“He who rules the days – rules the world”: Erdogan’s naval strengthening plan

Turkey is currently building 47 warships at the same time for its navy – as part of President Erdogan’s effort to turn his country into a regional naval power. Israel is monitoring this intensification, and former Navy Commander Cheney warns of its consequences: “They can cause quite a few problems.” According to him, Israel needs renewed strategic thinking and an increase in the power of the navy.

 

If our homeland on land is our home, then the ‘blue homeland’ is a garden where we find relaxation. Just as we cannot give up a room in our house, we will never give up even one drop of the ‘blue homeland’

Erdogan’s son-in-law

This intensification takes on additional significance against the backdrop of tensions in the region. After the summer vacation, and for the first time since the Air Force attack very close to Turkey last week, Erdogan returned to sounding strong messages. “The blood dealers will lose. The opportunists who make a living from terrorism will lose. The perpetrators of genocide who want to drown our region in instability will lose,” he said.

However, parallel to the rhetoric, Ankara has been investing in recent years in building a real military force specifically at sea. While the Turkish Air Force is limited due to the American sanctions, the Navy is taking a more central place in Erdogan’s security concept.

The Turkish Navy is considered the largest in the Mediterranean and the tenth largest in the world. For comparison, the Israeli Navy is ranked 32nd. Erdoğan formulated his vision using a quote that accompanies the naval intensification: “We are making these efforts with the words that guide us are the words of Barbaros Hirtin Pasha: ‘He who rules the days – rules the world’.”

Barbarus Hirtin Pasha, whom Erdoğan mentioned, was one of the prominent figures in the naval power of the Ottoman Empire and expanded its influence through conquests at sea. Even today, the Turkish government uses his image to connect the Ottoman heritage with the naval ambitions of modern Turkey.

 

So that no one has any doubt, the great and powerful Turkey has already been wounded, and the building of the hundred years of Turkey has begun

Turkish President Erdogan

Last weekend, thousands of Turks arrived at the naval headquarters in Golcuk, near Istanbul, to view the flagships and vessels of the local industry. The display was another expression of Ankara’s effort to showcase the naval power it is building.

After decades in which Turkey relied to a large extent on vessels from foreign sources, it established a defense maritime industry that currently supplies a significant part of the navy’s needs – and even exports to other countries. “We are building 47 warships at the same time for the Turkish Navy, and we are also building 24 naval platforms for foreign countries,” said a senior Turkish official.

The expanding fleet is intended to serve, among other things, the concept of the “blue homeland”: a political-military doctrine that seeks to expand the influence and rights that Turkey claims in the surrounding maritime spaces. “To ensure the security of the ‘blue homeland’, we implemented many projects,” said Erdogan.

The idea was formulated by former senior officials in the Turkish Navy, and it refers first and foremost to the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. Erdogan’s son-in-law formulated the concept directly: “If our homeland on land is our home, then the ‘blue homeland’ is a garden where we find relaxation. Just as we cannot give up a room in our house, so we will never give up even one drop of the ‘blue homeland’.”

The meaning is not only military. The implementation of the concept increases the friction with Greece, among other things regarding the division of maritime spaces and the possible control of gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean. Greece’s foreign minister, Georgios Grafartitis, said this week that his country is prepared to respond on the ground in the event of a Turkish move that, according to him, would harm its rights. During an interview in which he was asked about the possibility of Turkey sending warships to the region, he clarified that Athens does not intend to avoid a response and that it has various options at its disposal.

According to the “Blue Motherland” a line coming out of Turkey’s coastline meets a line coming out of Libya’s coastline, where Turkey invests many resources and gives both countries control over the entire maritime strip that stretches from north to south.

Former Navy Commander Eliezer (Cheney) Marom warns that the Turkish establishment in the sea may have direct consequences for Israel. “They can cause quite a few problems,” he said. “Israel, Cyprus and Greece wanted to move a gas pipeline on the seabed. This will be a problem, and we will probably need Turkish approval for this. There are all kinds of other means that are at the bottom of the sea, such as optical fibers. This will definitely create an economic impact.”

Sources familiar with the capabilities of the Turkish Navy estimate that the gap between the navies can be bridged – if Israel chooses to invest in it. When his son-in-law Erdogan was asked about a possible reaction from Israel, he replied: “Even if it upsets someone, there is a saying of our ancestors: ‘The dogs bark – and the convoy passes.'”

Marom believes that the Israeli response should be long-term. “It is the duty of the State of Israel to look at this threat, because the State of Israel is currently likened to an island. It is of great importance for comprehensive strategic thinking and to increase the navy and make it a very significant factor in the Mediterranean, so that it can deal with threats, if and when they come.”

Erdogan, for his part, presents the construction of the navy as part of a much broader vision for the future of the country. “So that no one has a doubt,” he said, “the great and powerful Turkey has already been wounded, and the hundred-year construction of Turkey has begun.”