President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan began his speech at the graduation ceremony for the 16th Joint Command and Staff Course and the 8th Command and Staff Course of the Force War Institutes, held at the National Defense University's Yenilevent Campus, by greeting the attendees.
Expressing great joy at attending the graduation ceremony of the officers who successfully completed their staff training, Erdoğan said, "Today, we are participating in the proud day of a total of 301 officers, 125 of whom are guest military personnel from friendly and brotherly countries, and we share their graduation joy. I congratulate all officers who have completed the 16th Joint Command and Staff Course and the 8th Command and Staff Course of the Force War Institutes," he said.
President Erdoğan emphasized national security and the home front, saying, "Wars are not fought only on the front lines." He expressed his belief that the officers receiving their diplomas would serve the Turkish Armed Forces, the state, and the nation with a high sense of duty at various levels with the title of "staff officer," and that they would make the strongest contributions with the staff mind, knowledge, and abilities, which is one of the most outstanding qualities of the Turkish army throughout history.
Wishing the staff officers great success in their new duties, President Erdoğan said, "May God not let a stone touch your foot; may He protect you from all threats and dangers."
President Erdoğan also wholeheartedly congratulated the guest soldiers from 26 different countries who received modern, comprehensive, and high-quality training here, and said he sincerely believed that they would further develop friendship, solidarity, and cooperation between their countries through the duties they will assume.
Erdoğan conveyed his appreciation and congratulations to the commanders and instructors who meticulously trained the officers both theoretically and practically, equipping young staff officers with their knowledge and experience. On this occasion, he said he commemorated with mercy all the martyrs who gave their lives for the survival of the state, the security of the country, and the peace and well-being of the nation.
"We offer our gratitude to our veterans," President Erdoğan continued. "In the words of the late Nurettin Topçu, 'The martyr is the soul of the nation residing in an individual, a national will that sends us eternal life from the place where a body is buried, granting us eternity.' Our glorious martyrs, who have granted eternity to the Turkish nation, the monuments of our nation's freedom, the symbols of our state's everlasting existence, will continue to illuminate our path with their epic struggles and memories. I offer my gratitude to our veterans who put their lives on the line for our national and sacred values concentrated in our star and crescent red flag, and I wish them all a long and blessed life."
"I have no doubt that the staff officers we are graduating today will worthily carry the trust of our martyrs and veterans through the duties they will perform in our country, in our region, and beyond our borders," he said.
Noting that the 10th anniversary of the National Defense University will be marked on July 31, President Erdoğan said, "I would like to state this at the outset and especially. In just 10 years, our National Defense University has become one of our most distinguished educational institutions shining on a global scale. This hearth, where well-equipped, conscientious, self-confident, and responsible officers and non-commissioned officers who are passionately devoted to their homeland, nation, and state are trained, is a source of pride for our nation."
Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Erdoğan said that the university fulfills a vital mission through its research in fields such as defense, security, and strategy, its national and international publications, reports, and consultancy activities, and its doctrinal solutions for the development of the military operational environment and military culture.
President Erdoğan stated, "With its 7 institutes, 3 military academies, 4 non-commissioned officer vocational schools, and a school of foreign languages, our National Defense University not only brings young hearts in love with the homeland and the nation, who take the national will as their starting point, to our country but also plays a leading role in deepening our body of military sciences."
"For this reason, I congratulate the civilian, military, and academic staff of our National Defense University, in the person of our esteemed rector and administrators, and all members of these families, and I wish them continued success," he said.
President Erdoğan stated that as the government, they have stood by the university since its establishment and have shown particular sensitivity in meeting its needs, especially physical and technical infrastructure, so that officers and non-commissioned officers can receive training at higher standards and under better conditions.
Erdoğan said that they will do whatever is necessary to further strengthen the NDU from now on, and he expressed his hope that the university's 10th anniversary will bring blessings to the Turkish Armed Forces and the nation.
"We are advancing towards becoming one of the poles of the new system," Erdoğan said, pointing out that we are living in a period where sharp changes have ceased to be exceptions and have become commonplace. "Artificial intelligence and new technologies are deeply affecting every aspect of life, from education to health and finance, from transportation to public services. In defense and security, we observe the manifestations of this transformation much more clearly."
"You know this fact best: in classical warfare environments, the determining factors were force density and the number of platforms. Today, we see that technology, information, unmanned systems, and rapid decision support mechanisms have been added to these. Wars are no longer fought only on the front lines; they are conducted together with cyber attacks and disinformation campaigns."
"Critical infrastructure, energy transmission lines, and trade routes are targeted with kamikaze drones."
Erdoğan stated that we are facing a new equation where unmanned aerial and naval vehicles directly affect the outcome and artificial intelligence-based software changes the course of operations. He emphasized that in this new environment, where reconnaissance and real-time intelligence are indispensable force multipliers, planning, as well as command and control, have become more critical than ever.
President Erdoğan said, "Our officers trained at our National Defense University demonstrate a unique performance in both planning and command and control. In one of his notes, Gazi Mustafa Kemal said, 'Commandership consists of seeking solutions, and this is taught by the history of warfare.'"
