Türkiye's EFES 2026 Drill Brings Syria, Libya and NATO Partners Into Same Field
By Bosphorus News Defense Desk
Türkiye's EFES 2026 Combined Joint Live-Fire Field Exercise is entering its final days with more than 10,000 personnel from 50 countries operating across five training areas in western Anatolia and the Aegean coast, turning the biennial drill into one of Ankara's most visible military diplomacy platforms of the year.
The Distinguished Observer Day, when the exercise reaches its most public phase, is scheduled for May 20 and 21 at the Doğanbey firing range in Seferihisar, İzmir.
The exercise is being conducted under the command and control of the Aegean Army Command. Its computer-assisted command post phase ran from April 11 to 17, followed by a live phase that began on April 20 and concludes on May 21.
Who Is on the Ground
The Turkish Ministry of National Defence said personnel from Türkiye, the United States, Albania, Azerbaijan, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Hungary, North Macedonia, Mongolia, Niger, Pakistan, Romania and Zambia carried out joint training at Narlıdere, Kartal/Menteş, Alankırı, Bahadır Island and Paşaçiftliği.
The ministry listed amphibious operations, anti-tank training, air defence, mortar firing, armoured fighting vehicle live-fire, chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defence, tank gunnery, pistol firing and parachute training among the confirmed activities.
Azerbaijan's Defence Ministry confirmed additional May 7 training phases involving personnel from Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Albania, Niger, Nigeria and Romania, including cave, shelter and tunnel search operations and mountaineering training at the İzmir garrison of Brigadier General Hüdaverdi Ersoy.
A separate Anadolu Agency feed carried by Reuters Connect said 93 personnel from nine countries, including Syria, North Macedonia, Kyrgyzstan, Somalia and Mongolia, participated in a dedicated cave and tunnel warfare drill on May 1.
Bosnia and Herzegovina's arrival in İzmir for the live phase was confirmed through the Turkish ministry's official social media channel. Zambia Army's official social media account confirmed that Major General Sinyinza was present in Türkiye for EFES 2026.
A parachute demonstration involving personnel from Türkiye, Hungary and Azerbaijan was conducted with 51 national flags raised at the venue, reflecting the broader observer and participant representation around the exercise.
Syria Appears in a Turkish-Led Field Exercise
The most politically sensitive participation belongs to Syria.
On May 5, the Turkish Ministry of National Defence released video footage showing Syrian Armed Forces personnel conducting live-fire artillery and mortar drills under Turkish supervision at the Narlıdere, Kartal/Menteş and Alankırı training areas.
The footage marks one of the clearest public signs yet of Syrian military units participating in a field exercise on Turkish territory after the political transition in Damascus in late 2024.
The participation follows the military cooperation agreement signed between Ankara and Damascus in August 2025. The agreement gave Türkiye a role in rebuilding Syrian defence capabilities, supporting training programmes and providing logistical assistance.
The timing gives the Syrian presence added weight. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on April 13 that Israeli military activity in Syria represented a direct threat to Turkish national security, adding that Israel was showing restraint because of its involvement in the Iran conflict but could move against Syria when conditions allowed.
Libya's Two Camps Enter the Same Drill
Libya gives EFES 2026 a second strategic layer.
The Turkish Ministry of National Defence said 331 personnel from eastern Libya's Libyan National Army and 177 personnel from western Libya's Government of National Unity are participating in the exercise, alongside the fast-attack craft LNS Shafak from the Libyan Navy.
The ministry framed the joint participation explicitly, saying the fact that eastern and western Libyan elements had come together under the same exercise framework was being viewed as a critical milestone for the vision of a single and unified Libya.
The Libyan National Army's General Staff confirmed the deployment through the Libyan News Agency on April 28, citing directives from Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Salah al-Din al-Namroush. The Government of National Unity's advance units arrived at a designated camp in İzmir on April 21, according to the Libya Observer.
This is not the first time the two Libyan camps have appeared in the same training cycle in recent weeks. Both participated in Flintlock 2026, the United States Africa Command-led special forces exercise held between April 13 and 30, with operational sites in Sirte and Côte d'Ivoire.
EFES 2026 now places that same Libya file inside a Turkish-led military framework.
New Turkish Systems on Display
Turkish Ministry of National Defence spokesman Rear Admiral Zeki Aktürk said 50 weapons and systems are being used for the first time during EFES 2026.
Four systems were specifically highlighted: the Panter truck-mounted 155mm artillery system, developed under ASFAT coordination with contributions from MKE, ASELSAN and BMC; the KARAOK man-portable short-range anti-tank missile with fire-and-forget capability, produced by ROKETSAN; the Special Purpose Tactical Wheeled Armoured Vehicle based on the FNSS PARS 6x6 and 8x8 architecture; and the Karayel-class high-speed tactical assault craft developed by Yonca Shipyard for amphibious operations and commando insertion.
A Defence Industry Exhibition in a fair-style format is planned alongside the Distinguished Observer Day activities on May 20 and 21. The Turkish Stars aerobatic display team is scheduled to perform on May 21.
The Aegean Backdrop
EFES 2026 is taking place in Seferihisar, directly across the Aegean from the Greek island of Samos, giving the exercise an unavoidable regional context.
Greece has long viewed amphibious landing scenarios in EFES through the lens of eastern Aegean island security. Greek defence media also noted that Greek special forces held a Green Berets award ceremony on Samos during the same week, describing it as a symbolic response to the concentration of Turkish forces on the opposite coast.
The exercise is also running during a tense week in the Aegean. A Turkish missile boat challenged the cable vessel Ocean Link by radio near Astypalaia on May 13. Greek fishermen from Kalymnos reported a Turkish coast guard vessel training a weapon toward their boat near Imia on May 14. Greece formally requested European Union intervention over Turkish fishing activities in the Aegean on May 15.
Türkiye's draft maritime jurisdiction bill, which would codify Blue Homeland claims in domestic law, was confirmed by the Ministry of National Defence on May 14 and is expected to reach parliament after the Kurban Bayramı holiday.
EFES 2026 is formally a combined joint live-fire exercise, but its final phase is unfolding as Ankara projects a wider security posture from the Aegean to Libya and Syria. The drill now carries a message beyond training: Türkiye is using its own military ground to assemble NATO partners, African forces, Turkic allies, Syrian units and Libya's rival camps inside a single operational frame.
EFES 2026 concludes on May 21.
***Sources: Turkish Ministry of National Defence official statements and social media; Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence; AZERTAC; APA; Libyan News Agency; Libya Observer; Zambia Army official social media; Anadolu Agency; Reuters Connect; Defense News; Aviation Week.