Turkish military personnel number shrinks after structural change

The personnel figures in the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) have sharply fallen since the evening of the failed coup attempt on July 15, mainly due to the separation of the gendarmerie from the force, as well as large numbers of suspensions. 

A total of 355,212 military personnel are currently serving under the roof of the TSK, the military announced on its website on Oct. 5, revealing a dramatic decline from the 518,166 at the end of June. 

The figure even jumps to 570,111 when the number of civilian personnel is added. 

The June figures showed that the personnel number of the gendarmerie stood at 160,148. 

On July 27, the Interior Ministry took full control over the gendarmerie and the Coast Guard as part of the precautions against a further coup attempt. The gendarmerie will now operate with the military in cases of emergency. 

According to the new statement, 201 generals and admirals and 29,434 military officers are currently on duty following dismissals from the army as part of the ongoing investigation into the attempted takeover, which was blamed on the movement of U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen, particularly members of the movement who were high up in the military in Istanbul and Ankara.

Before the coup attempt, there were 358 generals and admirals in total, with 32 of them being in the gendarmerie. 

The army added that there were 67,257 non-commissioned officers on duty. It also stated that there were 49,279 specialized sergeants and 15,869 contracted privates after the dismissals.

There are also 6,072 reserve officers and 187,100 privates in the army, according to the military.

Meanwhile, the military temporarily dismissed 540 more soldiers from the naval and air...