets of the hostile elements in the landing zone were destroyed with 76mm OTO Melara naval guns from a distance of 6 kilometers by TCG Heybeliada and TCG Büyükada corvettes built with domestic and national facilities. Afterwards, as per the scenario, the symbolic command post of the enemy was taken under fire by Turkish and US artillery batteries using 105mm M101A1 and 155mm M114A1/A2 Towed Howitzers. In the continuation of the air assault operations carried out at night, 4 AS-532 COUGAR, 4 S-70 and 3 CH-47 Chinook helicopters carried 105mm M101A1 Towed Howitzer and ammunition boxes under the coordination of 4 ATAK Attack Helicopters. Close air support with guided munitions was provided by F-4 aircraft for the Amphibious Assault Operations. From the SAT boat at sea, machine gun and RPG-7 shots were fired at the landing shore.
In the exercise, after an enemy submarine was detected in the Amphibious Target Area, 3 S-70B SeaHawk helicopters approached the sea surface and used dipping sonars to determine its exact location. A maritime patrol aircraft fired training exercise torpedoes to neutralize the submarine. In support of the Amphibious Operations, after the enemy targets were hit by 105mm M101A1 and 155mm M114A1/A2 Towed Howitzers and 203mm M110 Self-Propelled Howitzers, minefield and wire obstacles were cleared by using AKSAR (rocket launched line charge) and IYGAS (mine-clearing line charge) in order to create a breach for the elements participating in the landing.
In the exercise, the Akıncı UCAV, which took off from the base in Batman, supported the operations by launching MAM-L ammunition during the initial assault of the landing ships. In the urban warfare section, MILAN firing, OMTAS firing from PARS 4x4 Wheeled Vehicle and KORNET anti-tank firing from KAPLAN-10 Vehicle were conducted against the detected enemy armored vehicles. The EFES-2022 Combined, Joint Live-Fire Field Exercise finalized with successful execution of the scenario.
In his speech following the exercise, President Recep Tayyip ERDOĞAN thanked everyone who contributed to the exercise, and said, “I believe the weapons, vehicles and systems displayed at the defense industry exhibition within the exercise program show the point our country has reached in this area. We are a country that is pleased to share all its means and capabilities in the defense industry with its friends and allies. Such examples of cooperation gain even greater importance while the world is going through a deep-rooted restructuring process in political, economic, military and social terms.”
ERDOĞAN stated that Türkiye has successfully addressed the world's most critical challenges, including terrorism and irregular migration flows, and has made indisputable efforts to promote peace throughout the world. “Our armed forces have a special place in this picture. Our army makes us proud with its achievements in every field, from border security to cross-border operations, from the fight against terrorism to the international missions we carry out within the framework of NATO and bilateral agreements. The results we have achieved in our fight against the world's most dangerous armed terrorist organizations, from the PKK to DAESH, are incomparable.”
Expressing Turkey’s frustration during such a critical period over the strategies that threatened Turkey’s rights and interests emanating from international agreements in the Aegean, the Eastern Mediterranean and Cyprus, ERDOĞAN noted, “Some Greek politicians seek to stay at the forefront with an unprecedented recklessness as well as preposterous words and actions devoid of reality and against the law. However, there are many examples which show that such issues are so sensitive that they cannot tolerate spoiled acts aimed at internal politics and can lead to grave results. Those who waste their energy and time as well as the resources of their countries with dreams they will never be able to achieve will definitely pay the price before history.”
ERDOĞAN called on Greece to stop arming demilitarized islands and to act in accordance with international agreements, and added, “I am not joking. I am serious. Our nation is resolute, if we say something, we follow its consequences. We leave the meaning of requesting a 40,000-kilometer maritime jurisdiction for Meis island, which is less than two kilometers away from our mainland, but more than 600 kilometers away from Greece in the Eastern Mediterranean to the discretion of the international community. Including demilitarized islands in various exercises and seeking to use NATO and third-party countries as a tool in this unlawfulness is nothing but an effort that will have a tragic ending. Mr. MITSOTAKIS is probably carrying out touristic landings on the islands; it is impossible to achieve anything with that.”
Stressing that Greece still continues to put pressure on the Turkish minorities in the western Thrace, Rhodes and Kos, ignoring international agreements, universal human rights and the values of the European Union of which it is a member, ERDOĞAN continued as follows: “Turning a blind eye to the oppressive stance of Greece, which had been convicted by the European Court of Human Rights in 1996 and 2006 due to its unlawful practices, constituted an example of double standards. It is noteworthy that those who throw their weight around when it comes to Türkiye remain silent to Greece which disregards the European Court of Human Rights, openly supports terrorist organizations, and treats refugees in the most inhumane way. As an ally which has paid the highest price within NATO in all aspects, we have kept our cool against the provocations of Greece which has yet to even respond to our invitations we have made for military delegation meetings in the past two years. However, we see that this patience and calmness of ours has been misunderstood by our counterpart.Türkiye neither violates anyone’s rights or law, nor lets anyone violate its own. We once again warn Greece to pull itself together and stay away from dreams, rhetoric and actions that will end up with regret, as just was the case a century ago.”
ERDOĞAN also emphasized that Türkiye will not give up its rights in the Aegean and will not hesitate to exercise its rights emanating from international agreements regarding the armament of islands, and said, “The tentative and patronizing attitude of the Greek side had left no solution but an equal, sovereign, and independent two-state method on the island. Every action taken by the Greek side, from providing priests with heavy weapons training to opening offices to terrorist organizations, shows the accuracy of our decision. The hydrocarbon exploration activities in the Eastern Mediterranean will continue in line with the United Nations’ resolutions and other international regulations. We neither have allowed nor will allow any attempt or action in our jurisdictions”
