Comparative Study on the Military Effectiveness of the Turkish Army Post 2016 Coup

The bachelor's thesis is a process-tracing case study focusing on the military effectiveness of the Turkish armed forces (TAF) before and after the failed coup d'état that occurred on the night of July 15, 2016. Inspired by the works of Stephen Biddle and Caitlin Talmadge, the work combines variables of the authors and tries to determine if the military has lost its military effectiveness in conventional warfare, by searching for examples of coup-proofing operational practices within the TAF. Since Talmadge depicts such practices as occurring in authoritarian regimes, a brief overview of the current Turkish semi-authoritarian political landscape is added at the beginning, along with a brief description of the role of the TAF within the system. Additionally, a description and timescale of the coup is provided. During the research, coup- proofing practices were witnessed in three out of the four independent variables. Interestingly, the practices were not only found after the coup, but in the preceding years as well. A short- term decrease of military effectiveness was undeniably discovered. Currently, it is impossible to determine if such practices will continue in the long-run, that warrants further research. Furthermore, the deterioration has not affected the TAF significantly, due to its military..