The most diverse military drills?

Large, and diverse, participation

The exercise started on May 16^th and lasted until May 21^st. It brought together more than 10,000 personnel, including 1,305 troops from allied and partner nations. The sheer number of different countries participating made it the most internationally diverse edition of the exercise. Participating countries included NATO allies such as the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Sweden, but were not limited to them. Other states took part, like Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Malaysia, Japan, Somalia and Rwanda.

Some of the participants drew particular attention during the exercise. For example, the Syrian Army joined EFES for the first time since the fall of the Baathist regime. As Clash Report notes, “Syria sent a core unit for air assault, armoured manoeuvre, and sniper training. Syria’s Army Chief of Staff travelled to Türkiye and observed the drills.”

An even more interesting choice was bringing together two rivalling military forces from Libya’s west and east for the very first time. This adds at least a symbolic diplomatic layer to the drills.

What equipment was used?

The drills were carried out at sea, on land and in the airspace. Türkiye showed off its expanding naval capabilities through platforms like the TCG Anadolu, the multipurpose amphibious assault ship. One of the country’s best-known products, Baykar’s Bayraktar TB3 unmanned combat aerial vehicle, was carrying out tasks directly from the vessel. UCAVs were the centrepiece of the drills. While the Bayraktar TB3 was operating from the TCG Anadolu, the heavy-payload Bayraktar Akinci was supporting joint operations.

Türkiye deployed the locally produced Karayel patrol boat for the first time during the exercise. It carried out tasks off the coast of Izmir. On the sidelines of Efes 2026, one could also observe the usage of the Alpay-II minefield breaching system.

The host of the exercise was keen to present a live demonstration of its Steel Dome, an integrated air and missile defence architecture. It was developed by Aselsan and integrates Siper, Hisar-A, Hisar-O and Sungur air defence systems, bringing together long-range and short-range elements that enable swift detection, tracking and interception at different stages. The Steel Dome is designed to respond to threats from cruise missiles and commercial-grade drones alike.

The air phase of the drills included manoeuvres carried out by F-16 fighter jets, but was not limited to them. Turkish Aerospace Industries displayed the Kaan fifth-generation fighter jet, Hurjet advanced jet trainer and Anka-3 stealth unmanned combat aircraft at the exhibition. Aselsan presented Toygun and Karat electro-optical targeting systems, which were developed domestically in response to foreign embargoes affecting previously imported optics technology. The STM company demonstrated the KARGU loitering munition swarm capability during the drills. The system was operated by a single operator who controlled 20 units at the same time.

The defence industry exhibition also presented the Uran vehicle-mounted weapon system and the Tolga weapon system.

Conclusion of the exercise

The manoeuvres conclude today with the Distinguished Observer Day, during which defence ministers and military chiefs from participating states will follow the final five manoeuvres live. This highlights the ultimate goal of the drills. Türkiye wants to showcase its identity and its capabilities to all the allies present at the site. As Türkiye Today pointed out, “for the governments represented at EFES 2026, the exercise offers a direct view of a Turkish defence industry that has expanded its domestic production capacity over the past decade.”