Minister Güler’s Statement on Sword-Wielding Pirate Oath: Deliberate Organized Indiscipline
Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler addressed the issue of lieutenant’s sword-wielding pirate oath, stating that “The situation that has emerged is a disciplinary offense. The offense is not the act of brandishing swords, but deliberate organized indiscipline.” He also touched upon the topic of purchasing F-35 jets from the United States, mentioning that “We have 6 of our jets there. When the Americans saw that we had implemented the KAAN project for the F-35 and it was successful, their thoughts changed.”
Minister Güler responded to questions from members of parliament following the budget discussions. Some key points from his statements are as follows:
“UNACCEPTABLE FOR MILITARY HIERARCHY”
Lieutenants must be evaluated accurately. The current situation is not a matter of disrespecting Atatürk and his legacy, but rather an investigation into a disciplinary offense that has occurred. The alleged offense is not about brandishing swords, reciting oaths, or saying “We are soldiers of Mustafa Kemal”, but a deliberate, organized, and planned act of indiscipline despite repeated warnings and orders. The lieutenants were not asked why they brandished swords, recited oaths, or said “We are soldiers of Mustafa Kemal”. The action was organized in groups without the permission of superiors, the media was invited to know about the action, and intentionally the chain of command was bypassed. This is an unacceptable situation for military hierarchy, and it cannot be ignored. The issue regarding the lieutenants is not the main agenda of our ministry. Every day, 30 thousand of our sons are on operations 365 days, 24 hours.
“NO COMPROMISE ON DISCIPLINE”
The disciplinary board will decide on the punishment. Regardless of the nature of the offense, the disciplinary process will be followed in the same manner, and there will be no compromise on discipline. Indiscipline cannot have any excuses or justifications. Factors such as the youth of those involved, no previous penalties, no failures, or the pre-reading of the text do not change the reason for indiscipline. The national, spiritual, and professional values of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) are a whole, and behaviors that create a sense of division through our common value of Atatürk are unacceptable. This indiscipline has paved the way for baseless accusations against the TSK, unnecessary discussions about the TSK in the public, and damage to its reputation. Preserving the institutional order and discipline in the TSK is essential. It is important for everyone to be more careful in not tarnishing the image of the army and not to give credence to efforts to distort the incident.
“WE ABANDONED F-16 MODERNIZATION KIT”
Until HÜRJET and KAAN are in service, efforts are ongoing to acquire advanced, modern combat aircraft and diversify the inventory. An initial payment was made for the procurement of 40 F-16 Block 70 Viper aircraft, and we were going to modernize 79 of them, but we abandoned the idea. This is because TUSAŞ facilities are now capable of modernizing F-16s themselves. We will acquire 40 aircraft and specialized ammunition, with a total cost of approximately 6.5-7 billion dollars.
“THEY INDICATE THEY CAN PROVIDE F-35s”
We have 6 of our jets there. The Americans have changed their minds about the F-35 after seeing that we have implemented the KAAN project and it is successful. They also indicate that they can provide F-35s. There has been no progress on this issue. We are insisting on the return of our production share and have expressed our desire to acquire 40 F-35s.
“EVERYTHING IS READY FOR S-400”
We have previously conveyed our demands to the US, France, and Italy. In our recent discussions with the Americans, we rejected their demands regarding the S-400. The locations where we will establish and use the S-400 are all set. When we give an order, they will move to the designated area. Within 12 hours, the entire system will be set up. This is an air defense system that is used when the threat of air attack is at its highest.
“ALTAY IN 2025”
We have over 3,000 tanks, and we will begin to acquire the Altay tank by the end of 2025.
EUROFIGHTER
Germany has indicated that the permits have been issued, and our efforts are ongoing.
