Turkish Naval Forces make significant contributions to NATO Steadfast Dart 2026 exercise

The Anadolu Turkish Maritime Task Force made a strong contribution to NATO's largest exercise of the year using indigenous assets, Naval Forces Commander Admiral Ercument Tatlioglu said Tuesday.

Tatlioglu spoke to journalists aboard Türkiye's largest warship, TCG Anadolu, during the NATO Steadfast Dart 2026 exercise in the Baltic Sea.

Fifteen ships and 2,600 personnel from Türkiye, France, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain participated in the operation.

Tatlioglu noted that 11 NATO countries participated in the comprehensive exercise.

"We are participating as the Anadolu Turkish Maritime Task Force with our multi-purpose amphibious ship TCG Anadolu, our replenishment combat support ship TCG Derya, our first national and local frigate TCG Istanbul, and our TCG Orucreis frigate, whose mid-life modernization we carried out with national means," Tatlioglu said.

The admiral reported that an amphibious marine infantry battalion — armored amphibious assault vehicles capable of operating both at sea and on land, underwater offense and defense commandos, helicopters, unmanned surface vehicles, and three Bayraktar TB3 armed unmanned aerial vehicles — also participated from Türkiye.

He highlighted two key points about the exercise. First, it demonstrated the power projection capability of the Turkish Naval Forces, with marines and amphibious units transported over a distance of more than 8,000 kilometers aboard TCG Anadolu.

Second, the TB3 drones were used for the first time in a NATO exercise and for the first time in an amphibious operation. Tatlioglu noted this represents a new doctrine for NATO, marking the alliance's first amphibious operation using UAVs.

Tatlioglu stressed: "We exist as a naval force not only in the Baltic Sea but all over the world."

He mentioned that the Anadolu Turkish Maritime Task Force conducts exercises in the Baltic Sea while the Somali Turkish Maritime Task Force operates in the Indian Ocean.

He noted that Turkish ships also conduct operations in the Persian Gulf, west of Lebanon, and north of Libya, and are currently training with the Italian navy in the Adriatic Sea.

Tatlioglu emphasized that Türkiye's geostrategic position as a country surrounded by seas on three sides requires strong naval forces. He concluded with the message: "We are also a very strong naval force."