"We see in various missions that our commanders, inspired by our history full of unique victories and with the knowledge they have gained from the history of warfare, continue to write new epics, thank God. As a state, in this period when the international security paradigm is undergoing a radical transformation, we are advancing with firm steps towards becoming one of the poles of the new system," he said.
"We exported 803 million dollars worth of products just last month," Erdoğan said, noting that the localization rate in the defense industry has reached 82 percent, and that they test the developed products directly in the field and continuously renew and update them in light of feedback.
Erdoğan stated that engineers, software developers, technicians, and nearly 4,000 companies operating in the sector add new successes every day, and with this, they equip their security units with domestic and national equipment and state-of-the-art gear.
President Erdoğan underlined that they are raising the bar in exports every day, saying, "In the last 12 months, we set a new record by exporting over 11 billion dollars worth of defense and aviation products. Our exports in the January-June period reached 4 billion 665 million dollars, an increase of nearly 30 percent compared to the same period last year. Just last month, we exported 803 million dollars worth of products."
"Of course, it is also important that our officers and soldiers who can correctly read risks and threats, use these systems and technologies effectively, and put data from different platforms into practice are transforming this momentum we have achieved in the defense industry into national gains in the field."
"Our National Defense University, the production center of the staff mind, makes these gains sustainable with the children of the homeland it trains."
In his speech at the graduation ceremony, President Erdoğan stated that as the Turkish nation, they have a deeply rooted and rich military heritage that cannot be compared to any other nation in the world.
Reminding that the Turkish Land Forces celebrated their 2235th anniversary two weeks ago, Erdoğan noted, "We are a nation that established the Harbiye Military Museum, the world's oldest military museum, in 1453. I must particularly underline this."
"We are a nation that not only established the decimal system, which forms the basis of today's armies, but also gave the crescent tactic its true depth and introduced the chisel-cutting tactic and the envelopment operation to world war literature. By using the horses we domesticated like a storm on the battlefields, we changed the concept of infantry-heavy warfare, as you know."
"We, as an army-nation, invented the stirrup, which offers the cavalry 360-degree maneuverability. While closing one era and opening another with the conquest of Istanbul, we wrote a new epic with the brilliance of our military genius, with the Şahi cannons cast by Sultan Fatih and the ships we moved over land. We also used the mehter as an orchestra directing units on the battlefield."
Erdoğan pointed out that the Turkish nation has brought many more innovations to the field and art of war, saying, "While doing all this, we also conquered hearts along with lands. We crowned our strength with goodness and justice, our intelligence with virtue and compassion."
"We are healing the bleeding wounds in our geography of the heart," Erdoğan said, adding that they are progressing on the same line today and are protecting the legacy of their ancestors in the best way. "We are healing the bleeding wounds in our geography of the heart, and we are taking leading roles in keeping dialogue channels open. From the Balkans to the Caucasus, from the Middle East to Africa, we are pushing every door to make peace and tranquility permanent."
President Erdoğan emphasized that they also show a very strong presence in the international alliances they belong to, and reported that they successfully hosted the NATO Heads of State and Government Summit in Ankara and discussed the future of the Alliance in Turkey in light of changing security conditions.
Erdoğan stated that as a country entrusted with NATO's southeastern flank, they shared their assessments of the current agenda with their allies, and he expressed his hope that the Ankara Summit would contribute to the establishment of peace and stability in the region and the world. President Erdoğan continued, "No matter which organization we are a member of, in this challenging geography we live in, we hold our heads high with a clear conscience."
"To live this way, we must be strong. We cannot entrust Turkey's security to anyone, and we can never compromise on our national security. Therefore, we are obliged to both fully reinforce our national security and do so within the framework of law, legitimacy, and democracy. As I say at every opportunity, we will keep our inner fortress strong."
"While advancing towards our goals for the Century of Turkey, we will never forget that as 86 million, we are brothers and share the same destiny. With the success of our Terror-Free Turkey process, which we are conducting to rid our country of a nearly half-century-old problem, we will, God willing, begin to write a new story at home and abroad."
Congratulating the officers who successfully completed their training and wishing them success in their future duties, Erdoğan said he congratulated the guest officers with the same sincere feelings and asked them to convey his greetings to their friends back home. During the program, Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler and NDU Rector Prof. Dr. Erhan Afyoncu also delivered speeches.
Navy Colonel Adem Girgin spoke on behalf of the graduates, while Colonel Fuat Alil, one of the commanders of the North Macedonian Armed Forces, spoke on behalf of the graduating guest soldiers. Diplomas were presented to the top-ranking graduates by President Erdoğan.
The second-place graduates received their diplomas from Minister Güler, the third-place from Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov, the fourth-place from Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi, the fifth-place from Chief of General Staff General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu, and the sixth-place from Commander of the Turkish Naval Forces Admiral Ercüment Tatlıoğlu. Guest students received their diplomas from Commander of the Turkish Air Force General Ziya Cemal Kadıoğlu and NDU Rector Prof. Dr. Afyoncu.
