The 2235th anniversary of the Turkish Land Forces Command was celebrated with a ceremony in Ankara. A ceremony was held at the Turkish Land Forces Command Headquarters on the occasion of the 2235th anniversary. The program was attended by Land Forces Commander General Metin Tokel, relatives of martyrs, veterans, relatives of veterans, and Land Forces Headquarters personnel and their families.
The program began with a moment of silence and the reading of the National Anthem, followed by a prayer. During the ceremony, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's congratulatory message was read. In his message, Erdoğan said, 'I congratulate the Turkish Land Forces Command, the apple of our heroic army's eye and the source of our nation's trust and pride, on its anniversary.'
Stating that the Land Forces, with its centuries-old deep-rooted history, superior discipline, high sense of duty, and history full of glorious victories, are the guarantee of the state's survival and the nation's peace and security, President Erdoğan said, 'Our heroic Mehmetçik, who wrote epics in the defense of our homeland from Malazgirt to Çanakkale, from Sakarya to the present day, continues to perform its duty with the same faith, determination and resolve today.'
Emphasizing that the Land Forces, growing stronger every day with the opportunities of the domestic and national defense industry in line with the goals of the Turkish Century, make significant contributions to the country's deterrence and regional peace, President Erdoğan said, 'I congratulate all members of our Land Forces Command, and I commemorate our precious martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the homeland with mercy, and our heroic veterans with gratitude. I wish health, success and prosperity to all our personnel on duty.'
After President Erdoğan's message, the congratulatory messages of National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and Chief of General Staff General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu were shared with the participants. Land Forces Commander General Metin Tokel also made a speech as part of the program.
Tokel stated that the foundations of the Land Forces were laid 2235 years ago by Mete Han, and said that it is a big family with its deep-rooted history, strong traditions and unshakable spirit of solidarity.
Drawing attention to the fact that the Land Forces is one of the most deep-rooted military organizations in the world, Tokel said, 'Our Land Forces, which have served for the peace, security and independence of our nation throughout history, have always been with and at the service of our nation with the strength they draw from their deep-rooted past and their high sense of duty.'
Emphasizing that Sheikh Edebali's saying 'Let man live so that the state lives' still forms the basis of their understanding of duty today, Tokel stated that they consider strengthening the welfare, professional development and sense of institutional belonging of personnel among their priorities.
Stating that Turkey is the trust of martyrs and veterans, Tokel stated that, with the inspiration they draw from the historical heritage extending from Mete Han to Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, they are preparing the Land Forces for the second century of the Republic under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Tokel said, 'We are making efforts to strengthen our Land Forces with the capabilities required by the changing security environment and to further increase our deterrence in the world. In this context, we continue our work with determination and effort, accelerating our efforts.'
Expressing that today's security environment has transformed into a multidimensional structure, Tokel said that besides land, air and naval operational areas, space, cyberspace and the electromagnetic spectrum have also become integral elements of the battlefield.
Tokel added that in this context, they have achieved significant developments in areas such as unmanned systems, artificial intelligence-supported technologies, electronic warfare, cybersecurity, air defense systems and long-range precision strike capability. As part of the ceremony, the Mehteran Band gave a concert.
During the concert, the Equestrian Sports Training Center Unit performed a march with flags representing the 16 Turkish states established in history. Later in the program, Land Forces Commander General Metin Tokel was presented with a souvenir object in memory of the day.
Within the scope of the event, participants took photos with KİRPİ, Sikorsky, the Mehteran Band and commando unit, and watched demonstrations of bomb detection and search and rescue dogs. Pastries, bread and soup prepared in the ERAY kitchen and GÖKBERK field oven were offered to participants. At the end of the program, guests visited the stands featuring national defense industry products and received information from officials.
