A report published by Turkish newspaper Hurriyet says Turkey is actively preparing for a large-scale war scenario, and a...

A report published by Turkish newspaper Hurriyet says Turkey is actively preparing for a large-scale war scenario, and a Greek-Turkish conflict is among the situations its military planners are working through. The report describes a Turkish defense strategy built around two core priorities. The first is preparing the armed forces for the possibility of a major regional conflict. The second is expanding Turkey's military presence outside its own borders, building on facilities already established in Libya, Syria, Qatar, and Iraq, with Saudi Arabia and countries across Africa and Asia listed as potential future locations. Greece and Turkey have been NATO allies for decades while simultaneously maintaining one of the alliance's most combustible bilateral relationships. Their forces intercept each other over the Aegean on a near-routine basis, and the two countries remain at odds over island sovereignty, maritime boundaries, and the status of Cyprus. The Hurriyet report does not indicate Turkey has made any decision to initiate conflict. It describes the internal planning process of a military that is clearly thinking about what a broader regional war could look like, and where Turkey would fit into it. A Turkish ruling party MP also weighed in, arguing that Mitsotakis should be focused on Greece's relationship with Israel rather than its disputes with Ankara, and dismissing the idea that Turkey would scale back its Mediterranean activities due to Greek objections. Turkey's military planning doctrine is rarely aired in the Turkish press with this kind of directness. The fact that Hurriyet published it is notable on its own. #Greece #Turkey #Aegean