Fleet

Two Bulgarian ships depart for NATO missions at Atia Naval Base. They were sent out today with a solemn ritual.

With more than 140 crew, the "Verni" frigate is leaving for a month-long involvement in NATO's Mediterranean Maritime Security Operation Sea Guardian. Fleet commander of battleships and auxiliary ships is Fleet Admiral Malencho Benkov.

Seven general and admirals asked for retirement of their own volition before recent promotions and demotions within Turkey's military ranks, the Defense Ministry has stated, amid media reports that the government had asked 10 generals to retire and threatened them with dismissal through state of emergency degrees. 

Fleet Commander Adm. Veysel Kösele has resigned from his post, Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın said on Aug. 17.  

The radio conversations of pilots who participated in the failed July 15, 2016 coup attempt have revealed how critical state institutions were bombed in the capital Ankara. 

Turkey's annual military reshuffle was focused on bringing about a new shape and vision to the command echelon with replacements of land, air and naval forces commanders as well as promotions of commando colonels as generals, a year after the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) were shaken entirely because of a failed coup staged by a high-ranking personnel loyal to the U.S.-based Fethullah Gülen.

The conversations between the 93-0671 tail-numbered F-16 jet's pilot who took off with the code name "Lion 6" and the tower at the Akıncı Air Base were fully recorded. The dialogues happened in the morning of July 16, 2016. It was the last F-16 flight to take off from the base used by the coup plotters. 

Turkey's commander of air forces was taken hostage while attending a wedding on July 15, by soldiers that have engaged a failed coup attempt.

General Abidin Ünal, the commander of Air Force was attending the wedding of the daughter of General Mehmet Şanver, the commander of Eskişehir Combatant Air Unit, on the Anatolian side of Istanbul.