Security Forces Command

The Security Forces Command ( ) is the military and security force of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), a de facto state recognized only by Turkey. It is a 15,000 strong force primarily made up of conscripted Turkish Cypriot males between the ages of 18 and 40. It is a combined arms force, with land, air and naval arms, plus police and fire elements. This force is supplemented by the 17,500–30,000 strong Turkish military forces in Northern Cyprus stationed on the island.

The Security Forces Command ( ) is the military and security force of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), a de facto state recognized only by Turkey. It is a 15,000 strong force primarily made up of conscripted Turkish Cypriot males between the ages of 18 and 40. It is a combined arms force, with land, air and naval arms, plus police and fire elements. This force is supplemented by the 17,500–30,000 strong Turkish military forces in Northern Cyprus stationed on the island. ==History== The Republic of Cyprus' constitution provided for a bi-communal army (i.e. Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot) on a 60/40 per cent basis. The Cyprus army composed by both main Cypriot ethnic groups was created in 1960 yet was dismantled in the scope of the interethnic conflict 1963-4. Since then, both communities have maintained their independent armed forces. Even before independence, the Turkish Cypriot community (and similarly the Greek Cypriot community) maintained its own paramilitary force (the Türk Mukavemet Teşkilatı or TMT), trained and equipped by the Turkish Army (ibid). In 1967 this force was renamed the Mücahit ("Mujahideen"), and in 1975 the Mücahit was renamed the Turkish Cypriot Security Force. In 1974, Turkey led an invasion of Cyprus with the aim of protecting the Turkish minority population after a Greek-inspired coup brought a threat of union of the island with Greece. Since then there have been no major fighting in Cyprus and the island continues to be divided. ==Organization== The Turkish Cypriot Security Force is under the command of an officer of the Turkish Army. The officer is appointed by the Turkish Armed Forces and holds the rank of major general, whereas the head of the Turkish military forces in Northern Cyprus holds a higher rank as lieutenant general. According to observers a large part of its budget was covered by the Turkish army, upon which it depended for training and equipment. It is also believed that the majority of its officers came from the ranks of the Turkish Army officer corps on temporary leave from their regular duties and its operations were controlled by the Turkish army. ==Strength== Commandos Passage Ceremony.]]As of 2009, the strength of this force was believed to be about 9,000. It was organized into fifteen battalions in two brigades, infantry battalions armed with light weapons plus some artillery units equipped with mortars, ATGM's and MANPADS Turkish Cyprus's Coast Guard has 36 vessels. The flagship fleet of the command consists of four main vessels of the Turkish Coast Guard Type 80 class (such as KKTC SG-01), which were constructed between 1997 and 2000 and have been in active service since 2000. In terms of armament, these vessels are equipped with one 40mm/70 caliber gun and two 12.7mm machine guns. The rest of the naval inventory is composed of fast attack crafts, rapid intervention boats, and dedicated search and rescue (SAR) vessels. In March, 2023, Turkish Cyprus's Coast Guard started to operate TRNC SG-110 (BOĞAZ), TRNC SG-111 (LEFKE) and TRNC SG-112 (SERDARLI) modern assault boats. ===Commissioned officer ranks=== The rank insignia of commissioned officers. ===Other ranks=== The rank insignia of non-commissioned officers and enlisted personnel. ==See also== Cyprus Turkish Peace Force Command Cypriot National Guard Hellenic Force in Cyprus Directorate General for Police ==References== Bibliography Christopher Hitchens - Cyprus, Hostage to History: From the Ottomans to Kissinger Notes ==External links== Official website (Turkish) Military of Northern Cyprus on Reddet Library of Congress - Country Study Cypnet

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