Turkey Earthquake: Why Was the Military Absent?

Military MIA After the Earthquake? In 1999, the military was quick to respond to disaster. In 2023, Erdogan’s reforms left it hobbled and unprepared. By Ozgur Ozkan, a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. FEBRUARY 24, 2023, 6:00 AM In 1999, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck near Marmara, Turkey, causing close to 18,000 deaths and leaving tens of thousands more people injured, displaced, or sorting through the rubble of their collapsed city. The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) mobilized immediately, and within the first 48 hours, it deployed approximately 65,000 personnel to lead the search, rescue, evacuation, and sheltering efforts. Soldiers went beyond their active military duties to operate field hospitals, tent cities, and mobile kitchens to affected citizens, ultimately proving crucial to the country’s recovery from the disaster. More:Turkey Earthquake: Why Was the Military Absent?