While the future of the NATO alliance is being debated due to the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump, the alliance is conducting its largest military exercise of the year in Germany, with the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) participating with more than 2,000 soldiers.
It also marks the most significant overseas mission to date for the landing dock amphibious ship TCG Anadolu, which was originally designed to deploy F-35B aircraft but was converted into the world's first UAV carrier after Turkey was excluded from the F-35 program by U.S. CAATSA sanctions.
U.S. ABSENCE
The Steadfast Dart-26 exercise runs Feb. 8-25 and aims to test the joint operational capabilities of European armed forces.
With the participation of some 10,000 military personnel from Italy, Greece, Germany, Czech Republic, Spain, Lithuania, Bulgaria, and Turkey, with additional support from France, Estonia, the Netherlands, Poland, Belgium, and the United Kingdom, the exercise involves the entire Allied Reaction Force (ARF) and falls under the responsibility of Joint Force Command Brunssum.
DEPLOYMENT AND TRAINING
The ARF is a military force designed to respond to crisis or conflict situations, capable of deploying wherever required (in or outside the alliance) within a few days. The main purpose of the exercise is to demonstrate the capability to deploy rapidly, in time and space, with the rest of the ARF forces.
Turkey’s participation with the 66th Mechanized Infantry Brigade, which is based in Çorlu district of Tekirdağ, underscores its commitment to NATO and its role as a key ally.
NAVY IN DISTANT SEAS
The TCG Anadolu, which set out on Jan. 20 from the port of Foça, is accompanied by the frigates TCG Kınalıada, TCG İstanbul, and TCG Derya, all built in Turkey. This fleet also includes amphibious landing craft, a marine infantry battalion, nine general-purpose and attack helicopters, three Bayraktar TB-3 UAVs, and a total of 1,500 personnel.
The task force will support the Maritime Guardian Operation, Brilliant Shield Operation, and Noble Shield Operation in the Mediterranean Sea, Bay of Biscay, English Channel, North Sea, Baltic Sea, and Adriatic Sea until June 30, in addition to the Steadfast Dart-2026 Exercise. It will also participate in the Northern Quadriga and Dynamic Mariner/Cold Response/Joint Warrior exercises and the Neptune Strike NATO Enhanced Readiness Activity.
The task force will visit ports in a total of 13 countries, including Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, the U.K., France, Portugal, Algeria, Italy, Tunisia, Albania, Croatia, Libya, and Egypt, to showcase Turkish defense industry products.
WITH OR WITHOUT FIGHTER JETS
The TCG Anadolu (L-400) flight deck has six landing areas and a 12-degree flight ramp. The deck can accommodate 10 helicopters or 11 UAVs, while the hangar deck below can accommodate 19 helicopters or 30 UAVs. If the TCG Anadolu is to be used as a pure aircraft carrier in a crisis, it is possible to deploy 25 F-35B or AV-8B Harrier fighter jets in the hangar and six on the flight deck.
The vessel was designed to handle 16 F-35B aircraft but the U.S. imposed sanctions on Turkey in 2019 due to its purchase of the S-400 air defense system from Russia and removed it from the F-35 project. For this reason, TCG Anadolu has been repurposed as a UAV carrier. The ship, which does not carry air defense missiles, is defended by frigates accompanying it. Capable of a maximum speed of 21 knots, it can sail for 30 days without refueling.
Its first overseas mission was in 2024 to participate in the Neptune Strike Exercise conducted in Albania as part of NATO's enhanced readiness activities.
